Hija de Cabañas y Carbajal y Cía

The vicissitudes of the brand’s lifestory, which, alas, disappeared.

The Cabañas brand was created by Don Francisco Cabañas in 1810. It is one of the oldest registered cigar brands in Cuba. Actually, Zino Davidoff, in his book "The book of the cigar connoisseur" (1967) states that it is even the second brand to have been registered, the first being Bernardino Rencurrel.

38 years after its official creation date, Cabañas was renamed "Hija de Cabañas y Carbajal y Cía", representing thus the association of the Cabañas and González Carbaja families. According to the Cuban Trade Register of 1873, the brand would then have changed hands for the first time. It was registered as a factory producing cigars and cigarettes.

Next, at the beginning of the 19th century, Hija de Cabañas y Carbajal y Cía was bought by the American Tobacco Company, a company owned by British and American funds. The purpose of this acquisition was to have a cigar and cigarette factory in Cuba to supply the respective markets. The factory changed its name several times but always remained under the control of the American investment fund until 1940, when it appeared in the register of exporting manufacturers under the ownership of Tabacalera Cubana S.A.

At the time of the Cuban Revolution, "Cabañas" was one of the hundred or so cigar and cigarette brands produced at La Corona Factory, owned and distributed by Tabacalera Cubana S.A.

As a result of the embargo in 1962, the factory was abandoned. As were many of Tabacalera Cubana S.A.'s cigar brands that were primarily aimed at the American market.

Cabañas was reintroduced in 1989 as a producer of inexpensive, machine-made cigars alongside the Belinda and La Corona brands. The catalogue offered five different vitolas made with tobacco leaves from the Vuelta Abajo. Finally, in 2005, the brand was removed from the Habanos portfolio.

To learn more about Cabañas Cigars and its history, we are delighted to invite you to our Art and Culture area, where you will find exclusive pieces - the bofetón as well as “ready-to-print” documents of the brand’s creation. You will also discover the printing plates, vistas and collector’s presentation cabinets.

(Piece from our private collection)

For more information, contact us on +41 22 552 2799