After World War 11, the cigar industry flourished again in Cuba and in Tampa, Florida, where Clear Havanas were made from Cuban tobacco. But a shocking jolt came to the great Havana cigar makers in 1959, at the height of the renewed love affair between Americans and their Cuban cigars. Fidel Castro came to power on January 2, and the deposed dictator Fulgencio Batista fled to exile. Fabrica employees, from farmers to scientists to rollers, put aside their duties in the face of the political turmoil. Shortly thereafter, the cigar companies, many of which had been financed by American firms, were placed under state monopoly.
After Castro's nationalization, the masterfully decorated cigar boxes and bands that had denoted the world's finest cigars were cast aside. Venerable labels such as Henry Clay, La Corona, Cabanas y Carbajal, Murias, and Villar y Villar disappeared. From the 960 brands of Cuban cigars that had flourished under his predecessor, only one new label emerged; the Siboney. Named after a legendary Cuban, the Siboney came in only four sizes, of highly unpredictable quality. It was a serious disaster.
Cuban relations with the United States deteriorated at an alarming rate. In 1961, in response to Castro's expropriation of more than a billion dollars in American business, the United States imposed a trade embargo that eventually drove Havanas from American tobacco shops altogether. Cuban tobacco could no longer be imported into the United States.
Some American companies stockpiled inventories, which carried them though until early 1970s. In fact, President John F. Kennedy, who signed the embargo order, asked a senior aide to purchase up to a thousand Havanas before it went into effect, so that he would have his own personal supply. Some canny manufacturers in Florida had stockpiled enough tobacco to be able to make new brands, such as the Tampa-made Bances, now licensed in Canada. Others tapped the Cuban tobacco supply by going through other countries, but even they saw the prices rise steadily from $150 a bale to over $1,000.
To offset the price increases and the eventual supply problems, importers and distributors began searching for replacement sources. Early on, the focus turned to the Spanish Canary Islands. While these islands did not grow tobacco plants per se, they did offer a skilled work-force and advantageous tax and tariff situations that encouraged manufacturers to turn imported raw material into a connoisseur's delight. Other firms sought to replant operations in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
Meanwhile, the disastrous effects of nationalization on the Cuban economy finally forced Castro to backpedal. Partly because of the poor quality of Cuba's anonymous cigars and partly in protest against the dis-mantling of a revered tradition, the world steadfastly refused to buy them. The regime decided to allow individual small land owners to keep their plots, and it broke up the larger plantations. After consulting with Zino Davidoff, the most prominent cigar dealer and connoisseur in the world, the government reintroduced many of the great brands from Cuba's cigar heritage, eventually returning to 330 types and sizes. The 1964-1965 tobacco harvest was the best in 10 years. Gradually, the Cuban cigar regained its exceptional quality and rebuilt its reputation.
By the 1970s, the Havana had completely reacquired its status as the best cigar in the world, as connoisseurs in Europe accepted the Cohiba as a new symbol of Cuban cigar excellence. In part, this acceptance had come about because the Davidoff organization had continued its relationship with Cuba, along with Dunhill's distributors, even as the state company Cubatabaco made demands for additional profits and percentages. But those relationships withered and, in late 1989, Davidoff pulled out of Cuba, seeking favorable terms and control in the Dominican Republic.
In 1975, the World Court ruled that exiled Cuban cigar makers had the right to use their former brand names. Many great cigar families, the Menendezes of Montecristo and the Cifuentes, of Partagas among them, had left their homeland, determined to resume production using their old names. These expatriates went on to develop their own tobacco, wrappers, and bands, so that in many cases there are now two versions of revered brands, such as Partagas, Montecristo, Upmann, Hoyo de Monterrey, and Romeo y Julieta, both Cuban and non-Cuban. Honduras has initiated cigar production in the late 1960s. In the 1970s the Spanish government cut state aid to the Canary Islands' cigar operations, a move that shifted almost all award-quality production back to the Western Hemisphere, benefiting Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
CUBA TODAY
The 1990s have not been kind to Cuba. The collapse of the Soviet Union was a severe blow, sending the country into an economic tailspin, from which it is still recovering. Shortages of raw materials, such as fertilizers and packaging, have hampered the nation's efforts to revitalize its cigar-making industry Cubatabaco, however, has been restructured and refinanced by Spain as Habanos, S.A., and is doing well. The weather has been unpredictable, too. Heavy rains have limited harvests, and the regions that grow the capa leaf, used for the wrapper, have been hard hit, leading to a shortage. Many feel that Havanas have lost their balance and consistency Still, the soil in Cuba is magical, and when a Havana is good, there is nothing like it.
