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Cuaba (cigar brand)
Encyclopedia
Cuaba is the name of a Cuba
n cigar
brand produced in Cuba
for Habanos SA
, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company.
, Great Britain
, as an all-perfecto line of cigars. The brand was launched in an attempt to revive figurados, which had initially been very popular in the early 20th century but had declined since about the 1950s. For the release party, the creator of the line, Carlos Izquierdo González, and fourteen other highly-skilled torcedores (cigar rollers) demonstrated making figurado cigars. The original Cuabas were of slightly differing sizes within the same box, due to a cigar mold not being used to press them into shape. When molds were finally made for Cuaba around a year later, these original non-molded cigars became great collectors' items.
González claims he styled the Cuaba blend after Montecristo
, but most cigar connoisseurs believe the blend used is more similar in taste to Romeo y Julieta
. Coincidentally enough, most Cuaba cigars are manufactured in the Briones Montoto (Romeo y Julieta) factory.
In 1998, Cuaba had the distinction of being one of the cigar brands chosen to be released with a special vitola (the Distinguidos) in a Millennium Reserve ceramic jar humidor and is often a brand chosen for special releases and humidors.
Hand-Made Vitolas
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n cigar
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
brand produced in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
for Habanos SA
Habanos SA
Habanos S.A. is the arm of the Cuban state tobacco company, Cubatabaco, that controls the promotion, distribution, and export of Cuban cigars and other tobacco products worldwide. The word habanos means literally from Havana, and is the word used in the Spanish-speaking world for Havana cigars...
, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company.
History
Cuaba was officially launched by Habanos president Francisco Linares on November 19, 1996 at Claridge's Hotel in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, as an all-perfecto line of cigars. The brand was launched in an attempt to revive figurados, which had initially been very popular in the early 20th century but had declined since about the 1950s. For the release party, the creator of the line, Carlos Izquierdo González, and fourteen other highly-skilled torcedores (cigar rollers) demonstrated making figurado cigars. The original Cuabas were of slightly differing sizes within the same box, due to a cigar mold not being used to press them into shape. When molds were finally made for Cuaba around a year later, these original non-molded cigars became great collectors' items.
González claims he styled the Cuaba blend after Montecristo
Montecristo (cigar brand)
Montecristo is the name of two brands of premium cigars, one produced in Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in La Romana, Dominican Republic for the Franco-Spanish tobacco monopoly Altadis SA.- History :...
, but most cigar connoisseurs believe the blend used is more similar in taste to Romeo y Julieta
Romeo y Julieta (cigar brand)
Romeo y Julieta is the name of two brands of premium cigar, one produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in La Romana, Dominican Republic for Altadis SA. -History:...
. Coincidentally enough, most Cuaba cigars are manufactured in the Briones Montoto (Romeo y Julieta) factory.
In 1998, Cuaba had the distinction of being one of the cigar brands chosen to be released with a special vitola (the Distinguidos) in a Millennium Reserve ceramic jar humidor and is often a brand chosen for special releases and humidors.
Vitolas in the Cuaba Line
The following list of vitolas de salida (commercial vitolas) within the Cuaba marque lists their size and ring gauge in Imperial (and Metric), their vitolas de galera (factory vitolas), and their common name in American cigar slang.Hand-Made Vitolas
- Diademas - 9 1/8" x 55 (232 x 21.83 mm), Diademas, a giant perfecto
- Distinguidos - 6 3/8" x 52 (162 x 20.64 mm), Romeos, a perfecto
- Divinos - 4" x 43 (102 x 17.07 mm), Petit Bouquet, a petit perfecto
- Exclusivos - 5 3/4" x 46 (146 x 18.26 mm), Exquisitos, a perfecto
- Generosos - 5 1/4" x 42 (133 x 16.67 mm), Generosos, a perfecto
- Salomónes I - 7 1/4" x 57 (184 x 22.62 mm), Salomónes, a double perfecto
- Tradicionales - 4 3/4" x 42 (121 x 16.67 mm), Favoritos, a petit perfecto