Cohiba: the 55th anniversary
55 years of history and special productions.
As the world's most prestigious Cuban cigar brand celebrates its 55th anniversary this year, we invite you to delve into Cohiba's past through four humidors that have deeply marked the brand's history.
Throughout its history, Habanos has always added special productions to its portfolio. Produced in more or less large series, humidors are often at the heart of these special productions. The four we are presenting today are among the rarest and most coveted in the history of Cuban cigars.
The first one we will discuss today is the Cohiba Guayasamin Humidor released in 1996 as part of Cohiba's 30th anniversary commemoration held in 1997 in Havana.
The Cohiba Guayasamin Humidor was, as its name suggests, made by the Ecuadorian artist Oswaldo Guayasamin, one of the great masters of Ecuadorian art, designated as an expressionist painter of social realism. Made entirely of cedar, the top of the humidor features a bas-relief, gilded with fine gold, representing a naked woman. Each of the 30 individually numbered humidors comes with a certificate signed by the artist and Fidel Castro. For the record, Humidor No.1 was sold at the 1996 Festival del Habano and signed in public by the Cuban statesman when he announced he was quitting smoking.
Inside each humidor, are 90 cigars: 10 Coronas Especiales (Laguito No.2 - 38 x 152 mm), 10 Espléndidos (Julieta No.2 - 47 x 178 mm), 10 Lanceros (Laguito No.1 - 38 x 192 mm), 10 Robustos (Robustos - 50 x 124 mm), 10 Siglo I (Perlas - 40 x 102 mm), 10 Siglo II (Marevas - 42 x 129 mm), 10 Siglo III (Coronas Grandes - 42 x 155 mm), 10 Siglo IV (Coronas Gordas - 46 x 143 mm) and 10 Siglo V (Dalias 43 x 170 mm), all with the brand's "standard C" non-embossed band, which was introduced in 1993 and discontinued in 2003.
Because of its extremely limited number of pieces, its age and the fact that its creator is now deceased, it is one of the rarest humidors and has a value, beyond the financial aspect, which is almost priceless.
The second humidor we will talk about today is the Cohiba 35 Aniversario Humidor released in 2001 to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the brand. Specially designed for the occasion, it is made entirely of cedar, of a superior quality to coincide with the quality level of the cigars it contains. On the top of the humidor is the famous black and white Cohiba checkerboard, which has become one of the brand's signatures.
Each of the 500 humidors made has been individually numbered and distributed exclusively through the Habanos franchise network: La Casa del Habano.
Inside, there are 135 cigars: 20 Espléndidos (Julieta No.2 - 47 x 178 mm), 20 Gran Coronas (Gran Corona - 47 x 235 mm), 35 Lanceros (Laguito No.1 - 38 x 192 mm), 20 Pirámides (Pirámides - 52 x 156 mm), 20 Robustos (Robustos - 50 x 124 mm) and 20 Siglo V (Dalias - 43 x 170 mm), all dressed with a special "Cohiba 35 Aniversario" band.
The third humidor we present is the Cohiba Behike 40 Aniversario Humidor, released in 2006, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the brand.
Made by the famous French cabinetmaker Elie Bleu and produced in only 100 copies, this humidor contains what was at the time the most expensive and exclusive Habano in the history of Cuban cigars.
Inside, there are 40 cigars: 40 Behike (Behike - 52 x 192 mm), which finally constitute the first Behike in Cohiba's history. The total production, 4'000 cigars, was hand-rolled by a single Torcedora, Norma Fernández, the most experienced of the El Laguito factory and former personal roller of Fidel Castro. The vitola itself is a combination of two cigars that have undoubtedly contributed most to Cohiba's fame, namely the Lanceros (Laguito No.1 - 38 x 192 mm) and the Siglo VI (Cañonazo - 52 x 150 mm). Indeed, the Behike in question borrows the length of the former, 192 mm, and the cepo of the latter, 52.
In order to reinforce the exclusive character of these cigars, a second band, individually numbered by hand, was affixed to each of the 4,000 cigars in addition to the brand's "standard D" band, introduced in 2003 and still in use today. Each humidor contains 40 Behike cigars with consecutive numbers. These numbers are also indicated, along with the number of the humidor and the name of its owner, on the accompanying plate affixed to the inside of the humidor.
As far as the humidor itself is concerned, the craftsmen from Elie Bleu have created a totally unique work of art due to its design and the materials used, which are among the most luxurious in the history of decoration: shagreen, a cartilaginous fish leather, ebony, mother-of-pearl, sycamore, cedar and ox bone.
Finally, the last humidor we are presenting today is the Cohiba 50 Aniversario Humidor, released in 2016 as part of the brand's 50th anniversary.
Just like the previous one, it was made by Elie Bleu but in an even more limited edition as only 50 pieces were produced.
Inside are 50 Cohiba 50 Aniversario (Grandiosos - 60 x 178 mm), individually wrapped in cellophane. The Grandiosos is the module with the largest cepo ever rolled in Cuba: 60!
The total production is even more limited than for the 40 Aniversario Humidor, as only 2,500 cigars were rolled, in the El Laguito factory of course. Each one of them is dressed with a double personalized band. The first, in black and gold, bears the 50th anniversary seal and the emblematic checkerboard. Each of these bands is also individually numbered. The second band, in gold, is a reinterpretation of the brand's first colonial-inspired "Standard A" band, introduced in 1969 and discontinued in the 1970s.
A work of art or a collector's item, the humidor is made from a variety of precious woods, such as Makassar ebony, sycamore and Guarea Cedrata. The innovative exterior marquetry that adorns its doors is the result of a long process of experimentation, during which leaves from the Vuelta Abajo were covered with 24-carat gold leaf.
In addition to showcasing and protecting the precious Cohiba Grandiosos, the humidor has been designed to accommodate a range of accessories, specially made for the occasion. These include a travel humidor, a handmade leather cigar case and an ashtray made with the same marquetry technique used on the exterior and finished in Armenian obsidian. Finally, an electronic device allows you to control the temperature and humidity conditions in the humidor directly on your smartphone or tablet, thanks to an app that will be connected to the humidor.
Each of the 50 humidors is numbered and personalised with the name of the owner, who will be given a certificate of ownership and authenticity issued by Habanos S.A.
If you wish to acquire a part of Cohiba's history, we propose you the frame that retraces these 55 years of history through the different bands that have been affixed on the brand's cigars throughout its history.
COHIBA Guayasamin Humidor (30 numbered pieces) - 90 cigars
COHIBA 35 Aniversario Humidor (500 numbered pieces) - 135 cigars
COHIBA Behike 40 Aniversario Humidor (100 numbered pieces) - 40 cigars
COHIBA Cohiba 50 Aniversario Humidor (50 numbered pieces) - 50 cigars
COHIBA Cohiba's history through its bands Frame
For more information about these exceptional pieces, contact us on +41 22 552 2799