A Classification of Cuban Cigars, into four "tiers".


MontrealRon

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This list divides into four levels all Cuban cigars that are currently available,

and produced since 2005.

The first "tier" comprises all cigars that are, and have always been, hand-made, with long filler.

The following marcas currently produce only first tier cigars :

BOLIVAR, COHIBA, CUABA, DIPLOMATICOS, EL REY DEL MUNDO, LA GLORIA CUBANA, JUAN LOPEZ, MONTECRISTO, QUAI D'ORSAY, RAMON ALLONES, SAINT LUIS REY, SANCHO PANZA,

SAN CRISTOBAL, TRINIDAD, VEGAS ROBAINA, VEGUEROS.

These marcas produce mostly first tier cigars, with the exception of the vitolas listed below :

FONSECA, HOYO DE MONTERRAY, H. UPMANN, POR LARRANAGA, PUNCH, RAFAEL GONZALEZ, PARTAGAS, ROMEO Y JULIETA.

The second "tier" comprises all machine-made cigars (none of which have been produced since 2005);

all cigars that were formerly machine-made and are now produced as hand-made long filler;

and all Tripa Corta cigars.

The following marcas produce only second tier cigars, all tripa corta :

LA FLOR DE CANO, JOSE L. PIEDRA, QUINTERO.

The following cigars are the second tier vitolas produced by the other marcas :

FONSECA : Delicias (TC)

HOYO DE MONTERREY : Coronations, Palmas Extra

H. UPMANN : Coronas Junior, Coronas Major, Coronas Minor, Epicures, Majestic, Regalias

POR LARRANAGA : Montecarlos, Panetelas (TC)

PUNCH : Coronations, Petit Coronations, Royal Coronations

RAFAEL GONZALEZ : Panetelas Extra (TC)

PARTAGAS : Aristocrats, Coronas Junior, Coronas Senior, Habaneros, Mille Fleurs, Partagas de Luxe, Petits Coronas Especiales, Super Partagas

ROMEO Y JULIETA : Belvederes, Coronas en Cedro, Mille Fleurs, Regalias de Londres, Romeo No. 1, Romeo No. 2, Romeo No. 3, Sports Largos.

The "third tier" cigars are the products of the ICT factory, all machine-made, and no longer listed as "Habanos" :

The GUANTANAMERA marca

All the Puritos, Clubs, and Mini cigars.

The "fourth tier" consists of around half of the total production of Cuban cigars :

Those cigars destined for the local market only, hand-made with medium-short filler,

packaged in paper-wrapped bundles of 25, and sold individually in Cuban bodegas for the price of one National Peso.

My special thanks to Trevor, whose website, as always, provided invaluable assistance.

Please note that many discontinued machine-made cigars, as well as earlier machine-made versions of currently produced cigars, can still be found.

They are disappearing from the market, so the window of opportunity to try and buy is closing. One of the purposes of this forum is to bring these cigars to the attention of our community, before it is too late.

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Thanks for the list MontrealRon. It definitely helps putting when putting this whole thing into perspective. Look forward to seeing the reviews.

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Very Informative, Thanks- was not aware of all of the "tiers." I do not know if I could appreciate cigars made by a machine averse to the ones hand made (the majority). I'm sure there is a price difference but I see a hand-made cigar as a piece of artwork, just like I do my own paintings or others.

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Thanks for the post, I didn't realize all of the "tiers"

You are very welcome.

Please understand, however, that all this is purely my own very arbitrary perspective.

Others, no doubt, will see things from other, equally arbitrary points of view.

One point of discussion, for example - should the machine-mades, their hand-made descendants, and the TCs all be lumped into one category?

It's like trying to classify wine, a never-ending source of both amusement and contention!

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it certainly is fascinating info but wondering where it leaves your new category? is it all becoming a little too complicated? also, shows that a spot in the first tier no guarantee of quality - cuaba to name one.

thanks for posting that.

Seven or eight years ago, I bought two boxes of '01 Cuaba Exclusivos,

one with colorado claro wrappers, one with dark ones, almost like the LEs.

Never had one I didn't like, and I find they are still improving.

This marca is, to me, the perfecto extention of the R&J line.

If you like the R&J profile, and give them enough time, this size at least is excellent.

Perhaps later releases have not kept up in quality; I have no experience with them,

but frankly, I've had blander, less tasty Cohibas, as well as nastier, unpleasant Montecristos.

Unfortunately, even the top level of "first tier" is no guarantee of quality.

Here too, a wine analogy holds; I'll take a cru bourgeois Sociando-Mallet over many classified growths,

any time.

