The pleasure of enjoying a good cigar harks back to the very cultivation of its plant, in Vinales. The process entails caressing it, carefully selecting it, learning the secret of rolling the cigar and its preservation.

There are 4 main tobacco-growing regions in Cuba: Oriente and Las Villas in Havana province, and two more, Semivuelta and Vuelta Abajo in Pinar del Rio province. The most famous, whose saline soil and ideal climate produces the very finest tobacco in the world is Vuelta Abajo.

During the months of October and November, the seeds are sown in special beds, and later on transferred to the soil, where they are planted by hand, one by one. Then, they are zealously supervised for 80 or 90 days, like a precious vineyard.

The most suitable climate for this crop is hot during the day and cold at night, with one drop of humidity. Sometimes the plants must be covered, in order to protect them from too much sun.

By February or March, when the plant's lower leaves turn light green, they are then collected and sorted out according to their quality and strength. Then, they are transported to the Tobacco House, where they are duly classified, and then dried out over a period of 40 to 45 days.

From there, they are taken to the factories, where they are once again classified into 50 different graduations, according to their texture and color. Then, they are packed for fermenting and storage purposes.

The fermentation process is crucial to the quality of the cigar, since it affects the flavor of the tobacco and reduces the amount of nicotine. Truly fine cigars are fermented twice, whereas Cohiba is fermented 3 times.

Then, they are preserved for 2 years. Finally, they are taken out and softened, and reach the hands of the expert “twister”, who accords the finishing touches.

besides the Cohiba, the most outstanding brands are: Montecristo, Patagras (the oldest factory), H. Upmann, Hugo Monterrey, Bolivar and Romeo y Julieta.