Cohiba Cigars

Cohiba cigars combine long-aged Dominican Piloto Cubano (Cuban-seed) longfillers, rare Indonesian Jember binders and naturally sweet African Cameroon wrappers hand-rolled into a rich-tasting, perfectly-balanced and creamy-smooth smoke. Surprisingly, this luxurious "red dot" Dominican blend is often the one preferred by aficionados for the medium body, rich flavor, smooth taste, and redolent aroma. Now cigar smokers of every experience can enjoy this icon of great cigars at much lower than Cuban cigar prices, too!

In 1496 Christopher Columbus returned to the New World and revisited western Hispaniola where he noticed that the Taino Indians smoked rolled-up leaves of cured tobacco. The Taino referred to these rustic-looking "cigars" as "Cohiba." Ironically, what began in the country known today as The Dominican Republic, eventually came full circle. In February, 1962 the United States implemented the Cuban embargo banning all Cuban cigars. But in 1978, Tabacalera Diaz y Cia began producing the brand for General Cigar in The Dominican Republic.

When cigar smokers hear the words "Cohiba cigars" they tend to think first of the Cuban cigars. It's not surprising, since the Cohiba brand name is practically synonymous with Cuba. So how did this happen?

It all started with Eduardo Ribera, a local Cuban cigar roller who made cigars for one of Fidel Castro's bodyguards. Castro loved the cigars so much he had Ribera make them exclusively for him and his cronies. Moreover, the cigars were made secretly. They were not a name brand until 1968 when the state tobacco bureau, Cubatabaco, asked maestro tabaquero, Avelino Lara, to produce a new blend at Lara's El Laguito factory (actually, a mansion). Lara's blend consisted of only the most select tobaccos grown in the San Luis and San Juan y Martinez zones of the Vuelta Abajo region of Pinar del Río Province. One of the secrets to their unique smoothness was fermenting the leaves a third time in oak barrels. But even those first Cuban Cohibas were still made in limited production and reserved only for high government officials.

It wasn't until 1982 that Cohiba cigars were introduced worldwide with the exception of the United States. Only three sizes were offered: Panatela, Corona Especial and Lancero. By the end of the decade the Robusto, Exquisito and Esplendido were added to the line. Today the Cuban version is still highly regarded (and counterfeited).

In the 1990's, General Cigar, who licensed the Cohiba name for marketing in the United States, created their own Dominican-made Cohiba cigars. The blend consists of Dominican-grown Cuban-seed longfillers, Indonesian binder and an exquisite West African Cameroon wrapper. Cameroon was also chosen for its natural sweetness and Cuban-like character. The result is a rewarding and rich-tasting cigar that is utterly distinctive from its Cuban cousin. To further distinguish it from the Cuban version, a new band was designed with a red dot in the center of the "O."

The 1990's cigar boom helped contribute to the brands early success. Later a lengthy law suit with the Cuban government over the brand name ensued, which General Cigar won.The Dominican "Red Dot" Cohiba is a staple among aficionados, not only in the U.S., but worldwide. Plus, they are the only "authentic" Cohiba cigars that can be bought legally in the U.S.

Buy Cohiba cigars online at discount prices here at Famous Smoke Shop - your source for Cohiba cigars.