Men, and some women around the globe are forever thankful to Christopher Columbus for the
very best cigars that are available today. While cigarette smoking is frowned upon in many places, this is not so when it comes to a superb Cuban such as Cohiba or Monte Cristo. Here you read features on some of the
very best brand names in the world, along with hints and tips on looking for
luxury cigars.
Find out where some of the
luxury ranges of
cigars originate from, how to choose your
cigar and which to avoid, along with information on their origins.
When it comes down to cigars Cubans are among some of the finest out there. Two of the most famous of these are the Monte Cristo and the Cohiba.
A brief history
Christopher Columbus is credited with bringing tobacco to Europe after two of his crewmen came across it on the island of Hispaniola. Natives presented them with dry leaves that had a peculiar fragrance.
They also encountered tobacco on the Caribbean islands and Cuba where Columbus settled down. The locals smoked a very primitive form of
cigars that were unlike the luxurious ones that are known today. The early ones were made from twisted dried tobacco leaves that had been rolled in many other types of leaves and in particular palm leaves. The locals believed that tobacco had medicinal purposes and this of course would be debunked much later. Today there are numerous brand names of
cigars and some are a great deal better quality and more luxurious than others. Here we take a look at two of the finest brands of Cuban
cigars today.
The Monte Cristo
The brand name Monte Cristo came about from the novel The Count of Monte Cristo which is said to have been one of the favorite books read out to the workers in the rolling factories. The lector would stand and read books while they were hand rolled to pass the time away and keep the workers happy. The brand name is now one of the most popular of all and is collected by lovers of some of the finest throughout the world. The logo used on the Monte Cristo
cigars of the triangle of six swords with a fleur-de-lis surrounding them has been used ever since the founding of the company and is now famous all over the world.
The Monte Cristo is sold in the UK under the sole distribution of H Upmann and in 1963 the company merged with John Hunter Morris and Elkan Co Ltd becoming Hunters & Frankau, which today makes them the sole importers and distributors of all Cuban
cigars throughout the UK. With the help of the brand name Dunhill Monte Cristo became known around the world as one of the leading Cuban
cigars and today the brand accounts for more than one quarter of Habanos SAs worldwide sales, which actually makes it the most popular throughout the world.
The line of
cigars has remained much the same as they always have. Originally there were five numbered sizes with a tubed one becoming available in the 1940s. In the 70s and 80s more sizes were added to the range. Some of these become discounted and others were released only in very small numbers each year in Cuba. Among
luxury brand names the Monte Cristo stands out as being one of the
very best.
The Cohiba
The Cohiba brand name is another of the
luxury cigars that are adored by smokers around the world. This range uses only the
very best tobacco from Cuba. The tobacco used is generally selected from fields in Vegas Finas de Primera. The tobacco used in these
cigars is unique thanks to the three fermentation process used in barrels that makes sure that the
cigars have a smoother flavor.
The Cohiba was originally manufactured just outside of Havana. Production of some of these
cigars now takes place at a German factory, mainly the Cohiba Vitolas. The Cohiba was introduced into the Cuban
cigars world in 1968 and very quickly become popular thanks to its medium body. Castro chose this brand to hand out to high ranking officials and they were often presented to dignitaries visiting the country. Some of the most popular makes of Cohiba are the Lancero, Especiale, Panetela and the Robusto. These are all classed as being among
luxury cigars. One of the
very best of the range is the Siglo which was released in 1992 to celebrate Columbus Day. The Siglo is considered by many aficionados to be the finest.
Many connoisseurs class the Siglo VII as being one of the few
cigars that are near perfect and which is the ideal representation of the Cuban brand name. It has an aroma that is described as being stunning, lights perfectly and the ash produced from it is pure white in color. This is one of the few
cigars to have a creamy flavor and it is a beautiful smoke from start to finish. It has a somewhat spicy flavor with a hint of coffee, with the end having a stronger woody finish to it.
There have been many limited editions of the Cohiba
cigars which are typically released only for special events, one of these being the Habanos Festival which occurs on an annual basis. Limited editions are usually special sizes and are generally wrapped in a vintage leaf of darker color than normal.
cigars of this nature are of course sought after by collectors who often pay large sums of money to add them to their collections. In 2007 a new line of Cohiba
cigars were introduced in three different sizes. However the Cohiba Siglo Vii remains to be among the
very best all over the world.
This Cuban classic is full bodies and defines one of the most superb of all
cigars brand names, the Cohiba la Linea.
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