The Cohiba mysteries

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			The Cohiba mysteries Was Che Guevara himself involved in the creation of the famous brand? You might get the impression that today no one can remember with any precision how and when these cigars appeared. When Cohiba was going through its boom years, there were quite a few prestigious publications that stated – without going into any detail and without referring to a single source – that the brand began its life in the year 1961. There were even respectable Western newspapers and magazines that for ages perpetuated the story that the Cohiba Brand was developed on the personal instructions of Fidel Castro and under the direct control of his comrade-in-arms and revolutionary romantic, Che Guevara, who at the time occupied the prosaic post of minister for industry. In early 1997, guests from all over the world were invited to Cuba to take part in the festivities attending the 30th anniversary of the Cohiba Brand. Later, in 2001, during the annual Festival del Habano, Cohiba celebrated its 35th Anniversary, an event that was marked with a special band for the cigars that were presented to the delegates. This is hardly enough to give a precise date for the founding of Cohiba, but a certain time-frame for it can be arrived at: 1966-1967. So, bearing in mind that after Che’s return to Cuba from Africa in March 1965, he never appeared in public (there were doubts expressed throughout the world as to whether he was alive at all) and the fact that by November 1966, he was in a partisan camp in Bolivia continuing the revolutionary struggle that ended with his death in October 1967 – one must draw the conclusion that Che Guevara could have had nothing whatsoever to do with the creation of Cohiba. Recent research done by Deschodt and Morane on the early 1960s have produced a different version of the history of Cohiba, which makes no reference to Che Guevara. According to them, the new authorities that came into power after the revolution regarded the famous national cigar brands – whose owners had skipped the country – as relics of the past, luxuries for the rich (the ordinary people smoked locally produced roll-ups), with the result that for a period of time cigar production fell into stagnation and only one brand of Havana cigars, Siboney, was made. But, after a while, good sense returned and realizing the pointlessness of adopting such a hard line, the new authorities turned their attention back to cigars. A not inconsiderable role in this development was played by personal events in the life of Fidel Castro himself. His bodyguard at the time was commanded by a certain Bienvenido Peres Salazar, known to everyone was Chicho. This Chicho had a friend, Eduardo Rivera, a torcedor, who was just 20 years old, but had spent seven years rolling cigars, and the bodyguard commander smoked the cigars that Riviera made. And since Chicho was always close to Castro, the latter had frequent occasion to smell the cigars Chicho was smoking. Castro was more than a little interested, so Chicho told him about Rivera. According to the latter, Castro had a supersensitive palate – and gradually Rivera began to supply El Comandante and his entourage with cigars. And, as the story was told by Rivera, Castro decided to open a cigar factory back then in 1962, and some two hundred prostitutes who had lost their trade since the revolution were brought along to work there as part of the re-education programme. This story differs from the one that is to be found in the Cuban publication, Negocios en Cuba (a special edition was produced to mark the Festival del Habano in 2002). The factory was opened at a different time, the number of employees was quite different, and there was no mention whatsoever of any prostitutes. According to this version, in 1965 Castro decided to carry out an experiment in training women in the rolling of cigars (until the revolution this was considered a man’s work), and the training had begun with no more than 18 girls. Trying to get to the bottom of the origins of a brand that was set up as a non-commercial enterprise is a thankless task indeed... What kinds of cigars with the traditional Cohiba brand are not available in the shops? For many years Cohiba was a kind of myth, because outside of Castro’s immediate entourage, they were available only as a gift from the leader of the Cuban revolution. The export market comprised only the old brands, which were considered to be the property of the people. Cohiba cigars were reserved for crowned heads, presidents and prime ministers, who for the most part didn’t smoke in public or want any presents from a communist leader. Cohibas, as cigars with a band and available in the shops, did not appear until 1982. And as they became part of the life of those who were not sultans and princes, they acquired a price – and that price was the highest among all Havana cigars. The finest of them were in the super premium