Cohiba
A Cuban premium cigar brand produced for Habanos S.A., with a separate Dominican-made brand sold in the United States by General Cigar Company.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Cohiba is one of the best-known names in the premium cigar industry. The name refers principally to the Cuban brand made for Habanos S.A., the international marketing company associated with Cuba's state tobacco sector, but it is also used by a separate Dominican Republic-produced cigar brand sold in the United States by General Cigar Company. The two product families share a name and historical association with Cuban cigar culture, but they are not the same product and are made by different businesses. The Cuban Cohiba originated in the mid-1960s. According to accounts associated with the brand's history, Fidel Castro encountered a particularly aromatic handmade cigar smoked by one of his bodyguards. The blend was subsequently developed for a tightly controlled production operation serving Castro, senior government and Communist Party officials, and diplomatic purposes. The cigars were initially unbranded or privately supplied and were manufactured at El Laguito, a Havana facility that became closely identified with Cohiba. The brand was formally established under the Cuban tobacco organization Cubatabaco during the 1960s and became a symbol of political status as well as Cuban craftsmanship. Cohiba first became available to the international public in 1982, when the brand was promoted outside the United States in connection with the World Cup in Spain. Its initial commercial range consisted of the Panetela, Corona Especial and Lancero. Three additional sizes—Robusto, Exquisito and Espléndido—were introduced in 1989 and later became known collectively as the Línea Clásica. In 1992, Habanos introduced the Línea 1492 series, whose names reference the centuries associated with Christopher Columbus's voyage; Siglo VI followed in 2002. Later extensions included the Maduro 5 range, the high-end Behike series, machine-made cigarillos and periodic limited editions. The Cuban cigars use selected tobacco from the Vuelta Abajo region of Pinar del Río, an area widely regarded as one of Cuba's principal premium tobacco regions. Cohiba's filler historically received an additional fermentation stage in wooden barrels at El Laguito. This extra processing is presented as a distinguishing feature intended to create a smoother and more developed flavor profile. The brand is generally associated with medium- to full-bodied cigars and with labor-intensive hand production, although some sizes have also been produced at other Cuban factories using prepared blends. Cohiba's international position has been complicated by the United States embargo on Cuban goods and by competing trademark claims. General Cigar Company registered the Cohiba name in the United States in the late 1970s and expanded production of a Dominican Republic-made version during the 1990s cigar boom. That product is often identified informally by the red dot in its band and is the Cohiba cigar legally available through ordinary U.S. commercial channels. It contains no Cuban tobacco and is not the Cuban Habanos product. A lengthy dispute between Cuban tobacco interests and General Cigar over U.S. trademark rights produced decisions in both federal appellate litigation and Supreme Court proceedings, leaving the American market structurally separate from most other markets. Today, Cuban Cohiba remains a flagship Habanos brand, sold internationally through specialist tobacco distributors and retailers where local law permits. Its portfolio spans classic sizes, the Siglo family, Maduro 5, Behike, limited releases and cigarillos. The U.S. version continues to operate as a separate premium cigar business under General Cigar Company. Because embargoes, trademark rights and distribution rules differ by country, the meaning of the Cohiba name depends on the market in which it is sold.
