CubaPLUS Magazine

Still under the effect of the glitter of the celebrations for the 55th anniversary of its appearance, celebrated on September 7, the select group of cigar lovers verified that the Cohiba premium cigar brand is still at the top of its products, which is also to say that he continues to be the best in the world.

The Habanos S.A Corporation displayed a commemorative and festive program attended by celebrities from the artistic world and businessmen, and an auction was held that raised over two million euros destined for Cuban public health.

The years past do not makes us forget the history, with hints of legend, of the creation of the extraordinary Cohiba. They say that in the mid-1960s, Bienvenido Pérez Salazar, head of the escorts of the maximum Cuban leader, offered him a cigar -that is how each copy is called in this land- specially created by a cigar roller friend of great experience.

Fidel Castro thought it was a prodigy, he asked questions and was interested in its origin, composition, etc., as usual. And as has been repeated several times, it was Celia Sánchez who gave him the idea of founding a factory of those wonderful cigars, which would give employment to women using the experience of the knowledge of its creator, vegueros and experienced cigar rollers.

The factory, today very famous, and made up 70 percent  of women, was founded in the west of the Cuban capital, on a kind of hill called El Laguito, which gave its name to the nascent  industry. At first, the Cohiba, with a Taíno aboriginal name, were only used as a gift to state personalities, but years later the commercialization began with the success that we all know today.

It is a very robust tobacco or cigar, with an accentuated flavor and an irresistible aroma for nicotine addicts. The sheets that make up each piece are "The selection of the selection" -a very fair coined phrase- of the 5 best Vegas of San Juan y Martínez and San Luis, in the Vuelta Abajo region, where the country's star plantations are located.

Made manually, according to the rule, with the so-called long casing, it has the Classic and 1492 Lines, with a strong and medium flavor, respectively. The Cohiba is much more, of course. Anyway, this is a fascinating topic, but reminding you, friends, that smoking is very harmful to your health. I did not forget it.