The key figure in the creation of Cohiba little cigars

Eduardo Rivera Irizarri is a key figure in the creation of the finest Cohiba little cigars.

At one time, Ribera worked at the La Corona factory (located in the center of Havana). He usually took some tobacco from the factory home and twisted a few cigars every day for himself and his loved ones according to his own recipe, it was these cigars that were the progenitors of the future Cohiba little cigars. Once he offered his cigar to a friend who worked as a bodyguard who really liked the taste of these cigars.

El Laguito, the factory that started making Cohiba little cigars, is located in the suburbs of Havana. It was founded in 1961 as a school for the training of women in the profession of a cigar twist. Before that there were very few women among the torsedors, tk. Many factory owners believed that their hands were not strong enough to roll a cigar optimally, and they also believed that workers would not be able to concentrate in the presence of women. Initially, the factory employed 20 torsedors (torsedor – cigar twist) and the annual production volume was 650 thousand cigars per year.

For the production of Cohiba little cigars, the best tobacco is purchased, it can cost three times more per ton than regular tobacco. It takes about three years to produce a cigar and bring it to the end consumer. The tobacco for these cigars, as well as for a number of other premium Cuban cigars, is grown in the heart of the Vuelta Abajo, about a hundred miles south of Havana (on the plantations of El Corojo and Hoyo De Monterrey).

Three types of Cohiba little cigars have always been produced in the El Laguito factory – Lanceros, Corona Especiales and Panetela, later added to their number by the exquisite Exquisito (12.7 x 1.43 cm). El Laguito also produces a limited number of Montecristo Especial and Montecristo Especial # 2 cigars (they are the same format as Cohiba Lanceros and Corona Especiales) and the legendary Trinidad cigars. The latter are the most coveted (highly sought after by admirers) cigars from Havana.