category, i.e. the most luxurious, but the first socialist cigar caused a real stir as it won the minds, senses and wallets of all those that hold the elite and the flavoursome in high esteem (and incidentally resulted in more imitations than any other Cuban brand). The mystery surrounding the appearance of the Cohiba guaranteed its success, and now appears to have been a move of sheer genius from the point of view of publicity and promotion. And this, combined with its appeal as the finest of cigars, made Cohiba the cr?me de la cr?me for the gourmet smoker. At first Cohiba produced three types: the Lancero, the Corona Especial and the Panetela. Later, another three were added: the Esplendido, the Robusto and the Exquisito. Together they formed the Linea Clasica. These are neither the lightest nor the strongest of the Havana cigars, but are classified as being between ‘medium’ and ‘full’. In 1992 Cuba celebrated the 500th anniversary of the discovery of tobacco by Columbus. To mark this occasion, 500 humidors of cherry wood were made and filled with a special jubilee Cohiba issue. Each box, costing in the fourfigure range, was numbered as were the bands on each cigar in the issue. (Ten years later the sale price of a humidor at a London auction fetched $11,000). The anniversary was also commemorated by the issue of the Cohiba Linea 1492 production series. This comprised five formats termed Siglo (or ‘century’ in Spanish) numbered in increasing order of size – a total of five cigars symbolizing the five centuries. But it was not only among the public that Cohiba received wide recognition, but also among the experts. In some ratings the brand was given the highest possible assessment, leaving all its current ‘thoroughbred’ competitors far behind, while the cigars from the jubilee humidor issued in 1992 were given a full 100 points on the Cigar Aficionado scale – which happens very rarely indeed. To mark its 30th anniversary, Cohiba produced 45 numbered humidors (the 30th Anniversary Humidors) containing 50 Robusto Especial – a format designed only to mark that date. Box No. 1 was presented to Fidel Castro. When one of these humidors was auctioned at Christie’s, it fetched a price of - 12,000. The late 1990s saw the appearance of the Cohiba Piramide, a thick cigar pointed at the cutting edge, in a porcelain container with a humidifier. They were issued under the logo Reserva del Milenio with a band that was identical for all cigars of various types that came out in this series (the main element of its design being the Habanos 2000 symbol). These are collectors’ items, so to speak, and the Piramide are not sold singly. A little later Piramide cigars came out in a series entitled Edici?n Limitada 2001, which was a similarly limited issue, but presented in wooden boxes. (The Edici?n Limitada programme continues to be actively promoted in Cuba at the present time, but it includes cigars of standard brands made in non-standard formats. Then there are the Montecristo Robusto and the Partagas Piramide. These novelties are distinguished by an additional black and gold band.) The Cohiba Gran Corona is basically not available in the shops either. Knowing the meticulousness of some of our cigar devotees, I should point out that gran corona, as a wording on boxes of Cuban manufacture, implies a size of 143x18.3mm, and in factory classification goes under the name of Corona Gorda. At the same time, Gran Corona in factory classification (vitolas de galera) refers to a size of 235x18.7mm (such as the Montecristo A and the Sancho Panza Sancho). The Cohiba Gran Corona got its name from the factory classification (to which it corresponded in size) – possibly for precisely the reason that it was not intended for sale, but for the purposes of presentation (a continuation of the inaccessibility game). So for several years now these cigars have been presented to guests at the Festival del Habano, thereby giving them the chance to enjoy – apart from the pleasures of the smoke – a feeling of exclusivity akin to that felt by the kings and presidents who received their Cohibas from the hands of Fidel Castro personally. It is, however, possible for some lucky people to join this exclusive circle without ever having to leave home. Within the framework of the Edici?n Limitada programme, the Cubans began a little later issuing a limited number of humidors containing 135 Cohiba cigars, which together with Lancero, Esplendido, Robusto, Siglo V and Piramide also included Gran Corona. It was proposed to distribute 500 caskets between La Casa del Habano shops throughout the world in a kind of auction. Habanos agents and Havana cigar exporter companies were invited to bid for lots of from 20 to 50 boxes. Prices for a humidor and its contents varied between three and four thousand dollars. Towards the end of 2002, the Cubans arranged several other first-time events. The arrival of the new century and the 10th anniversary of the Linea 1492 was marked by the issue of Siglo