Monday 9 March 2015

Complete History of Cohiba Cigars

History of Cohiba Cigars

The internationally famous and high priced Cohiba cigar was only manufactured for Cuban President Fidel Castro in 1963 and his top notch officials.

It is also said that Cohiba cigars were the personal cigars of Chico Perez, the then bodyguard of Fidel Castro. A close pal of Perez used to roll out the cigars for him. Castro was offered the cigars by Perez once and immediately he became the fan of these cigars. Castro loved the cigars so much that he hired Perez’s friend to roll Cohibas for himself. The only way to taste Cohiba cigar brand was as a gift from Castro.

The cigar brand remained unnamed until 1968 when it was officially launched under the guidance of Cubatabaco which is the marketing bureau of tobacco in Cuban states.

Cubatabaco head ordered the higher authority of El Laguito factory where these cigars were manufactured to manufacture a premium all new blend that was different from any other earlier versions of Cuban cigars.


At the initial days, the production was limited and the yearly production figure was restricted around only some thousands which were reserved for the top-notch high Cuban government officials. Finally, in 1982, Castro decided to release his personal cigars for public sale. Those cigars were an instant hit in the market after their launch and has been one of the top-selling Cuban cigar brands ever since.

Cohiba Linea Clasica Series

During its first launch for the public in 1982, Cohiba was available in only three sizes- Coronas Especiales, Pantelas, and Lanceros (Castro’s  personal favorite). Three more sizes- Robusto, Exquisito, and Espléndido were added in 1989. These six initially launched cigars are now together popular as the Línea Clásica (classic line).

Cohiba Linea 1492 Series

Habanos SA started to manufacture Linea 1492 series to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Christopher Colombus' discovery of the Caribbean. The very opening launch of the series had five cigars starting from Siglo I - Siglo V.  Siglo VI was incorporated in the series in 2002. (Siglo means "century"). Made with very special tobacco, the cigars of this series were milder than the rest of the Cohiba cigars. The VI is one of the most popular of the Siglo series.

Cohiba Maduro 5 Series and Cohiba Behike

Habanos SA initiated a fresh series of Cohibas wrapped in maduro named as Cohiba Maduro 5 which was available in three types of sizes. In 2010 Cohiba Behike cigar series- Cohiba Behike 52, Cohiba Behike 54, and the Cohiba Behike 56 was released. This exclusive line of cigars is rolled at El Laguito factory in Cuba.

Habanos SA also regularly releases their annual Cohiba Edicion Limitada of special sizes. It includes Double Corona, Sublime, and Piramide.

Name Battle of Cohiba

There has always been a name battle for these cigars as different brands came up time to time with the same name since its first launch. The name battle heightened when nother such non-Cuban cigar brand, also known as Cohiba is produced in the Dominican Republic for US-based General Cigar Company. The Dominican Cohiba brand, known as Red Dot Cohiba is the only legal Cohiba that is sold in the U.S.

Cohiba Cigars is the most famous brand among all the Cuban cigar brands. It carries a high price tag that matches its supreme quality, essence, aroma and flavor. Give it a try if you are a passionate cigar lover!

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