Partagas (cigar brand)
Encyclopedia
Partagás is among the oldest extant brands of cigars, established in Havana
in 1845. The name is used today by two independent and competing entities, one produced on the island of Cuba
for Habanos SA
, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in the Dominican Republic
for the General Cigar Company
, which is today a subsidiary of Swedish Match
.
, Real Fábricas de Tabaco Partagás in 1845, on 60 Industria Street in Havana
, one of the largest of its time. The name, which translates as "Partagás Royal Tobacco Factory," was supposedly chosen because of Don Jaime's status as cigar supplier to various European and Asian nobility. Don Jaime owned many of the best plantations in the Vuelta Abajo
tobacco-growing region of Cuba and being able to choose from among the finest tobaccos on the island made the brand incredibly successful. Don Jaime is also believed to have experimented with various methods of fermenting and aging tobacco and is legendarily credited with hiring the first lector to read to and entertain the cigar rollers as they worked.
Don Jaime was murdered (supposedly by a jealous rival he'd been vying with in one of his love affairs) on one of his plantations in either 1864 or 1868 and his son José Partagás took over the business. Later on, the factory and brand were sold to a banker named José A. Bance, who in turn sold it to the firm of Cifuentes, Fernández y Cía in 1900. In 1916, Don José Fernández seems to have left the firm and Ramón Cifuentes Llano joined with Francisco Pego Pita to form the new firm of Cifuentes, Pego y Cía. In 1927, the firm would acquire the rights to the Ramón Allones
brand and at some unknown point the factory began to produce a brand named for its owner, Cifuentes.
Cifuentes died in 1938 and Pego in 1940, leaving the Cifuentes family solely in control of the increasingly prestigious factory and brand (it's unknown why Pego's heirs didn't claim anything) and renaming the company simply Cifuentes y Cía. In 1954, the Cifuentes family acquired the Bolívar
and La Gloria Cubana
brands from José F. Rocha and moved their production to their factory. In 1958, the Partagás Factory was the second largest exporter of Cuban cigars (the H. Upmann
Factory being the only one bigger), accounting for over a quarter of all exported tobacco goods.
Before and after the Revolution, the Cuban-produced Partagás has been one of the most revered and highest-selling brands of cigars in the world. By the middle 1990s the brand had become the second leading selling Cuban brand, following Montecristo
, with annual sales of approximately 10 million cigars.
The old Partagás Factory in Havana, since renamed the "Francisco Pérez Germán" factory, is still responsible for much of the annual production of the Partagás brand and has proven to be a very popular tourist destination for cigar smokers vacationing in Cuba.
In 2002, when Altadis
bought a controlling share in the Cuban government-owned cigar distributor, Habanos SA, a number of changes in cigar production were instituted. One of these changes was the decision to gradually turn the various brands of Cuban cigars to either all-handmade or all-machine-made lines, reduce the number of redundant sizes within a brand, and cut many low-selling cigars from production. Partagás, which has historically produced a variety of handmade and machine-made or machine-finished cigars, had several of its vitolas cut from production, much to the dismay of connoisseurs worldwide.
Since the introduction of the Edición Limitada annual releases, Partagás has gotten a special size made almost every year: the Pirámide in 2000, the Serie D No. 3 in 2001, the Serie D No. 2 in 2003, the Serie D No. 1 in 2004, a reissue of the Serie D No. 3 in 2006, and the Serie D No. 5 in 2008. In 2005, Partagás introduced a new addition to its regular lineup, a pyramid called the Serie P No. 2. So far, this new size has proved incredibly popular with cigar connoisseurs.
Partagás also produces two machine-made cigarillo
s (the Mini and the Club) and a brand of cigarette
s.
Hand-Made Vitolas
Edición Limitada Releases
, the Cifuentes family's patriarch, Ramón, was initially offered the job of leading Cuba's tobacco industry, but refused and instead emigrated from the country. A newly formed government marketing agency, Cubatabaco
, took over the Partagás factory and the production of the brand there.