VI. About 150mm long and more than 20mm thick, they are at present only available in company with their predecessors (15 cigars of each format with special bands) in jubilee humidors of Italian manufacture and limited number. In Havana a box of this kind costs around $3,000, but in other parts of the world they are much more expensive, given taxes, import duties and trade mark-up. Another new event under the Cohiba brand was the issue of the Selecci?n Reserva series. Together with such familiar formats as the Corona Especial, the Esplendido, the Robusto and the Piramide, it included the new Media Corona (140x15.1mm), which once again is only so far available as part of a collection with the other brands. It is a curious fact that few are aware of that one of the Cohiba serial models was actually removed from production. From 1982 to the late 1980s, Cohiba manufactured cigars in the Corona format. Then for some reason they were withdrawn from production and today the Cohiba Corona can be found only at auctions (?1,000-?1,500 a box). Vintage Cohibas are a separate theme. Experts from Cigar Aficionado brought out of their stores last year a 1994 Torpedo (this limited series was created for the ‘Dinner of the Century’, which this publication gave in Paris). It was found to be so strong that it might have just come out of the factory, so it was put back for another five years so as to attain a peak of maturity. As for the costs of an ordinary Cohiba, one can sigh at the enormously high prices, but everything is relative and subjective in the conditions of a market economy. Are there any special peculiarities about the production of Cohiba cigars? There are, and most of them have an effect on the high prices mentioned above, which partly result from material and production costs and overheads. The tobacco chosen for Cohiba is the finest, and it goes through three fermentations (two is the norm). These are processes by which temperature and humidity are constantly changed in order to reduce the nicotine and tar content and provide a more subtle taste. This has given rise to the Cuban saying: “Those who smoke Cohibas never die of cancer, but those who don’t smoke them, die of envy”. So, one way or another, the tobacco for this brand works out more expensive than for other brands, while the whole cycle – from planting the seeds to the final cigar – takes a minimum of three years. Then, obviously, Cohibas are rolled by craftsmen of the highest class, who in fact – at the El Laguito at least – are women. Basically, the job of rolling cigars was from time immemorial carried out by men, despite the widespread myth of mulatto women rolling Havanas on their thighs. Women’s hands were not considered strong enough to form the body of the cigar, apart from which there was the fear that male torcedores would be unable to bring enough concentration to their work in the presence of females. But then came the revolution and with it belief in the equality of men and women. Subsequently – perhaps with not a few doubts – women began to be trained in this honourable trade. And they did well at the job (without the use of their thighs). As time passed Cohiba production was farmed out to other Cuban factories. Most Esplendidos and Robustos until quite recently were made at the La Corona, Partagas and H. Upmann factories. At the El Laguito almost all the rollers – of which there are around a hundred with new trainees being chosen chiefly from among the children of employees – continue to use the old entubar technology. And here it is worth pointing out that there are two methods of hand-rolling. One is known as ‘booking’ (from the English word ‘book’) or empalmado (from the Spanish word meaning to ‘join’): this involves the filler leaves being first placed one upon the other and then folded into a roll. The other method is named from the Spanish word entubar (from the word meaning a ‘pipe’). Here the filler leaves are rolled individually into a cylinder shape. This method is extremely time-consuning, for which reason it is rarely used today, but it gives greater guarantees of an impeccable draw. Some experts see a connection between the technology of rolling and the form of the ash. According to this idea, the empalmar method produces a higher likelihood of a cone, while the entubar method guarantees an even ash. In my opinion the formation of a cone largely depends on the way you smoke the cigar: strong, energetic drawing makes the wrapper leaf burn more quickly than the filler leaves. And information on different methods of rolling is merely dressing with no practical value, since when you buy a cigar, you can hardly determine whether it was rolled by the empalmar or the entubar method. But if you get a Cohiba from the El Laguito factory, the knowledge that it was rolled using what is today a rare method will undoubtedly increase your enjoyment of its smooth draw. Many cigar devotees are more than a little interested in the place of origin of their