Smoke Inn Blog
Part II – Legacy Cigar Brands
In part I of this series, we mentioned the importance of tradition in the cigar making industry. This is one of the threads that is woven throughout the culture. We should never mistake that for the cigar world eschewing innovation and creativity. There’s plenty of that. What it does mean is that there is a respect for tradition among cigarmakers and cigar smokers alike. Especially in a world where things often seem to be changing so quickly, there is comfort to be found in tradition. In Old World craftsmanship (even those cigars were born in the New World).
Doing certain things the way they have always been done because the old ways are best. That is an idea that just about any cigar aficionado knows and embraces. It’s also one reason why fine cigars are still make by hand to this day.With the idea of tradition comes standard bearers. These are the storied institutions which form the foundation of any long-standing industry and set the high-water marks. In the cigar world, we refer to them as the legacy cigar brands. In part I, we looked at:
- Montecristo Cigars
- Romeo Y Julieta Cigars
- Macanudo Cigars
For part II, we’re going to look at Cohiba, Punch and H. Upmann Cigars. For each, we’ll give you a brief overview of the brand and its background and then a review of a featured cigar from that brand that we think is a great starting point for anyone who wants to explore it. Like we said before, you don’t want to “sleep” on the legacy brands. We think far too many cigar smokers are either new to the game and pay attention only to younger, flashier brands, or are set in their ways and stick to their regulars from legacy brands, but rarely stray outside of them to sample their other offerings. At Smoke Inn, we’re always looking to encourage people to explore the world of cigars, because no matter how long you’ve been here, there’s always uncharted territory. With that, let’s roll!
Cohiba Cigars
Cohiba Cigars are one of the most well-known brands in the cigar universe. Cohiba is another one of those cigar brands that has a sort of dual identity forced by the realities of the Cuban revolution. A common theme among legacy cigar brands that began in Cuba prior to that time period or in the midst of it. Cohiba’s story is a bit different from most others, however. The Cuban Cohiba brand was officially launched in 1968 by Cubatabaco, the Cuban state tobacco marketing bureau. Rather than being an existing brand co-opted by the communist regime, you could say it was actually forged in the crucible of the new revolutionary republic. The head of Cubatobaco instructed Avelino Lara of El Laguito to develop a new super-premium blend which would stand out from all other Cuban cigars at the time. This was to be a cigar for Cuba’s elites.
Just a few thousand boxes were made each year and high-ranking government officials, celebrities and diplomats were they only people who got to enjoy them at first. The Cohiba brand outside of Cuba that most Americans know was launched in sync with the 1982 World Cup soccer (fútbol) event held in Spain. It began modestly with three vitolas: the Panetela, the Corona Especial, and the Lancero. The lineup grew to include three more cigars in 1989: the Robusto, the Exquisito, and the Espléndido. These six are now what we know as Cohiba Cigars Línea Clásica. The Cohiba Cigars from the D.R. and elsewhere are what most of us know best, but fluctuations in the rules on Cuban imports have intermittently led to some Cuba-sourced Cohiba cigars making it through legally here and there. Time will tell what happens there. In the meantime, Cohiba’s international brand has lots of tasty selections to choose from, so you’ll want to give it your attention for sure.
Cohiba Blue
The Cohiba Blue isn’t the fanciest stick the brand has ever made, but we like its entry-level price point for someone who is perhaps new to cigars or just wants to dip a toe in the water and see what Cohiba cigars are about. Hand made in the Dominican Republic, this Cohiba is made with a refined blend of Honduran Jamastran, Nicaraguan Ometepe and Dominican Piloto Cubano filler tobaccos. A Habano binder holds it all together and it’s cloaked in a lovely, well-fermented, silky Honduran wrapper. The flavors are particularly sophisticated for a less costly cigar which makes it a fine bargain among premium cigars. It’s a medium-bodied cigar with enough strength to announce its presence, but not so much as to knock you off your feet if you aren’t the strong cigar type. The flavors are medley of leather, earth, sweet cream, cocoa, and brown sugar. It’s available in Robusto, Toro and Churchill forms.
Punch Cigars
Punch is yet another legacy cigar brand with a bit of a split personality. The Punch brand was first registered in 1840 in Germany and it’s actually named after the 16th century puppet show character from “Punch and Judy” oddly enough. If you’ve ever been to a country fair or a renaissance festival and seen an old-timey puppet show where one puppet is smacking the other with a big stick, then you have likely seen a “Punch and Judy” show. The brand reestablished itself in Cuba in 1930 after The Great Depression under the leadership of Ramon Fernandez and Fernando Palicio, who effectively saved it from bankruptcy. Like so many of the legacy cigar brands, Punch was nationalized by the Cuban government following the revolution and the brand, in effect, split into “Cuban” and non-Cuban varieties which operate as separate entities. The Punch most familiar to most of us hails from Honduras and is under the General Cigar banner.
