Among the cigar brands, Cohiba is the name that tops them all. Every cigar aficionado wants the taste of this Cuban-made cigar in his or her mouth. However, not many people know that the world’s most desired cigar has a humble beginning. In fact, it started nameless.
The Humble Beginning
The history of the Cuban Cohiba started when Cuban president, Fidel Castro was intrigued with the cigar being puffed by one of his bodyguards. Castro in 1994 described the tobacco in his memory as very aromatic and very nice. He asked his bodyguard what brand of cigar he was smoking and he was told that his friend, a local artisan, makes it. The cigar then had no brand name. President Castro then tasted the cigar and liked it so much.
The First Production
At first, the production of the still unnamed cigar was only for Fidel Castro and other top Cuban officials. The production was under tight security, partly because of the plan by the CIA to use an exploding cigar to assassinate Castro. Finally, in 1968, the Cuban Cohiba brand was launched but only with a limited amount of boxes released. It was often given as a diplomatic gift to dignitaries from other countries and for the consumption of the top officials in Cuba.
Launch
The Cohiba cigar was finally launched as a premium brand in 1982 together with the world cup held in Spain. At this time, there were only three sizes available, the Panetela, the Corona Especial, and the Lancero. In the following years, more Cuban cigars were released and it kept getting better.
In 1989, the classic lines of the Cohiba brand were launched. They were the Robusto, the Exquisito, and the Espléndido. This three consist what is now known as the classic line (Línea Clásica).
A new line of cohiba cigars were released in 1992. This time it is named Línea 1492, which commemorates the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus. The names of each size of this new line stand for every century that passed since the discovery of the Americas. The initial launch included the Siglo I, Siglo II, Siglo III, Siglo IV, and Siglo V. In 2002, Siglo VI was launched. “Siglo” is a Spanish word for century. The Maduro line was launched in 2007.
Cohiba versus Cohiba
Another cigar brand shares the same name with the Cuban Cohiba. In 1978, General Cigar Company registered the name cohiba in the United States. This means that any person who wants to smoke Cohiba should be wary of the differences. The Cohiba from General Cigar is known in the streets as Red Dot Cohiba and the Cuban Cohiba is known simply as “Cuban” or Cohiba.
From its humble beginnings, the Cuban Cohiba brand has risen as the most desired cigar brand in many parts of the world. Despite its ban in the United States because of the embargo it laid against Cuba, many people still go through great lengths just to enjoy it.