Havanas. Those who like Partagas usually want their cigars to come from the factory of the same name, and the same applies to those who like H. Upmann. (The fact that Cuban cigars of the same brand and even of the same mixture are made at different enterprises has long ceased to be a secret. Furthermore, El Laguito remains the only factory where they produce cigars of one single brand, apart that is from neighbouring Trinidad – i.e. Trinidad, Cuba). Whether it’s the psychological factor that is taken into account or the confidence that more care and concern is given to a product at its home factory is not certain, but at El Laguito they dream of having Cohiba production return to its place of birth. And it seems that this wish is actually taking the form of a production plan which has been agreed and approved and given a definite date – 2005. Already last year Cohiba dispatched from the loading bays at El Laguito and Partagas some three and ten million cigars respectively. Bearing in mind the prestige of the brand, El Laguito was the first place in Cuba where they introduced the draw indicator – an automated means of testing the draw capacity of a cigar. This is done when the product only lacks its wrapper leaf and its packaging. Many smokers have doubtless come across incidents where two cigars from the same box draw completely differently: one freely and smoothly; the other with a certain amount of difficulty. The draw indicator helps to show up cigars with problems at the stage of manufacture. And, of course, this process is carefully checked. Standards require that the weight of each cigar is checked precisely to a tenth part of a gram. From each bundle of fifty cigars that come from the roller, ten are picked out at random for careful study to ensure that they conform to the necessary parameters of length, diameter, wrapper texture and firmness. Any divergence and the cigar is rejected. If there are more than two defects in one of the ten cigars, the whole bundle is examined. It is a curious fact that at the end of the working day, the rollers at El Laguito are allowed to take just one cigar home each – at other factories three is the norm in accordance with custom. Are there Cohiba bands without the word ‘Habana’ on them? There is considerable confusion surrounding Cohiba cigar bands and, as a result, it is not easy to distinguish the real cigars from copies. The rings on the fake Cohibas can sometimes look positively idiotic (the craziest ones I saw in Brazil), but sometimes they can look very like the originals, the differences lying in only the barest perceptible details. Today, apart from certain other components, the traditional band on the real Cohibas contains four rows of white, square (not circular) dots on a black background, two of which are placed over the word ‘Cohiba’. However, the highly authoritative reference work, Guia Epicur del Habano, published in Barcelona (Spain consumes more Cuban cigars than any other country in the world) which is the sine qua non for staff at Habanos S.A., shows a Cohiba cigar band on its cover with only one row of dots above the brand name. The ornate inscription – La Habana, Cuba – under the brand name which we can see on today’s official Cohibas first appeared on the cigar band, according to some sources, in the early 1990s, and to others, at the end of 1994. However, the Cohiba band shown on the Lonsdale in the American Cigar Aficionado magazine (autumn, 1996) does not have this inscription, while above the brand name there are three rows of dots. On the other hand, in another part of the same magazine issue – an advertisement for the Honduran cigars, Don Tomas Special Edition, which compared them to the Cohiba – the latter was depicted with a band precisely corresponding to the one used today. Exactly the same design as on the Lonsdale – three rows of dots and no inscription La Habana, Cuba, but with a narrow, yellow line under the brand name – is to be found on the Cohiba cigars displayed in the service catalogue produced by Cubatabaco (the organization responsible for the export of Havana cigars before the formation of the company, Habanos S.A.). Furthermore, each cigar here is wrapped in cellophane, which today’s Cohiba cigars are not. It’s difficult to follow what has been happening: is it due to carelessness on the part of the Cuban producers, design changes, or lack of competence on the part of those responsible for compiling the above-mentioned authoritative editions? But whatever the reason, this confusion should serve as a warning against excessive trust in the cigar bands as a means of determining whether a Cohiba cigar is genuine or not. (There is a note in Cigar Aficionado 2001 informing readers that up till 1990 the orange line was narrower than it is at present and the words La Habana were omitted, but further warning them that a present-day Cohiba with a band of this type is more likely than not to be a fake). If you are considering buying vintage Cohiba at