Punch Gran Puro Nicaragua
We think the Gran Puro Nicaragua is as good a representative of the brand as any. In fact, from what we’ve seen, this tasty maduro stick has surpassed its Honduran predecessor in both recognition and popularity. Handmade in Nicaragua, the Punch Gran Puro cigar is a medium to full bodied palate-pleaser consisting of an artisanal recipe of Nicaraguan long filler tobaccos bound by a dark and oily Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. A medium to full bodied Puro delivers a perfectly balanced punch (see what we did there?) of pepper, leather, cocoa, and baking spice. It’s sure to put a smile on the face of any maduro fan. Superior construction, a crisp slow burn, and an especially accessible price point at Smoke Inn makes it pretty much an instabuy in our book (go ahead and add some to your cart now, you know you want to). The Punch Gran Puro Nicaragua is available in Robusto, Rancho, Toro and Double Corona form, so there’s bound to be a good fit for you in the lineup.
H. Upmann Cigars
One more legacy brand of Cuban origin which became two as a result of Cuba’s 1959 communist revolution. Originally founded in 1844 by Hermann Dietrich Upmann, a German banker who established one of Cuba’s first major banks, H. Upmann is among the oldest continuously operating cigar brands in the world. If that doesn’t give them legacy cigar brand status, we don’t know what would. Hermann Upmann made a name for himself early on in the industry by always standing for quality and pushing for high standards. Upmann even became a director of the Havana Cigar Brand Association, an organization that works to confront the production and sale of counterfeit cigars. Despite the authoring the Cuba embargo himself, the Cuba-made H. Upmann Demi Tasse was known to be John F. Kennedy’s favorite cigar. It’s said that the night before he signed the embargo, he had his aid Pierre Salinger scour every cigar shop in Washington D.C. to stockpile 1,200 of the soon-to-be-banned Cuban treats.
H. Upmann Herman’s Batch
What better way to appreciate this celebrated brand than the elegant H. Uppman Herman’s Batch cigars, named after the company’s founding father, right? The Herman’s Batch cigars begin with a special, double-fermented and four-year-aged Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. This leaf surrounds a Dominican binder and fillers of the Dominican Republic and the Condega and Estelí regions of Nicaragua. The cigar is medium-bodied and brings out smooth flavors of nougat, aromatic florals, baking spices, and brown sugar sweetness. Available in Corona Gorda, Robusto and Toro.
Much Ado About Legacy Cigars
With this installment, there’s three more legacy cigar brands for you to consider, and a few savory bits of cigar trivia for you to show off an your next impromptu herf or dinner party. There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to this segment of the market though, so don’t be surprised if you see a third installment to this series before too long. Maybe even a fourth. We’ll see. Let us know on Smoke Inn Social what your favorite legacy cigar brands are and which you think are their choicest smokes. We’d love to hear your take on the subject.
Smoke Inn is Your Cigar Place
Your local cigar place is more than just a spot to grab some cigars and go. If they’re doing it right, and we believe we are, then there is a sense of atmosphere there. Your cigar place should have a vibe that makes you happy to be there and want to spend some time. We always enjoy any opportunity to introduce our friends to some new cigars and things they may have overlooked. There is just so much out there that the exploration never really ends. That, along with the comeraderie and the people you meet, is probably our favorite thing about cigar culture. It just never gets boring or “old hat”. Cigar smokers are people who live life with gusto and enthusiasm so naturally our culture reflects that and so does the cigarmaking industry itself. You haven’t heard the last of the legacy brand conversation either, that’s for certain. Speaking of cigars and enthusiasm, if you want copious amounts of both, there’s no better place to find that our annual The Great Smoke event! Consider this your reminder that tickets for 2023’s The Great Smoke go on sale November 1st so set a reminder right now if you haven’t already. Smoke Inn has some cool stuff to come as we close out 2022, so stay tuned we’ll see you at the shop.
As always, if you’re local or happen to be visiting South Florida, be sure to reward yourself with a visit to one of the country’s best cigar shops in person. We’d love to see you.
Our South Florida Locations:
- Smoke Inn Palm Beach Gardens
- Smoke Inn West Palm Beach
- Smoke Inn Delray Beach
- Smoke Inn Boynton Beach
- Smoke Inn Pompano Beach
- Smoke Inn Tequesta
- Smoke Inn Port St. Lucie
- Smoke Inn Vero Beach
