History of Havana Cigars, Vignette No.1


Ginseng

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Vignette No.1, "Quality Suffers"

Hi everyone,

I'm starting a new series of articles that I think will be unique in the world of online cigar forums and resources. I'll be presenting stories, accounts and newspaper articles from the early days of tobacco and cigar production on Cuba. We're talking pre-pre-pre-Embargo with some references going back as far as the middle of the 18th century. While some of the issues we think about in relation to Havana today seem mysterious (product quality, marketing, pricing, authenticity, production, rolling, etc.) they have actually been around for well over a hundred years.

One of my objectives is to provide some deep, historical perspective on an aspect of our hobby that most contemporary devotees associate only with Cohibas and OFAC. There is, in fact, a tremendous amount of fascinating background to the Havana cigar.

So hang with me as I give this concept a spin!

In this first article, we see that concern about the basic quality of the leaf is something that is as old as tobacco farming itself. Here, the issue is in regard to land and soil maintenance and is analogous to the situation in the wine grape growing regions of Bordeaux, France. That is, how can the soil provide nutrients to monoculture crops consistently and over time scales of centuries. Can soil run out of the key nutrients that contribute to a characteristic product? Can these products be put back in by artificial means such as chemical fertilizers?

"Deterioration of Havana Tobacco" - Bismarck Daily Tribune, Bismarck, North Dakota, Friday, September 25, 1885

Smokers who can appreciate the Cabanas Excepcionales or Partaga Conchas, will read with melancholy interest the story that a British consul general has to tell in his trade report on Cuba. According to him, "the intelligent smokers with sensitive palates" can find no cheap cigars in the "Spanish Ireland." and but very few, indeed, of what one buys in Europe or elsewhere for "real Havanas" have any claim to connection with Cuba. In fact, if one hopes to find an enjoyable cigar, even in Havana, he must be prepared to pay at least $12.50 per 100.

Good Havana tobacco, it appears, is getting scarcer every year. Not more than 10 per cent of the tobacco crop of Cuba can be rated as "first class" in quality, and, sad to relate, there has been no really fine-flavored, aromatic leaf harvested since 1881. The principal reason for all this, we are told, is that the soil is getting worn out and the plantations are suffering from the collapse that has followed an excessive dose of guano and other stimulants administered by the growers in order to meet the demands for a "permanently good article."

Did you guys notice that the article mentioned two recognizable cigar brands? Cabañas is an old, old brand that is no longer in production on the island but carries on as a non-Cuban brand today. "Partaga" sure looks like the Partagás that we see today. But is it the same brand? I suspect so.

Here are some excerpts from An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars by Min Ron Nee.

Cabañas (Hija de Cabañas y Carbajal y Cía)

Pre-Revolution History

The brand Cabañas was registered by Don Fransicso Cabañas in 1810. The brand was one of the oldest registered in Cuba. According to legend, the brand was already in existence in the 1790's.

In 1848, the Cabañas and the González Carvajal families united to re-register the brand as Hija de Cabañas y Carvajal y Cía (Daughter of Cabañas and Carvajal and Company). Around the turn of the 19th century, "Hija de Cabañas y Carvajal y Cía" was acquired by the "American Tobacco Company", founded by British and American funds for the purpose of buying cigar and cigarette factories in Cuba.

This brand was discontinued in the early 1960's, the year was most likely 1962, quite possibly because of the Embargo in 1962. In 1989, Cabañas was re-introduced as inexpensive machine-made cigars along with Belinda and La Corona.

Partagás (Flor de Tabacos de Partagás)

Pre-Revolution History

Don Jaime Partagás Ravelo was a Spaniard who came to Cuba and worked in the tobacco business in the early 19th century. "The Partagás factory is said to have already been existing in 1827 as a 'chinchalito' with his name."

In the year 1845, he built a large factory named Real Fábrica de Tabaco Partagás (Partagás Royal Tobacco Factory) located at 60 Industria Street, Havana. This is the famous Partagás factory we all know today. It is the oldest cigar factory still in operation in Cuba.

Part of his success is attributed to the fact that he owned many of the finest plantations in the Vuelta Abajo, and personally selected only the best tobacco to be used. He is also accredited to be the first manufacturer to experiment with various methods of fermentation and aging of tabacco, instead of relying on methods based upon tradition.

At the time of the Revolution, the Partagás Factory was the second largest exporting manufacturer of Havanas, accounting for 25.8% of the share of the total export in 1958, after the H. Upmann Factory (30.1%).

Wilkey

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Ginseng, great stuff - thanks for posting ! :clap:

I guess it goes to show how cyclical life can be. I've found myself getting nostalgic as well, when

confronted with certain aspects of the "old days". Reality usually makes itself known quite quickly!

Thanks again for your efforts.

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"...The principal reason for all this, we

» are told, is that the soil is getting worn out and the plantations are

» suffering from the collapse that has followed an excessive dose of guano

» and other stimulants administered by the growers in order to meet the

» demands for a "permanently good article...."

:hungry:

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  • 1 year later...

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