After a hiatus of almost seventeen years, the patron of the family, Ramón Cifuentes licensed the names Partagás and Bolívar cigars to the General Cigar Company
, which in 1978 obtained a trademark and relaunched the brand for the lucrative American market. Initial production took place in Jamaica
, but the following year production of the revisited brand moved to a modern factory in Santiago
, capital of the Dominican Republic
.
In 1995 the 70000 square feet (6,503.2 m²) Santiago facility employed approximately 600 workers, who produced cigars bearing both the Partagas and Macanudo
labels. Approximately 8 million Partagas cigars were produced by General Cigar Dominicana in that year.
A similar trade dress
to the Cuban product has been used by General Cigar for its competing version of the Partagás brand, employing a red-and-gold band
scheme, save with the word "Habana" replaced by the date "1845" on the packaging.
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
in 1845. The name is used today by two independent and competing entities, one produced on the island of 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, and the other produced in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
for the General Cigar Company
General Cigar Company
General Cigar Company is one of the largest manufacturers of cigars in the world. It has been owned by Swedish Match since 2005.-Company history:...
, which is today a subsidiary of Swedish Match
Swedish Match
Swedish Match is a Swedish company based in Stockholm that makes snus, tobacco, cigars , Red Man Chewing Tobacco, dipping tobacco, matches and lighters. It was founded as Svenska Tändsticksaktiebolaget by Ivar Kreuger in 1917 in Jönköping...
.
History
The Spaniard Don Jaime Partagás y Ravell had worked in the Cuban tobacco business for years before establishing his own factoryFactory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
, Real Fábricas de Tabaco Partagás in 1845, on 60 Industria Street in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, one of the largest of its time. The name, which translates as "Partagás Royal Tobacco Factory," was supposedly chosen because of Don Jaime's status as cigar supplier to various European and Asian nobility. Don Jaime owned many of the best plantations in the Vuelta Abajo
Vuelta Abajo
Vuelta Abajo is a district in the Pinar del Río Province of Cuba. It lies in the extreme western part of the island, bordered on the north by the Órganos Mountains. A great deal of tobacco is grown in the district, and "Vuelta Abajo" can also refer to the high quality type of cigar tobacco from...
tobacco-growing region of Cuba and being able to choose from among the finest tobaccos on the island made the brand incredibly successful. Don Jaime is also believed to have experimented with various methods of fermenting and aging tobacco and is legendarily credited with hiring the first lector to read to and entertain the cigar rollers as they worked.
Don Jaime was murdered (supposedly by a jealous rival he'd been vying with in one of his love affairs) on one of his plantations in either 1864 or 1868 and his son José Partagás took over the business. Later on, the factory and brand were sold to a banker named José A. Bance, who in turn sold it to the firm of Cifuentes, Fernández y Cía in 1900. In 1916, Don José Fernández seems to have left the firm and Ramón Cifuentes Llano joined with Francisco Pego Pita to form the new firm of Cifuentes, Pego y Cía. In 1927, the firm would acquire the rights to the Ramón Allones
Ramon Allones (cigar brand)
Ramón Allones is the name of two premium cigar brands, one produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and other produced in Honduras for General Cigar Company, now a subsidiary of Swedish Match...
brand and at some unknown point the factory began to produce a brand named for its owner, Cifuentes.
Cifuentes died in 1938 and Pego in 1940, leaving the Cifuentes family solely in control of the increasingly prestigious factory and brand (it's unknown why Pego's heirs didn't claim anything) and renaming the company simply Cifuentes y Cía. In 1954, the Cifuentes family acquired the Bolívar
Bolivar (cigar brand)
Bolívar 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 the Dominican Republic from Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco for General Cigar Company, which is today a subsidiary of Swedish Match...
and La Gloria Cubana
La Gloria Cubana (cigar brand)
La Gloria Cubana is the name of two premium cigar brands, one produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and other produced in the Dominican Republic and Miami, Florida by El Credito Cigar Company for General Cigar Company, now a subsidiary of Swedish...
brands from José F. Rocha and moved their production to their factory. In 1958, the Partagás Factory was the second largest exporter of Cuban cigars (the H. Upmann
H. Upmann (cigar brand)
H. Upmann is a brand name of premium cigar, made in two versions: 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 the Franco-Spanish tobacco monopoly Altadis SA. Established in 1844, the H. Upmann...
