Cohiba

The trademark was registered in Cuba in 1966 . Initially, the cigars of this brand were intended for the Government of Cuba and personally for Fidel Castro and his brother Raul, as well as for those heads of state who arrived in Cuba. They are considered Fidel Castro's favorite cigars ^[1] .

Since 1966, they were produced at the school of tinkers, and in 1971 the school became the factory of El Laguito. According to the memoirs of Fidel Castro, which he described in an interview with Cigars Aficionado magazine, this brand did not exist in Cuba for a long time. One man worked as a bodyguard for him. As he walked through the garden, he smelled a cigar, which he liked very much. Castro asked him what brand of cigars he smokes. He said that this cigar has no mark. That a cousin twists it for him at home (other sources indicate that the guard received them as a bribe from one of the local manufacturers. According to another version, Fidel smelled a cigar in the car of his chauffeur-driver, nicknamed Chicho, when he returned home from his mistress). But all this, in fact, insignificant trifles, the most important thing Comandante asked for a few cigars for himself, and he liked them. Castro asked to find this man. They signed a contract with this person and founded the El Lagito factory. A relative of the guard who turned cigars was the 20-year-old Eduardo Rivera who later became the country's main torsedor . He told which mix of tobacco he used and from which plantations. In Cuba, we selected a group of cigar manufacturers and supplied them with everything necessary. So a new brand was founded. Now Cohiba is known worldwide. That was over 30 years ago. Since Cohiba appeared, Castro smoked only these cigars, they were so soft and pleasant for him that it was easy for him to smoke them. On August 26, 1985, a national anti-smoking campaign began. At first, Castro intended not to smoke only in public, in public. But he had the habit of holding a cigar in his mouth all the time. He met with a cigar with foreigners, and then his photograph appeared in newspapers, gave an interview for television with a cigar, and then everyone watched the broadcast at home. People might think that Castro does not support this promotion. And then he decided that he should be an example and abandoned his old habit forever.

Despite the seeming randomness and semi-underground appearance of this brand, many years of experience and in-depth knowledge of Cuban masters have been invested in the production of these cigars. Recruitment took place from a circle of relatives of security and close people, and the first batches of cigars produced only 18 people.

Since its founding, only women have been working on it. This idea comes from the heroine of the Cuban revolution, Celia Sanchez Manduley , who devoted much time to the participation of women in the country's social life. The factory is located at 146 Avenue Building 2121, on the outskirts of Havana. The estate, which used to belong to the English sugar magnate, became the first Cuban cigar factory after the revolution.

Only in 1982 did they start selling three formats on the market: Lanceros (Lanceros), Coronas Especiales (Corona Especial) and Panetelas (Panatella). Acquiring them was considered a sign of prestige. They were released specifically on the eve of the World Cup in Spain.

In 1989 , three more formats were added: Esplendidos (Esplendido), Robustos (Robusto), Esquisitos (Excusito). These six vitols make up the Cohiba Class line. In 1992, in honor of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America, Christopher Columbus began producing cigars under the name Cohiba Siglo series: Siglo I, Siglo II, Siglo III, Siglo IV and Siglo V. In 2003, also Siglo VI.

At the end of 2006, on the occasion of the brand’s 40th anniversary, the Cohiba Behike cigar was released, which became the most expensive cigar in the world, and was also awarded the title “Best Cigar of 2010” ^[2] . In total, four thousand cigars were twisted. The uniqueness of the cigars is that they were all created by one tinner ( torsedor ) - Norma Fernandez, a veteran of the El Laguito tobacco factory in Havana. Behike cigars are packed in 40 pieces in 100 exclusive Elie Bleu humidors. Each humidor is decorated with cedar, ebony, buffalo and stingray leather.

In Havana , at the XIIHabanosFestival in 2010, the Cohiba Behike line of cigars was introduced. The new cigars will have three new formats, each of which will be presented in an exclusive lacquered box of 10 cigars:

• BHK52 - 20.6 mm diameter and 119 mm length.
• BHK54 - 21.4 mm diameter and 144 mm length.
• BHK56 - 22.2 mm diameter and 166 mm length.

