Tobacco Plantation/ Farm Tours

[houdini]

Can anyone recommend a day trip while in Havana? Would love to see the process from farm to roller. Thanks!

[Puros Y Vino]

I don't have contacts for this but I'm sure others here will.  You can visit both Robaina's Finca and Hector Prietos' in 1 day. I did that back in 2013.  They are a few hours drive out from Havana but well worth the trip.  Hector's farm is very idyllic and serene.  He also has rooms via AirBnB now for overnight stays.  https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/13323391?guests=1&adults=1  The tour at Robainas was cool but they ran out of farmies, so we could only get the 1 complimentary smoke they had set aside for us.    Also, it was between harvests so we only saw a field with some freshly planted seedlings and a few racks of tobacco in the drying/curing barn. Our guide was awesome though and we lucked out as a Tabacuba scientist was on site surveying things and answered a few of our questions.

Depending on what time of year you go, you'll get a good feel for the process and be able to buy some fresh farmies too.  

[houdini]

3 minutes ago, bundwallah said:

I don't have contacts for this but I'm sure others here will.  You can visit both Robaina's Finca and Hector Prietos' in 1 day. I did that back in 2013.  They are a few hours drive out from Havana but well worth the trip.  Hector's farm is very idyllic and serene.  He also has rooms via AirBnB now for overnight stays.  https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/13323391?guests=1&adults=1  The tour at Robainas was cool but they ran out of farmies, so we could only get the 1 complimentary smoke they had set aside for us.    Also, it was between harvests so we only saw a field with some freshly planted seedlings and a few racks of tobacco in the drying/curing barn. Our guide was awesome though and we lucked out as a Tabacuba scientist was on site surveying things and answered a few of our questions.

Depending on what time of year you go, you'll get a good feel for the process and be able to buy some fresh farmies too.  

Sweet. Ill google or try through AirBnB maybe. Thanks. Any others members have toured or visited?

[bmf30180]

Just know a 'day trip' makes for a very long day.  It took us 3-3.5 hours each way (Viñales).

Try reaching out to Jorge.  I know he makes that trip a good bit and has some recommendations for places to stay if considering an overnight trip.  I had already arranged something when I was there ,otherwise I certainly would have preferred to go with him. 

[DSegal]

Keep in mInd that Vinales is the casa particulares capital of Cuba--there are unlimited rooms and places to stay. And it's a small town so location isn't critical. Once in Vinales, a short walk from town (10 minutes) takes you right into the active tobacco farm fields and you are literally surrounded by tobacco farms. Everyone there will make it very easy for you to see the fields, the drying barns, the processes, etc. From what I could tell in Vinales, there is one LCDH shop, and it seems kind of overlooked and not well stocked. I found a 50 cab of PL Petit Coronas in there for $203 and bought it, but they have all been plugged at the head. So I have been cutting off about an inch and they burn almost normally that way, but it was disappointing. Farm rolls--all the tobacco farmers want to sell you theirs, so unless there is some kind of shortage at the moment you're there, you'll have plenty of opportunity to buy some. I agree with other comments that Vinales can be a day trip but really shouldn't be. We spent 3 days there and still didn't get out to the coast or into the surrounding mountains too much, but we did get into the Valley and took a long hike and if you do this--or by horseback--you pass through endless tobacco fields and barns, in a surreal landscape.