Factory being the only one bigger), accounting for over a quarter of all exported tobacco goods.
Before and after the Revolution, the Cuban-produced Partagás has been one of the most revered and highest-selling brands of cigars in the world. By the middle 1990s the brand had become the second leading selling Cuban brand, following 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 :...
, with annual sales of approximately 10 million cigars.
The old Partagás Factory in Havana, since renamed the "Francisco Pérez Germán" factory, is still responsible for much of the annual production of the Partagás brand and has proven to be a very popular tourist destination for cigar smokers vacationing in Cuba.
In 2002, when Altadis
Altadis
Altadis is a multinational purveyor and manufacturer of cigarettes, tobacco and cigars. Altadis was formed via a 1999 merger between Tabacalera, the former Spanish tobacco monopoly and SEITA, the former French tobacco monopoly...
bought a controlling share in the Cuban government-owned cigar distributor, Habanos SA, a number of changes in cigar production were instituted. One of these changes was the decision to gradually turn the various brands of Cuban cigars to either all-handmade or all-machine-made lines, reduce the number of redundant sizes within a brand, and cut many low-selling cigars from production. Partagás, which has historically produced a variety of handmade and machine-made or machine-finished cigars, had several of its vitolas cut from production, much to the dismay of connoisseurs worldwide.
Since the introduction of the Edición Limitada annual releases, Partagás has gotten a special size made almost every year: the Pirámide in 2000, the Serie D No. 3 in 2001, the Serie D No. 2 in 2003, the Serie D No. 1 in 2004, a reissue of the Serie D No. 3 in 2006, and the Serie D No. 5 in 2008. In 2005, Partagás introduced a new addition to its regular lineup, a pyramid called the Serie P No. 2. So far, this new size has proved incredibly popular with cigar connoisseurs.
Partagás also produces two machine-made cigarillo
Cigarillo
A cigarillo is a short, narrow cigar. Unlike cigarettes, cigarillos are wrapped not in paper but in whole-leaf tobacco. Cigarillos can be found for purchase alone or in packs, and are often made without filters...
s (the Mini and the Club) and a brand of cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
s.
Vitolas in the Partagás Line
The following list of vitolas de salida (commercial vitolas) within the Partagás 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
- 898 Cabinet Selección Varnished - 6 3/4" x 43 (171 x 17.07 mm), Dalia, a lonsdale
- Aristocrat - 5 1/8" x 40 (130 x 15.88 mm), Petit Cetro, a petit corona
- Corona Junior - 4 5/8" x 40 (117 x 15.88 mm), Coronita, a petit corona
- Corona Senior - 5 1/4" x 42 (133 x 16.67 mm), Eminente, a corona
- Culebras - 5 3/4" x 39 (146 x 15.48 mm), Culebras, a culebra
- Habanero - 4 7/8" x 39 (124 x 15.48 mm), Belvedere, a short panetela
- Lusitania - 7 5/8" x 49 (194 x 19.45 mm), Prominente, a double corona
- Mille Fleurs - 5 1/8" x 42 (130 x 16.67 mm), Petit Corona, a petit corona
- No. 1 - 6 3/4" x 43 (171 x 17.07 mm), Dalia, a lonsdale
- Partagás de Luxe - 5 1/2" x 40 (140 x 15.88 mm), Crema, a corona
- Petit Corona Especial - 5 1/4" x 42 (133 x 16.67 mm), Eminente, a corona
- Presidente - 6 1/4" x 47 (159 x 18.65 mm), Taco, a perfecto
- Princess - 5" x 35 (127 x 13.89 mm), Conchita, a short panetela
- Serie du Connaisseur No. 1 - 7 1/2" x 38 (191 x 15.08 mm), Delicado, a long panetela
- Serie du Connaisseur No. 2 - 6 1/2" x 38 (165 x 15.08 mm), Parejo, a panetela
- Serie du Connaisseur No. 3 - 5 5/8" x 35 (143 x 13.89 mm), Carlota, a panetela
- Serie D No. 4 - 4 7/8" x 50 (124 x 19.84 mm), Robusto, a robusto