an auction, you would be well advised to do some serious study to determine whether the difference between the bands on the older cigars and those on the modern cigars has an explanation which seems to fit the facts, and whether this explanation is legitimate. Another interesting development is that certain Cuban brand cigarillos are actually manufactured outside Cuba under licence. These include the Mini Cohiba, which is produced in France. The tobacco blend used is close to that of the brand’s generic formula and, as the Cubans are quick to point out, contains no chemical additives. “It’s the Cohiba’s younger brother,” they say. The advertisement for them tells you that they are of “small size”, but have “full flavour”. In Cuba they actually produce Cohiba cigarettes – a logical development of the brand’s growth. Licensed Havanas should not be confused with cigars of the same name produced outside Cuba. The latter are the result of a fairly complex situation in relation to brand-name rights. These rights are claimed by Cuban exiles with family connections to one or other of the big brands, the children and grandchildren of these exiles, companies that have acquired ‘rights’ to these brands, and companies that were the first to register this or that brand in a particular country... As a result, apart from Cuban cigars proper, cigars of disputed Cuban brands are produced by various manufacturers at their own discretion outside Cuba. And, needless to say, Cohiba has similarly fallen foul of this circumstance. The best known non-Cuban version of the Cohiba came from the American General Cigar Company. A former employee, Oskar Borukhin, has the following recollections: “During the 1970s, a friend of mine, Bernado Benes, was invited to work for the Carter Administration. Bernado had been a friend of Fidel Castro during his Havana University days, and during the first years after the revolution held the post of deputy minister of finance. Later for ideological reasons he left Cuba, although he was not a conservative. As a State Department official, Bernado made frequent visits to Cuba, where he met Castro, though nothing of these visits ever came to the attention of the press. On his return from one of these trips he handed me a small packet of cigars. They were what today are known as Lancero – and, according to Bernado, they were Castro’s favourites which he often presented to visitors. They were also a non-commercial brand, which the Cubans would never think of offering for sale. “At the time I was working for the General Cigar Company and, as a loyal member of staff, I passed on a couple of the cigars to the company boss, telling him the story I’d heard about where they came from. Shortly afterwards the company directors decided to register the brand.” Time passed and the name Cohiba began to stir up the cigar world. It would be almost unthinkable for an entrepreneur not to seize the opportunity. Cohiba cigars began to be manufactured in the Dominican Republic by three companies under three separate labels. The General Cigar Company, which had registered the brand Cohiba in the United States and was producing cigars under this label at its factory in the Dominican Republic, brought an action against Global Direct Marketing, which was importing Cohiba-labelled cigars from the Monte Cristi Factory in the Dominican Republic having, in its turn, registered the brand in the Dominican Republic. Meanwhile the Cubans – almost simultaneously – began litigation against the General Cigar Company for using the brand name... The lawsuits are continuing to this day. The main difference in appearance between the non-Cuban Cohiba and the Cuban variety is the absence of the word Habana on the cigar band. As was pointed out above, certain limited issue Cuban Cohiba cigars can have bands that are quite different from the traditional ones. The greatest rarities are the rings on cigars that were presented to some important personage – for example, the King of Spain. (In this case, so I was told at El Laguito, the colour is different – blue). Cigars presented as gifts at the inter-governmental level are, as they almost always have been, Lanceros. Did Cohiba exist at all before the revolution? In a conversation last year with Emilia Tamayo, the director of the El Laguito Factory, who has run the concern since 1994, I said to her: “Somewhere I came across an old cigar band with the word ‘Cohiba’ on it that was clearly Cuban and pre-revolutionary. So the brand must have existed previously.” “No,” she said, “quite impossible. At least I’ve never heard of it.” But the fact of the matter was, I really did recall seeing an old cigar band somewhere with the word ‘Cohiba’ on it. And it looked nothing like the familiar black and orange stripes that have adorned the pride of socialist Cuba for almost two decades. But, as it happened, I came across that cigar band again. What happened was this. Some days later, I was rummaging around in the antique flea markets