In Cuba, the best cigars in the world are still handmade. People call them Habanos. Why are they so special? Unlike cigars produced in other regions of the world, their layers have a naturally sweet taste, with a higher sugar content and a lower proportion of nicotine, which perfectly complements the flavor and aroma of the other materials used in their creation.
A pure Habano tastes only of tobacco, since no artificial flavoring is involved in its production. It can be mild, intense, strong, or subtle, depending on the proportion and type of tobacco used. But its excellence is beyond question.
Habanos are big business. Habanos S.A., Cuba’s leading premium cigar exporter, achieved a record-breaking year in 2024, generating $827 million in sales—a 14.7-16% increase over 2023. This performance was largely driven by robust demand from Asia, especially China, which accounted for 27% of revenue and remained Habanos’ top market by dollar volume. Other key markets included Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
So, what makes Habanos different? To help answer that question, PanamericanWorld spoke with two key figures: one of the most renowned producers in Cuba and a torcedora (cigar roller) with more than 30 years of experience in transforming tobacco leaves into spectacular, aromatic cigars.
For Milagros Díaz Baró, there are no bad leaves—if the grower knows what they are doing and works with quality. For 21 years, this experienced torcedora has worked at the Habanos store in the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, where she rolls handmade cigars in front of visitors and cigar enthusiasts.
What do customers say when they taste the cigars you make?
“When they taste them, they say this is very good tobacco, different from what is sold in other countries. Because they’ve seen a demonstration of how it’s made, they’re shown the leaves, and they can appreciate every step of the process. Many of them end up smoking right then and there—and they come back for more.”
Related article: Ten Must See Destinations in Cuba
Why is Habano considered the best tobacco in the world?
“The best tobacco is harvested in Pinar del Río. This is a tobacco-growing region, and the finest tobacco in the world comes from here thanks to the quality of the soil and the climate, which allow the leaves to develop in perfect condition, with excellent elasticity and flavor. From sowing to harvest, it is a truly special tobacco.”
How does the cigar maker influence the cigar’s final taste?
“That is another reason why it’s considered the best tobacco in the world. It also depends on the way it’s made, because the cigar maker must know how to work the leaves to bring out the best in them. In our hands we have the touch, and that tells us how many leaves a cigar can hold, since not all leaves have the same thickness. You must know how to select which leaves are used for the filler, which for the wrapper, which for a gift cigar, or which to create a certain flavor. In Cuba, we have our own tradition of tobacco production that you won’t find in any other country.”
The reason Habanos are considered the best cigars in the world also lies in the land where the tobacco is grown and in the skill of the growers who make the harvests possible. Such is the case of Héctor Luis Prieto Díaz, a producer of sun-grown and shade-grown tobacco in the San Juan y Martínez region, regarded as the heart of Cuban cigar cultivation. For his work at the Quemado de Rubí farm, Héctor Luis earned the title of Habano Man, becoming the youngest person in the world to receive this recognition.
Héctor Luis Prieto obtained the Habano Man Condition, the youngest in the world to achieve that recognition.
“We have participated in tobacco festivals in Germany, Russia, Nicaragua, the United States and the Habano Festival, the most prestigious in the world, a very important event for all lovers and connoisseurs of cigars. Then I had the opportunity to share with many people who smoke, people who are passionate about cigars, with other producers, and undoubtedly ours is the best cigar”.
What makes the Habano so special?
“Cuba produces the best tobacco leaf in the world, due to the soil and the microclimate that we have in the Vueltabajo region; the experience in the tobacco cultivation is also vital, the experience transmitted for years to different generations. My family was also tobacco producer, and I’ve dedicated my whole life to it”.
What qualities of the Habano would you highlight?
“Chemically, Cuban tobacco has a different flavor; it has organoleptic characteristics totally different from the Dominican tobacco, Nicaraguan tobacco, so we produce a tobacco that differs from what we can find in other parts of the world.
We can ensure, not only we as producers but also other people: who are dedicated to smoking cigars, connoisseurs, those who look at details, people who are linked throughout the world to the Habanos’ universe, that we have the best tobacco in the world. There’s no doubt about it”.
Text, Video and Photos of the torcedora by Beatriz Rosales
Photo of the portrait: Depositphotos