Many connoisseurs and enthusiasts agree that the cradle of the world's finest cigars is Pinar del Rio, a province that lies between the mountains and the sea at the western end of Cuba. Here, the agricultural conditions are ideal for tobacco cultivation: The soil is a reddish sand loam; the climate is humid; the rainfall is consistent and predictable. In the Vuelta Abajo region of this province, centered around the towns of San Luis, the tobacco for the Habanos is grown.
A second growing area within Pinar del Rio is the Semi Vuelta, which produces thicker, stronger leaves destined for domestic consumption. The Partido region and Oriente grow fine tobacco as well.
The vast majority of cigar factories are located in Havana, including six venerable cigar fabricas that were founded at the beginning of the first golden age of the cigar, in the first half of the 19th century, and are still making many of the world's finest cigars. In the modem era they have been renamed for Communist heroes (noted in parentheses), but they are still informally called by their original names: H. Upmann (Jose Marti); Partagas (Francisco Perez German); Romeo y Julieta (Briones Montoto); La Corona (Fernardo Roig); El Laguito, El Rey del Mundo (Heroes del Moncado). Each factory's initials UM, FPG, BM, and so forth) are stamped on the boxes of cigars made there.
Because of the weather-created tobacco shortages in Cuba today, an experimental program is under development to extend the growing season by as much as five months. Jorge Conception Luna, vice director of Partagas, confides that he has been experimenting with remarkable new techniques that could extend the traditional growing season of September to February by five additional months. Cuba is also growing Connecticut seed in a joint venture with the Dutch concern, Lippoel.
THE FUTURE
Talk in Havana has turned to achieving "a great leap forward" by the end of the century. The powers that be, conscious of the dangers of missing the wave, have decided to shoot for a target of 200 million cigars by the year 2000, compared to the 70 million produced in 1996. New brands such as Cuaba, in its four figurado shapes, and Vegas Robaina, available in five sizes and named after Alejandro Robaina, Vuelta Abajo's finest farmer, and the legendary Trinidad, have been launched to stimulate demand. Launched in London in November 1996, Cuaba was created to appeal to the British tradition of smoking perfecto-shaped cigars that are tapered at both ends and bulge in the center. At one point, these shapes were extremely popular the world over, but have become quite rare. About 50,000 Cuabas were produced during the brand's first year (1997), and this year's production is approaching 300,000. The Vegas Robaina brand, launched last May in Spain, was created to showcase the ultra-premium tobaccos grown by Alejandro Robaina, and has a production goal of 1 million cigars this year. The ultra-exclusive Trinidad, named after one of Cuba's most beautiful and historic cities, was once reserved only for diplomatic gifts, with just a few boxes produced per month. Now commercially available, this cigar is expected to reach a production of 300,000 in 1998.
More acres of tobacco can be planted, more rollers trained, and more factories opened but, in the end, we will all make the final decision as to whether a cigar made in Cuba meets the time-honored criteria to be called a Havana.
Back at the gala event for the Trinidad launch, the success of the Cuban cigar was measured by the $305,000 that was raised at the dinner's auction to benefit Cuban medical aid. Five one-of-a-kind, handcrafted humidors, each containing various lots of Cuabas, Vegas Robainas, and Triniclads, were auctioned by Nicholas Freeman, and signed by Commander in Chief Fidel Castro. Prices escalated from $21,000, to $100,000 for a humidor containing 101 Trinidad Fundadores. Josep Cases of Andorra bid $60,000 for a humidor with an assortment of 100 Vegas Robainas.
At this writing, plans are underway for the "Dinner of the Millennium," to be held next February at the Capitola, which houses the Museum of the Revolution. Organized by Francisco Linares, Ana Lopez, and Bernardo Gonzalez, the capable leaders of Habanos S.A., it promises to be a stunning event.
This is Cuba past, present, and future. It couldn't be more apparent that the passions that drive the Havana cigar are still thriving today, bringing together a perfect blend of sun, soil, and skill.