History
Cohiba's Cuban history begins in the middle of the 1960s, when a privately made cigar reportedly attracted Fidel Castro's attention because of its distinctive aroma and flavor. A protected production program was established for Castro and other senior officials. The political environment shaped the brand from the start: the cigars were scarce, manufactured under security controls and frequently used as diplomatic gifts. El Laguito in Havana became the principal production site, and Avelino Lara is associated with the development and supervision of the blend and factory operation. The brand was formally organized under Cubatabaco during the 1960s. For several years, production remained extremely limited and was not directed at ordinary consumers. Cohiba's public international launch took place in 1982, outside the United States, with three sizes. The range broadened in 1989 through the addition of Robusto, Exquisito and Espléndido. These six early sizes became the Línea Clásica and established the format by which the brand is still commonly recognized. Habanos expanded Cohiba in 1992 with the Línea 1492, later known as the Siglo series. Siglo I through Siglo V were introduced first, while Siglo VI was added in 2002. The brand subsequently developed special releases for anniversaries, the annual Habanos Festival and Edición Limitada programs. Maduro 5, introduced in 2007, used darker wrappers and offered three sizes. The Behike series became an especially prestigious extension, while the brand also maintained machine-made Mini and Club cigarillos. Cohiba's name was additionally used on Cuban cigarettes from 1987 and on Extra Cohiba Cognac from 1999. The tobacco profile is central to the Cuban brand's identity. Cohiba leaf has historically been selected from first-class fields in the Vuelta Abajo area of Pinar del Río Province, particularly around San Luis and San Juan y Martínez. The brand has described its filler as receiving a third fermentation in wooden barrels at El Laguito, a process intended to soften and deepen the blend. Production of some vitolas later expanded to the Partagás factory in Havana, using tobacco prepared through the Cohiba system. A second Cohiba developed because of the post-revolutionary fragmentation of the cigar industry, international trademark practice and the U.S. embargo. General Cigar Company registered Cohiba in the United States in 1978 and later produced cigars in the Dominican Republic. Its large-scale U.S. expansion coincided with the cigar boom of the 1990s. The American product became popularly known as Red Dot Cohiba because of its band design. It is independent of the Cuban product and uses no Cuban tobacco. Cubatabaco and related Cuban tobacco interests pursued a prolonged U.S. legal campaign against General Cigar's trademark position. A 2005 Second Circuit ruling and a 2006 Supreme Court refusal to hear a petition preserved General Cigar's U.S. position at that stage. A later Federal Circuit decision in 2014 recognized the Cuban company's ability to pursue cancellation-related proceedings, and the Supreme Court declined further intervention in 2015. The dispute illustrates why Cuban Cohiba is generally unavailable through normal U.S. retail channels, while the Dominican product is the version sold legally there. Cuban Cohiba remains an active Habanos flagship with global distribution subject to national tobacco laws, sanctions and trademark rules. Its reputation rests on scarcity, Cuban provenance, selected Vuelta Abajo tobacco, additional fermentation and a portfolio that combines classic vitolas with newer and limited-production lines.
- 2007
Maduro 5 launches
[1]The brand introduces Genios, Mágicos and Secretos in a darker maduro-wrapped range.
- 2002
Siglo VI joins the portfolio
[1]Habanos adds Siglo VI to the Línea 1492 family.
- 1999
Extra Cohiba Cognac introduced
[1]The Cohiba name is extended to a Cuban cognac product.
- 1992
Línea 1492 begins
[1]The Siglo family begins with the launch of Siglo I through Siglo V.
- 1989
Classic line expanded
[1]Robusto, Exquisito and Espléndido are added to the original three commercial vitolas.
- 1987
Cohiba cigarettes introduced
[1]The Cohiba name is extended in Cuba to a cigarette product.
- 1982
International commercial debut
[1]Cuban Cohiba becomes available to the public outside the United States with Panetela, Corona Especial and Lancero.
- 1978
General Cigar registers Cohiba in the United States
[1]General Cigar Company registers the Cohiba name in the United States, initiating the trademark conflict between the Cuban and American businesses.
- 1968
Cohiba is formally launched as a Cuban brand
[1]Cubatabaco directs the creation and formal launch of a super-premium Cohiba blend associated with El Laguito.
- 1966
Private production begins
[1]A tightly controlled Cuban cigar production program is established for Fidel Castro and senior officials, providing the foundation for Cohiba.
Products and positioning
Ultra-premium Cuban cigar heritage, scarce tobacco selection, elaborate fermentation and hand craftsmanship; in the United States, a separately produced premium Dominican cigar brand occupies the same name space.
Premium handmade cigars · 1982
Línea Clásica
The original public-facing Cohiba family consists of Panetela, Corona Especial, Lancero, Exquisito, Robusto and Espléndido. These vitolas established the brand's traditional identity and cover formats ranging from small, slender cigars to larger robusto and Churchill-style shapes.