of old Havana, when I came across this same cigar band that I had once seen. It was exactly the same as I remembered it. From some of the details of the design – I now have it in my possession – I can be quite certain that it came from a pre-Castro cigar. But what does that prove? Even when I later showed it to the director of the El Laguito, she was quite unable to throw any light on the matter. So I’m forced to construct some likely explanations. It is possible that here we have something to do with the collective unconsciousness. Now, apart from the famous brands that existed before the revolution and that still exist today, there were an enormous number of other brands – hundreds of them. And obviously few people would remember many, let alone all of them. Then there is the fact that the very word ‘cohiba’ in Cuba is rooted in the culture and has assumed almost mystical significance. So it is quite possible that when they came to find a name for the socialist super-cigar, the indigenous word sprang to mind without any idea that a tiny cigar brand with that name might once have existed – even Castro’s formidable secretary, Celia Sanchez, might have known nothing about it. Alternatively, they could have known, but thought it better to ‘forget’. There is no mention of the band in any catalogues or writings – and certainly no mention of the cigars themselves. The brand existed on the fringes of the Cuban cigar business, and so in the general way of things in those times, the Cohiba’s predecessor was simply doomed to oblivion. Finally, on those rare, but interesting occasions, when a customer is offered a supposedly pre-Castro Cohiba (and such things have happened in a number of different countries with the price for the item being set at a suitable astronomical amount) one thing you can be sure of: the cigar could be of any age – but the cigar band is certain to be modern. Undisputable facts One thing that is impossible to dispute is the place where Cohiba was first produced on more or less serial production lines. This was the huge villa that once belonged to the Marquis of Pinar del Rio located not too far from Havana in the heart of Cuba’s tobacco growing region. After the revolution, it became one of the five leading cigar-exporting concerns in the country. But it remains one of the most inaccessible places in Cuba for the curious – tourists, for example, are banned from El Laguito, whereas they can freely visit other cigar-manufacturing concerns. Another indisputable fact is that the factory’s first director and principal architect of the Cohiba blend was Eduardo Rivera. And there is similar unanimity on the influential role in establishing the brand played by Celia Sanchez, Castro’s secretary and the grande dame of the revolution, who was responsible for marketing the project. According to Avelino Lara, who was soon to replace Rivera and who was in charge of Cohiba production for many years, only two people in Cuba knew the names of the plantations that provided tobacco for Cohiba cigars – he himself and the agricultural minister (the likely location seems to be in the San Luis District of the Vuelta Abajo Region). Bearing in mind that Castro’s enemies tried to get rid of him by using a poisoned cigar and one loaded with explosives, the security surrounding their production is only to be expected. But the tobacco for the new cigar was not only secret, but select. Or, as Lara put it, the cr?me de la cr?me of tobaccos. At first Castro’s cigars, which he chain-smoked, were unnamed. The designation ‘Cohiba’ did not appear until 1968. The word comes from the language of the Caribbean Indians, and was what they used at the time of Columbus to refer to tobacco. It was supposedly revived by Celia Sanchez as a suitable name for the new super-cigar. The idea was presumably that the new name would show a complete break with the brands of the overthrown system and constitute a direct link with the indigenous population that had given the world cigars and been so cruelly treated by the colonizers. In this way, the name of the new Cuban cigar would attempt to wipe away the shame of many centuries of injustice and the exploitation of man by man. A noble family Cohiba Linea Clasica Lancero – a long, shapely super-elegant cigar, 192x15mm. It is one of the finest havanas in the gran panetelas category, giving off the slight taste of ginger and subtle chocolate flavours – such is how tasters with developed senses and a rich vocabulary describe their impressions. Corona Especial – according to the traditional classification, a corona of moderate size, 152x15mm, producing honey and woody flavours. Panetela – thicker and shorter than the numerous cigars of the same name produced by non-Cuban manufacturers, 115x10mm with a spicy and slightly aggressive tang. Esplendido – long and thick, 178x18.6mm on the classical gradation. A Churchill in format and one of the finest representatives of its class with a strong, complex, but well balanced