Ron,

Should Partagas Shorts and Partagas Chicos be in the Second Tier list?

Partagas Shorts, without question, are first tier cigars.

The Chicos (which I really like), until '05 were the smallest of the Partagas machine-mades,

so they would be second-tier. Since then, they have become ICT products, like the R&J, Montecristo,

Quintero and H. Upmann Puritos, all the same size; so, third tier.

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This list divides into four levels all Cuban cigars that are currently available,

and produced since 2005.

The "third tier" cigars are the products of the ICT factory, all machine-made, and no longer listed as "Habanos" :

The GUANTANAMERA marca

All the Puritos, Clubs, and Mini cigars.

Can anyone confirm that all of the Puritos, Clubs, and Minis are made at the ICT factory?

Are the Clubs and Minis made from the scraps of cigars from the marca, e.g. Cohiba, Montecristo? If so, do they haul the scraps to the ICT factory?

Thanks for anyone who can fill me in on this. I find that the Monte and Cohiba and Partagas Clubs DO have some of the distinctive flavor profile of their respective marcas.

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Can anyone confirm that all of the Puritos, Clubs, and Minis are made at the ICT factory?

Yes, I can confirm this.

The back of the 5-pack of Montecristo Puritos that I just pulled from my pocket reads :

Producido por Internacional Cubana de Tabacos S.A.

bajo Licencia de Habanos, S.A.

As to the source of the tobaccos used, I can only surmise that they are the scraps from rolling,

as you mention.

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Great info... and very well presented.

I like your layout, but I do think tiers 1 and 2 are subject to some further sub-categorization. The debate on 1st tiers (premium vs standard, for example) is extremely subjective and will be ongoing forever and ever. The 2nd tier is a little more cut and dried.

I suggest:

Tier 2A = LF handmades (of previously MM vitolas)

Tier 2B = TC handmades

Tier 2C = MM (older HSA MM's)

In my somewhat limited experience, that's the way they stack up in general terms of quality, though no doubt there are notable exceptions.

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Great info... and very well presented.

I like your layout, but I do think tiers 1 and 2 are subject to some further sub-categorization. The debate on 1st tiers (premium vs standard, for example) is extremely subjective and will be ongoing forever and ever. The 2nd tier is a little more cut and dried.

I suggest:

Tier 2A = LF handmades (of previously MM vitolas)

Tier 2B = TC handmades

Tier 2C = MM (current ICT's other than minis/clubs/puritos and older HSA MM's)

In my somewhat limited experience, that's the way they stack up in general terms of quality, though no doubt there are notable exceptions.

Excellent points!

As to the first tier, there are of course many levels of quality.

I placed them all together simply for the purposes of excuding them from consideration in this forum.

The other forums offer plenty of room for discussion of their relative merits.

I am in full agreement as to your division of 2A and 2B, though I am less sure about 2C.

While the current hand-made versions are clearly superior to their previous machine-made ones,

there are also many similarities. For one thing, it is probable that they are produced using the same ligas.

I have a box of '98 Upmann Regalias, machine-made, hand-finished.

They are remarkably similar to my '05 hand-mades.

Smoother with the aging, and certainly not inferior, either in taste or construction.

In general, the fully machine-made cello wrapped cigars are much less consistant, especially as to construction.

Their weights can vary by as much as 40% in the same box.

Quite complicated, these Cuban cigars of ours!

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...I am less sure about 2C.

While the current hand-made versions are clearly superior to their previous machine-made ones, there are also many similarities. For one thing, it is probable that they are produced using the same ligas.

I have a box of '98 Upmann Regalias, machine-made, hand-finished.

They are remarkably similar to my '05 hand-mades. Smoother with the aging, and certainly not inferior, either in taste or construction...

Probably just my lack of experience with older MM versions of those that are now handmade LF. I remember smoking a few MM LFdC's and Quinteros in the 90's, but I don't have any specific memory of the MM cigars from premium brands. So I guess my 2C impression is really more based on MM's like LFdC that are now TC's.

I did find an empty tube among my accumulated tobacciana from a Partagas Corona Senior that I must have smoked some time in the distant past. The fact that I don't really remember it probably means it came across as good as any typical smallish Partagas without me even being quite aware at the time that it was MM... and that would certainly support your assertion that I missed the mark a bit in lumping these sorts of cigars into a lower sub-tier.

That said, you can bet that I'll now be keeping an eye out for older stock to check out for myself. Thanks for the tip!

Jack

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  • 6 months later...
Great info... and very well presented.