Premium handmade cigars · 1992
Línea 1492 / Siglo
The Siglo family includes Siglo I through Siglo VI. The names refer to the centuries associated with Columbus's 1492 voyage, while the sizes progress across petit corona, corona, lonsdale and robusto-extra formats. Siglo VI is one of the most recognized modern Cohiba offerings.
Premium handmade cigars · 2007
Maduro 5
Maduro 5 is a darker-wrapper extension introduced in three sizes: Genios, Mágicos and Secretos. It gives the Cuban portfolio a distinct visual and flavor direction while retaining the Cohiba blend and production positioning.
Ultra-premium handmade cigars
Behike
Behike is Cohiba's luxury-oriented series, including BHK 52, BHK 54 and BHK 56. It is positioned above the regular lines and is associated with rare tobacco selection, limited availability and high-end collector demand.
Machine-made cigarillos
Cohiba cigarillos
Cohiba Mini and Cohiba Club are machine-made cigarillo extensions that provide a shorter-format product alongside the brand's handmade premium cigars.
Premium Dominican cigars · 1997
American Cohiba
General Cigar Company's Cohiba is made in the Dominican Republic for the U.S. market. It is commercially and legally distinct from Cuban Cohiba, contains no Cuban tobacco and is commonly identified by a red dot in its band.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023Cohiba Riviera launch event
United States
General Cigar presented the box-pressed Cohiba Riviera during a Kentucky Derby week event featuring bourbon commentator Tom Fischer and Cohiba brand ambassador and blender Sean Williams.
Outcome. Introduced a new American-market Cohiba format and associated the launch with premium spirits and sporting-event culture.
- 1982World Cup international launch
Spain · International markets outside the United States
Cuban Cohiba was introduced commercially to the international public in connection with the 1982 World Cup in Spain, moving the brand from a restricted political and diplomatic product into the global premium cigar market.
Outcome. Established Cohiba as an internationally recognized Cuban luxury cigar brand.
Brand decisions
2014
Pursue U.S. trademark cancellation rightsOtherBackground
Cubatabaco argued that U.S. embargo rules blocked not only sales but also effective efforts to challenge General Cigar's Cohiba registrations.
Action taken
The Cuban company pursued litigation seeking the ability to challenge registrations that obstructed its own trademark position.
Aftermath
The Federal Circuit allowed the Cuban company's challenge to proceed, although the U.S. market remained separate from Cuban Cohiba distribution.
2007
Introduce the Maduro 5 extensionProduct launchBackground
Cohiba's portfolio required a visually and sensorially differentiated line without abandoning its premium Cuban identity.
Action taken
Habanos launched Genios, Mágicos and Secretos with darker maduro wrappers.
Aftermath
Maduro 5 added a separate dark-wrapper tier to the brand's core portfolio.
1992
Build a numbered portfolio architectureOtherBackground
Habanos sought to broaden Cohiba beyond the original classic sizes while retaining a coherent prestige identity.
Action taken
The company introduced the Línea 1492, later known as the Siglo series.
Aftermath
The Siglo family became a major pillar of the Cuban Cohiba range.
1982
Move from private supply to international retailProduct launchBackground
Cohiba had previously been reserved for officials and diplomatic use.
Action taken
Habanos released three Cohiba vitolas commercially outside the United States.
Aftermath
The move created a public premium brand while preserving a scarcity-based image.
1966
Create a restricted-access government cigarStrategyBackground
A privately made cigar favored by Fidel Castro was selected for controlled production for senior Cuban officials and diplomatic gifting.
Action taken
Production was concentrated at El Laguito and maintained under tight security before any public commercial launch.
Aftermath
Scarcity and political association helped create Cohiba's early prestige and later luxury positioning.
Recent events
General Cigar Co. implements portfolio price increases[3]
Reported:
General Cigar Co. implemented price increases across nearly its entire portfolio. The company had informed retailers, but had not specified the increase amount or how it would be applied across the portfolio.
Sources3 sources
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