A representative of a distributor told a public cigar event that he doubted Cuban cigars are made entirely from Cuban tobacco. Habanos rejects the claim and states that all its cigars are made exclusively from tobacco grown in Cuba.

The representative was attending the event in a professional capacity, promoting a product he represents. The event was open to the public, with tickets available to anyone who wished to attend. Cigar Inspector reports these statements as statements that were made and does not present them as fact.

According to those present, the representative raised the question of the origin of the tobacco in Cuban cigars unprompted. He said he was highly confident that Cuban cigars available in the UK would not, if tested, prove to be made entirely from Cuban tobacco, and that senior figures within the industry had told him tobacco grown outside Cuba enters Cuban production.

He proposed that the question be settled through independent laboratory analysis and offered to arrange testing. The terms he set out included refunding the cost of any cigars supplied for testing if they were shown to be made entirely from Cuban tobacco. Others present took part in the conversation.

The distributor was approached for comment and did not respond.

The claim is not new. For years it has circulated quietly within the trade, raised in private by brands and by significant figures in the industry. What has changed, and what makes it worth addressing now, is that significant companies within the industry are making the claim in public rather than behind closed doors. A view that was once confined to private conversation is now being stated openly, by people speaking in a professional capacity, and a claim made in the open is one that calls to be confronted rather than left to circulate unanswered.

Appellation of Origin

A denomination or appellation of origin is a legal protection that ties a product to the place it comes from. The best known examples are Champagne, which can only be called Champagne if it comes from the Champagne region of France, and Scotch whisky, which must be made in Scotland. The protection does two things. It guarantees that a product genuinely comes from where it says it does, and it sets the standards that product must be made to. If something does not meet those conditions, it is not allowed to carry the name.

Cuban cigars have this protection. Since 1994 the Habano has held a Protected Appellation of Origin, and the word Habano is reserved in law for cigars that meet its conditions. To carry the designation, a cigar must be made in Cuba, by hand, using tobacco grown in specifically authorised regions of the country, the most famous being the Vuelta Abajo in Pinar del Río. It also has to be produced to defined agricultural and manufacturing standards. The system is overseen by a regulatory council, and the protection covers all of the Habanos brands.

In other words, the claim of Cuban origin is not simply a marketing line. It is a designation with a legal framework behind it, the same kind of framework that protects Champagne and Scotch, intended to certify both where the tobacco is grown and how the cigar is made.

Response from Habanos

Habanos was approached for comment. The following statement was provided on its behalf by W Communications (the London public relations agency that handles communications for Habanos):

I am responding about your below query on behalf of Habanos as their communications agency, we would like to clarify that all Habanos are made exclusively with tobacco grown in Cuba.

As is widely recognized, the Habano is the only tobacco product in the world protected by a Protected Appellation Origin (P.A.O). This protection certifies not only the Cuban origin of the tobacco used, but also that said tobacco comes exclusively from the regions specifically authorized under this designation, and that its production is carried out in accordance with strict standards and controls established to preserve its authenticity and excellence.

Final Thoughts

What makes this argument unusual is that it has an answer. The tobacco in a cigar is a matter of fact, not a matter of taste or reputation, which is what the trade usually argues over. Habanos has set out its position plainly and pointed to the protection that stands behind it.

What is telling is that, for all the times the claim is made, no one seems willing to go on record or to produce evidence to support it. It is said in conversation and then withdrawn from the moment it is put to scrutiny. A claim that its own proponents will not stand behind in public, or back with anything more than assertion, says a good deal about how much it’s really worth.