I like your layout, but I do think tiers 1 and 2 are subject to some further sub-categorization. The debate on 1st tiers (premium vs standard, for example) is extremely subjective and will be ongoing forever and ever. The 2nd tier is a little more cut and dried.

I suggest:

Tier 2A = LF handmades (of previously MM vitolas)

Tier 2B = TC handmades

Tier 2C = MM (older HSA MM's)

In my somewhat limited experience, that's the way they stack up in general terms of quality, though no doubt there are notable exceptions.

I agree completely.

In my experience, I had heard about the subdivision of CC's into quality "tiers". But this seems a bit off to me.

For example, the R&J Coronitas en Cedro, and the R&J Romeo No. 2 tubos - both of these are fully hand-made, long filler cigars now (have been for a decade or so, I believe, if not longer). I have always heard of these as full-on, Tier 1 cigars. Granted, not Tier 1 "premiums", but Tier 1 nonetheless. I've only heard of the older styling of the Coronitas en Cedro and the R#2, the older machine-made versions from years ago, only them being called Tier 2 - not the vitola as a whole, based on production methods of years before.

News to me.

Doesn't really matter nonetheless, IMO - as long as you know what to look for (ie - long/short filler, totalmente a mano, etc.), it's all good!

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I agree completely.

In my experience, I had heard about the subdivision of CC's into quality "tiers". But this seems a bit off to me.

For example, the R&J Coronitas en Cedro, and the R&J Romeo No. 2 tubos - both of these are fully hand-made, long filler cigars now (have been for a decade or so, I believe, if not longer). I have always heard of these as full-on, Tier 1 cigars. Granted, not Tier 1 "premiums", but Tier 1 nonetheless. I've only heard of the older styling of the Coronitas en Cedro and the R#2, the older machine-made versions from years ago, only them being called Tier 2 - not the vitola as a whole, based on production methods of years before.

News to me.

Doesn't really matter nonetheless, IMO - as long as you know what to look for (ie - long/short filler, totalmente a mano, etc.), it's all good!

Since 2005, all "Habanos" are hand-made.

The clunky old hand-powered cigar rolling machines,

mostly dating back to pre-revolutionary times, have been retired.

No doubt their upkeep was becoming uneconomical,

compared to the cost of labour in Cuba.

Even today, those cigars that Jacksfull calls Tier 2A,

though they are now hand-made and long filler,

are sold considerably cheaper than comparably sized "first tier" smokes.

Compare, e.g. the Romeo #2 with the Bolivar Tubo #2.

This holds true even within a marca, like R&J Millefleurs vs R&J Petit Coronas.

My theory, FWIW, is that the tobaccos that were formerly used in the machine-made versions

are, more or less, still being used in the newer hand-made models,

and that these blends are considered by Tabacuba to be of secondary quality,

though still worthy of their marcas and the reputation of Habanos.

They also sell very well, as they fill an important market niche.

In Bordeaux wines, the top classified growths are marvelous (for those who can afford them),

but many great bottles can be found from the lesser-rated vineyards,

especially in the better vintages, and at very reasonable prices.

This "Cheap and Cheerful" forum is dedicated to examining these lower-end Habanos,

so that those of us who have some experience with these cigars

can share it with the general membership.

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  • 7 months later...
  • 11 months later...

Good info

Can we sticky this at the top?

Or this that Ron posted:

"This "Cheap and Cheerful" forum is dedicated to examining these lower-end Habanos,

so that those of us who have some experience with these cigars

can share it with the general membership. "

Seems like some of the people that are posting in here, are having a hard time figuring this out.

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  • 5 years later...

‌Thanks a lot MontrealRon for such deep research!

Recently I discovered that everywhere in Moscow cigarillos without a protective warranty sticker began to appear. Now the seal picture printed on the pack. My wife and I took a long time to review the packages themselves and thought it was a fake. Thanks to you, Ron cleared up this.

About the cigarillos themselves, I can say the following. New ICT versions lack that those notes of taste that are present in older versions with a sticker. I think they uses different tobacco, maybe Vuelta Abajo in old ones & Vuelta Arriba in new... maybe. If in the old one you can feel the taste and aroma inherent in the brand (spices, nuts, dried fruits, etc.), then in new it is not. They are all earthy and with sourness, sometimes there is soap. Unfortunately there is no chance to feel nice pallete in ICT's.

If you like this format (minis, clubs puritos), then I strongly recommend that you look for the packs with the sticker and ignore the new ones with the printed seal and the inscription bajo licensia ... Btw quality of ICT packs is worse compare with original.

Soon i wanna compare both versions of 4 marcas (Partagas, Montecristo, Cohiba, RJ) one by one.

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  • 6 months later...

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