taste. Robusto – short and thick, 124x20mm, very full with honey flavours. Exquisito – of medium length and thin, 125x14mm. It could be described as an introduction into the world of Cohiba. Cohiba Linea 1492 Siglo I – tres petit corona, 102x15.8mm. An introduction to the theme: an after-dinner cigar for the beginner and a pleasure throughout the day for the experienced smoker. Siglo II – petit corona, 129x16.6mm. A full taste with dry, woody tones. Siglo III – corona, 155x16.6mm. Its taste is almost gentle, thus putting this cigar among the new generation of Havanas that avoid pungency. Siglo IV – corona gorda, 143x18mm. A full tasting cigar, but one that should be smoked slowly after a sumptuous meal; Siglo V – lonsdale, 170x17mm. “The quintessence of elegance and sophistication”. Siglo VI – 150x20.6mm. This is such a rare cigar that so far it has not been described. Cohiba: truth and lies There are few real Cohibas made (in all, they account for about 6% of the total production of Havanas). Far more copies and fake Cohibas are sold than originals, and some of these are even designated by formats that are no longer in existence or never have existed. To dispel or anticipate the doubts of potential customers, the fakers encourage belief in certain myths. So in a restaurant, for example, exactly the same type of Cuban cigar is offered in two sections at completely different prices. Thus a Cohiba Esplendido will cost $75 in one section and $50 in another. Should you ask why, you will get the reply that one is a cheaper sort than the other. At Habanos S.A., their comment on this sort of thing is quite clear: there are no first or second class Havanas; there are only real ones and fake ones. There’s a well known story about some sharp characters in Russia, who tried to pass off Jose L. Piedra machine-made cigars for prestige Havanas. Noticing the similarity in the size between a Jose L. Piedra Cazador and a Cohiba Siglo III, they tried to pass off the one for the other by the simple process of changing the Jose L. Piedra bands. You can protect yourself against trickery of this kind, if you know that the wrapper leaf on a real Cohiba is luxuriant and smooth, while that on a machine-made cigar is much rougher and, therefore, considerably cheaper. Since, of all the Havana cigars, Cohibas are the most copied and faked, it’s worth looking more closely at the way this brand of cigars are packaged. All Cohibas, apart from the Piramide, are packed in wooden boxes, the outside of which is completely lacquered except for the bottom. There are three types. Lancero, Corona Especial and Panatela are packed in a Boite Nature Box (BN) with a catch, the ends of which are rounded at the corners. Each box holds 25 or 50 cigars. The Lancero and the Corona Especial are pig-tailed at the closed end. It is believed that of all the Cohiba formats, the Lancero is faked the most, although these cigars are not easy to produce even for experienced factory rollers working with the finest tobacco leaves. As a result, the fake Lanceros are frequently very hard to draw. Esplendido and Exquisito are packed in a Semi Boite Nature Box (SBN) with a catch. The ends of the box are sharp at the corners, but the ends of the lid are rounded. Each box contains 25 cigars in two rows. Esplendidos in a box with a glass lid are fakes – they are not packed that way in Cuba. The Robusto and all cigars in the Siglo line are packed only in Slide Lid Boxes (SLB), 25 per box, lying freely and with a yellow band). Certain types of Cohiba are also found in cardboard boxes – which should be warning enough, especially if the sale is proposed in surroundings that appear to be rather dubious. Heiress of Avelino Lara Emilia Tamayo has worked at the El Laguito factory for almost thirty years. In 1975 she started work there as a young girl, and in 1994 became its director. Is it hard running an elite factory? The work is just the same, but the responsibility is much greater. You have to be much sterner and ensure discipline. Are the workers afraid of you? I hope they respect me. There has to be a good reason for me to reprimand anyone. How about lateness? Would you sack a worker for being late? Only if it became a frequent occurrence. And are you never late yourself? Never. Every day I arrive half an hour before the workers – at 7.00am. Are Cohiba cigars made only at your factory? No, we make only three million cigars a year. They make another ten million at Partagas. But in a couple of years probably all Cohiba cigars will be produced here. And how will you manage? There is not a lot of space here. We intend to build an extra unit. Do you produce any cigar types exclusively? Lanceros, Corona especiales, Exquisitos and Panatelas are only made here. How many employees have you got? 240 in all, almost one hundred of which are rollers. Do any of your relatives work here? Yes, my husband. So he’s your subordinate? That must mean the problem of female equality has all been sorted out in Cuba.