Only for the production of Cohiba Behike cigars, for the first time in cigar manufacturing technology, tobacco sheets “mediotiempo” or “Fortaleza4” are used, which give this cigar an exceptional character and bouquet. Due to the fact that the cultivation and production of tobacco leaf “mediotiempo” is very laborious and its quantity is limited, the annual production of Cohiba Behike vitola is strictly limited. Also features of the Cohiba Behike vitola are its bows and formats. Each cigar will have a new bow with two special protective holograms. All three Cohiba Behike vitola formats are brand new formats both among the Cohiba line and among all Habanos brands.

Since 2012, a new line has been released - Cohiba Pirámides Extra. They are easy to distinguish by greatly narrowed ends.

Tobacco was delivered to the factory from the best plantations of Vuelta Abajo. The main difference between Cohiba cigars is triple fermentation; all other Cuban cigars have only two. Fermentation is a process of successive changes in temperature and humidity. The first two fermentations of tobacco take place in tightly closed dark hangars. Tobacco sheets are stacked in large piles (approximately 1 meter high) called pilones, in which, figuratively speaking, the cigar sheet is fermented. Heat is released.

A very important point is temperature monitoring. If the tobacco is overheated, it will lose its taste. The maximum allowable temperature is 42 degrees. When the temperature rises, the heaps are crushed into smaller ones. There are two such fermentations, each of which lasts from 30 to 50 days. The most important third fermentation takes place already in the factory in oak barrels, which makes tobacco and cognac related, where the leaves are folded in a special way. The famous triple fermentation removes resins and nitrates, making the cigar taste softer and more rounded.

The factory has very strict quality control. First, there is a control of traction on cigars without a cover sheet, so as not to translate the most expensive part of the cigar. Before getting to the table with the color sorter, several cigars are taken out of each bundle, which pass the calibration and weight test. If the controller has questions, then the rest of the cigars are checked, and the bundle returns to the torseodor.

Cohiba cigars are grown on plantations in the Vuelta Abajo region of Pinar Del Río. All cigars in Cuba have a Coroho cover sheet, but especially for Cohiba cigars, the thinnest leaves are selected. The leaves are also carefully selected for the cigar filling, which undergo an additional, third fermentation, the purpose of which is to remove excess resins and nitrates. This complex and rather expensive process provides exceptional quality, exquisite taste and rich aroma of Cohiba cigars.

Cohiba cigars are twisted by some of the best masters - torsoredores of the highest category of the El Lagito factory. Because of the highest standards of this brand, Cohiba cigars are not produced in large quantities, which is why cigars of this brand are often faked both in Cuba and in other countries.

Very often they confuse the Cuban Cohiba and the Dominican. They differ not only in the logo, but also in taste and aroma. Dominican Cohiba is not a fake for the Cuban brand, although they appeared on the market much later than the Cuban brand. These cigars are made by General Cigar, which registered this brand in the United States in the 80s of the XX century.

The decision of a New York court of March 30, 2004, according to which the Cuban company Cubatabaco was recognized as the sole owner of the COHIBA trademark, and the American campaign General Cigar was forbidden to sell Dominican cigars under the same brand, lasted less than eleven months. On February 24, 2005, the US District Court of Appeals overturned the decision of the New York District Court on March 30, 2004, and recognized General Cigar's rights to COHIBA in the United States. Of course, such a decision does not suit Cubatabaco, whose representatives have already stated that they will certainly challenge the latest verdict. Thus, the dispute over the famous brand received a new continuation.

“Those who smoke Cohiba will never die of cancer, but those who do not smoke will die of envy” (the statement is common in Cuba) - “Los que fuman Cohiba no van morir de cáncer, pero aquellos que no fuman van a morir de envídia. "