The country's higher and most recognized tobacco production is located in Pinar del Río province. The tobacco plant comes from South America, although the moment of its arrival to
The tobacco plantations which are grown in the fields of Vuelta Abajo have exceptional leaves. They are selected according to their conditions before the world-famous Cuban Habanos, which enjoy such a great demand among the most select consumers, are made.
As an unavoidable part of the spirituality of those born on this
The production of the Cuban Habano, with a wide range of brands, satisfies the most demanding tastes, for it has more than 30 brands and more than 700 vitolas of unquestionable quality.
For Cuban natives tobacco was a miraculous medicine, the essential element in religious, politic and social ceremonies. It was also an important factor in their agriculture. The tobacco plant was usually grown in small conucos in the middle of cassava sown fields, a tubercle very used by natives. The encounter between both cultures during the conquest discovered this plant to the world. Cuban Tobacco Very quickly, a true passion for tobacco was aroused in Europe, mainly in
Its farming was exclusive occupation of free men. While the roughness of sugar production allowed the use of working slaves, the tobacco plant requires the treatment for a delicate lady, as the Apostle Jose Martí said. So, thousands of Canary Islands' immigrants, who arrived to
During the last years, tobacco has been displaced from the second position of exportable productions, regarding the incomes it provides, but it is still between the first ones because of its world-wide recognized quality.
Considered a real work of art, the preparation of an Habano requires that its creator (the torcedor or roller) works all the time by hand, and it all begins with the Escogida (Sorting House), a place where leaves are selected by their sizes and types and according to the specific characteristics of each cigar or vitola.
The secret of a good cigar, according to specialists, lies in a perfect blend, in which, in a right proportion, light-flavored «volado» (combustibility), medium-flavored «seco» (aroma) and full-flavored slow-burning «ligero» (strength) leaves are combined. These three types of leaves which form the filler or «tripa» (the core of a cigar) are responsible for the taste and aroma of an Habano. The increasing demand of Habanos has led to the appearance of new buildings designed for the enjoyment of an excellent vitola and the keeping of the product in ideal conditions.