- Serie P No. 2 - 6 1/8" x 52 (156 x 20.64 mm), Pirámide, a pyramid
- Short - 4 3/8" x 42 (111 x 16.67 mm), Minuto, a petit corona
- Super Partagás - 5 1/2" x 40 (140 x 15.88 mm), Crema, a corona
Edición Limitada Releases
- Pirámide (2000) - 6 1/8" x 52 (156 x 20.64 mm), Pirámide, a pyramid
- Serie D No. 3 (2001/re-release in 2006), - 5 5/8" x 46 (143 x 18.26 mm), Corona Gorda, a grand corona
- Serie D No. 2 (2003) - 6 1/8" x 50 (156 x 19.84 mm), Doble, a robusto extra
- Serie D No. 1 (2004) - 6 3/4" x 50 (171 x 19.84 mm), Partagás No. 16, a double robusto
- Serie D No. 5 (2008) - 4 1/3" x 50 (110 x 19.84 mm), Serie D No. 5, a petit robusto
General Cigar Company's Partagás
After tobacco was nationalized following the Cuban RevolutionCuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
, the Cifuentes family's patriarch, Ramón, was initially offered the job of leading Cuba's tobacco industry, but refused and instead emigrated from the country. A newly formed government marketing agency, Cubatabaco
Cubatabaco
Cubatabaco, short for "Empresa Cubana del Tabaco," is the Cuban state tobacco company. The company was formed in 1962, after the Cuban tobacco industry had been nationalized by Fidel Castro's socialist government. Cubatabaco handled all production and distribution of Cuban tobacco products both...
, took over the Partagás factory and the production of the brand there.
After a hiatus of almost seventeen years, the patron of the family, Ramón Cifuentes licensed the names Partagás and Bolívar cigars to the General Cigar Company
General Cigar Company
General Cigar Company is one of the largest manufacturers of cigars in the world. It has been owned by Swedish Match since 2005.-Company history:...
, which in 1978 obtained a trademark and relaunched the brand for the lucrative American market. Initial production took place in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, but the following year production of the revisited brand moved to a modern factory in Santiago
Santiago de los Caballeros
Santiago de los Caballeros is a city in the Dominican Republic. Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World, today Santiago is the second largest metropolis in the Dominican Republic, located in the north-central region of the Republic known as Cibao valley...
, capital of the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
.
In 1995 the 70000 square feet (6,503.2 m²) Santiago facility employed approximately 600 workers, who produced cigars bearing both the Partagas and Macanudo
Macanudo
Macanudo is an Argentine daily comic strip by the cartoonist Liniers. It is published in the newspaper La Nación. It appears on the last page of the paper. Just like Liniers' previous strip, Bonjour, Macanudo is very experimental and deals with meta humor...
labels. Approximately 8 million Partagas cigars were produced by General Cigar Dominicana in that year.
A similar trade dress
Trade dress
Trade dress is a legal term of art that generally refers to characteristics of the visual appearance of a product or its packaging that signify the source of the product to consumers...
to the Cuban product has been used by General Cigar for its competing version of the Partagás brand, employing a red-and-gold band
Cigar band
A cigar band is a loop made of paper or foil fitted around the body of a cigar to denote its brand or variety. Although origins of the device are the subject of several legends, modern historians credit a European immigrant to Cuba named Gustave Bock with invention of the cigar band in the 1830s...
scheme, save with the word "Habana" replaced by the date "1845" on the packaging.
Further reading
- Min Ron Nee, An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars. Hong Kong: Interpro Business Corp., 2003.