Few questions come up in the shop as often as this one: should I be smoking Cuban cigars or New World ones? The honest answer is that both produce outstanding cigars, and most seasoned smokers keep some of each. Knowing what sets them apart, from where the tobacco grows to who makes the cigars and how they reach Britain, makes it much easier to choose the right one for the moment.
What "Habano" actually means
A Habano is a premium cigar made in Cuba from Cuban tobacco. All Cuban cigar brands, including Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Partagás and H. Upmann, are marketed worldwide by Habanos S.A., and the name "Habano" is protected as a Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP), a protected designation of origin in the same spirit as Champagne or Scotch whisky. Habanos S.A. describes its cigars as made "Totalmente a Mano": totally by hand.
Where the leaf grows is central to the idea. Habanos S.A. calls the Vuelta Abajo, in the province of Pinar del Río, "the finest cigar tobacco-growing land in the world". It's the only Cuban zone that grows all three types of leaf (wrapper, binder and filler), and according to Habanos, all the filler and binder for its long-filler cigars comes from there. Other protected zones have more specialised roles. Partido, near Havana, is known for wrapper leaf, and Remedios, Cuba's oldest tobacco region, supplies leaf for the José L. Piedra brand.
Each Cuban brand also has its own house style. Habanos grades Hoyo de Monterrey as light and delicate, Romeo y Julieta as "the classic medium-flavored Habano", H. Upmann as light to medium, Montecristo as medium to full and Partagás as full-bodied, with an "intense flavour". Cohiba stands apart for an extra fermentation that Habanos says is given to two of the three leaf types in its blends.
How Cuban cigars reach the UK
Hunters & Frankau, founded in 1790, was appointed by Habanos S.A. in 1990 as the exclusive UK distributor for all Havana brands. Cuban cigars for the UK domestic market carry an EMS stamp on every box and pack, which Hunters & Frankau says identifies them as officially imported. H&F is a trade-only business with no shops of its own, so it supplies specialist tobacconists like us. Every Cuban cigar we sell comes through this official route, which matters because counterfeit "Cubans" are a well-known problem.
The New World: Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and beyond
"New World" is the shorthand for premium cigars made outside Cuba, principally in Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Mexico. In the UK, many of the leading makers are represented by Tor Imports, which has imported New World cigars since 1992 and whose portfolio includes Padrón, Oliva, My Father, Drew Estate, Joya de Nicaragua, AJ Fernandez and La Flor Dominicana, among others.
Nicaragua in particular has become a powerhouse. Cigar Aficionado explains that the country has three main growing regions: Estelí, prized for its strength; Condega, more medium-bodied; and Jalapa, whose leaf is subtler and valued for wrapper. In the Dominican Republic, much of the premium cigar tobacco is grown in the Cibao Valley.
New World makers are free to blend leaf from several countries, which is one reason the category is so varied. Drew Estate's Undercrown Shade, for instance, combines an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, a Sumatran binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. Oliva's Serie G pairs an African Cameroon wrapper with Nicaraguan fillers, while its Serie V Melanio is built on ligero filler from Jalapa.
Flavour: what to expect
Generalisations only go so far, because blend, size and age matter more than passport. Still, some broad patterns help. Cuban cigars share a recognisable Cuban character, with each brand's house style layered on top. The New World offers a wider spread of strengths and wrapper styles, from pale Connecticut-shade leaf to dark maduro wrappers. Nicaraguan cigars in particular have a reputation for fullness, thanks partly to Estelí-grown leaf. If you like one style, the best way to learn the other is to smoke a Cuban and a New World cigar of a similar size side by side.
The great New World makers
- Padrón. José Orlando Padrón left Cuba in 1961 and founded the company in Miami in September 1964, funded, the family recounts, by $600 earned from carpentry. He found in Nicaragua's Estelí a microclimate and soil "similar to those of Pinar del Río", and the family business still makes its cigars there.
- Oliva. The Oliva family first grew tobacco in Pinar del Río in 1886. After leaving Cuba, Gilberto Oliva eventually settled in Nicaragua. With his son he founded Oliva Cigar Co. in 1995, and today the family grows Cuban-seed tobacco in the Jalapa Valley and Estelí. Cigar Aficionado named the Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado its Cigar of the Year for 2014.
- My Father. José "Pepín" García, born in Cuba in 1950, rolled his first cigar at eleven. With his children Jaime and Janny he opened a small factory in Miami in 2003, then in 2009 moved to a factory and farm in Estelí, named after the My Father blend Jaime created in 2008.
- Drew Estate. Founded in 1995 by Jonathan Drew and Marvin Samel as a tiny cigar kiosk in the World Trade Center, Drew Estate moved production to Estelí in 1998. Its brands include Liga Privada, Undercrown and Kentucky Fire Cured.
How to choose
Think about the occasion and the time you have, then about strength. For a classic, elegant smoke with a distinctly Cuban character, a medium Habano such as a Romeo y Julieta or H. Upmann is a fine place to start. Montecristo or Partagás suit those who want more intensity. If you enjoy exploring different wrappers and fuller, richer blends, the New World opens up a huge range, and samplers from Oliva, My Father or Padrón are an efficient way to taste across a maker's line. Most of all, keep notes. The cigars you return to will tell you more than any label.
Shop the guide
For Cuban cigars, explore Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Partagás and H. Upmann. From the New World, browse Padrón, Oliva, My Father and Drew Estate. To compare the two side by side, pick a few single cigars, or see everything on our cigars page. You're always welcome to try the comparison with us in person at 57 Market Place, Long Eaton.