The Mystery of Cohiba.....by Punch Joe

[El Presidente]

Some of Punch Joe's finest work.  He sends a huge hello to all his FOH family. 

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Last week a friend ask me this question again. Did Cohiba exist as a brand before the Revolution? If he had asked me that in 2004, I would have say no since history has it that it was created in 1966. 
Little did he know how many times I asked myself the same question. Back then it was pounding headache for months and all started when someone handed me a cigar band in 2005 during a marketing meeting. I used to collect cigar bands mostly that of the ones I smoked since early 2000. This band was peculiar in many ways because it showed the old simple regular die-cut with the bronze background sporting a Taino head facing left and the words COHIBA on top. It did not shock me at all because I thought it was a joke someone was trying to pull on me. Ever since I started working in the cigar industry I learnt and dig whatever fact was stamped in official papers so there was no mention of any other Cohiba than the one we all know and love. Controversial subject to say the least and out of curiosity I asked my friend where he got it. It came from an auction held in Havana which I have never heard of. So interesting. Nobody ever mentioned this band to me. 
Later that year, the English supplement of the Russian Cigar Magazine Cigar Clan released an article about Cohiba which I´d like to partially reproduce to shed more light on the subject. They depicted a photo of said band where the name of the owner and the city where it was manufactured were printed on the band. 

¨In a conversation last year with Emilia Tamayo, director of El Laguito Factory since 1994, I said to her: -Somewhere I came across a cigar band  with the word Cohiba on it that was clearly Cuban and Pre-revolutionary. So the brand must have existed previously.

–No. she said. Quite impossible. At least, I´ve never heard of it.

But the fact of the matter was, I really did recall seeing an old cigar band somewhere with the word Cohiba on it. And it looked nothing like the familiar black and orange stripes that have adorned the pride of socialist Cuba for almost two decades. But, as it happened I came across that cigar band again. What happened was this. Some days later I was rummaging the antique flea markets of Old Havana when I came across this same cigar band that I had once seen. It was exactly the same as I remembered it.From some of the details of the design – I now have it in my possession – I can be quite certain that it came from a pre-Castro cigar. But what does that prove? Even when I later showed it to the Director of El Laguito she was quite unable to throw any light on the subject… 

…so it´s quite possible where they came to find a name for the for the socialist super cigar, the indigenous word sprang to mind without any idea that a tiny cigar brand with that name might once have existed-even castro formidable secretary, Celia Sánchez, might have known nothing about it. Alternatively, they could have known, but thought it was better to ¨forget¨. There is no mention of the band in any catalog or writings –and certainly no mention of the cigar themselves. The brand existed on the fringes of the Cuban cigar business and so in the general ways of things in those times, the Cohiba´s predecessor was simply doomed to oblivion

I´d like to add that the word Cohiba / Cohoba is part of our identity for centuries. It´s deeply rooted in our traditions and religion. Why not naming a cigar after the original taino name for tobacco? That is something brilliant!  Well…that happened in Sagua, whose name is written in the band.

 

The city of Sagua la Grande is still acknowledged for the numerous wreckages of pirate ships along its shore and also known as a shelter for them in the old days. In 1792, there was a tobacco plantation owned by Juan López Solén who for that matter, had erected a house there. Mr. Domingo Antonio Caballero, associated with Mr. Juan Caballero, Mr. Antonio José Díaz and Mr. José Vela purchased the plantation and in order to organize the growing population, Mr. Juan Caballero decides to officially found  the city in 1812 by distributing the land

It must have been produced in Sagua la Grande, the big city. A landmark for arts, sports and music in Cuba but also thrived as an industrial city. Sugar, lumber, rubber tires, alcohol and chemicals to produce perfumes and essences were the main industries that helped flourish businesses across the city. Fairly deemed as Industrial city, ranking second after Havana not only because of the number of businesses and workshops but also for the well gained recognition of its products around the world. But other reasons, Sagua was also placed on the Map of the Cold War.

 

They also had cigar factories which appear listed below:

·       Fábrica de Tabacos de Castellón y Mill.

·       Fábrica de Tabacos de Herrera y Artigas

·       Fábrica de Tabacos de María de los Angeles          Cabrera and America Sts.

·       Fábrica de Tabacos de Juan Niebla Lamadrid         Calzada de Backer No 59

·       Fábrica de Tabacos de Hilario Niebla Lamadrid       Carmen Rivalta St. No 158

·       Fábrica de Tabacos de Santiago Prats López           Minerva St., Manacas

·       Fábrica de Tabacos de Digna Vázquez Rodríguez   García St. No 124

 

What is really intriguing is that name: E. Chateloin Jr. Perhaps, a French origin. The proprietor’s name is Eduardo Chateloin and his son might be the one who carried out the production of said Cohiba. Reference to the mid 50´s in the Tobacco Directory are common but it was also listed in a Document of the National Library called Active Producers of the Island of Cuba. Year1958, as shown in Adriano´s The Great Book of the Habano. The factory was located in García St. No. 118, Sagua la Grande. Las Villas.

 

So far I have compiled the following data:

1.The Cohiba brand name existed before 1959 and also during the course of that year.

2. The owner was Eduardo Chateloin Jr. As far as I know he was headquartered in Sagua la Grande, Las Villas province, (known today as Villa Clara) not in Havana so its production might have been of some importance in the center of the Island.  

3. The factory was located in Calle García No 118. Sagua. No information about branch factories in Havana or abroad can be found.

4. The printing quality is very good, four colors, bronze embossing and standard die-cut enhancing a simple yet elegant design meaning that the money invested was of some importance. The band displays the name of the city where it was produced and the name of the owner/manufacturer as well.

5. There´s only one band size but does not mean that only one cigar size (vitola) was produced under that brandname. This band is a sought after item but still found in auctions in Havana. The probable sizes offered (if more than one) may be slender to medium girth since the band is not big and it´s the only band known to collectors. Having said that, he could have been producing a range of sizes from Cadetes to Corona (36 – 42 ring gauge) or simply just one size.

6. If he registered the brand in the mid 50´s and kept producing cigars after January 1^st, 1959, he might have lost the rights while not renovating his trademark every year or stop producing cigars due to nationalization.  As clearly pointed out by Richard Perelman´s Pocket Encyclopedia of Havana Cigars, ¨it was estimated that as many as 800 brands were in circulation by 1859, although in 1887, there were only 348 registered brands¨. Same could have happened in 1959 when it was reported 960 registered trademarks for cigars in Cuba with 1.726 then-discontinued old export brands until the nationalization of the tobacco industry in September, 1960.

 

Of note:

·       There was also a brand named La Flor de Cohiva in Havana. No relation to it but it´s worth mentioning. La Flor de Cohiva is listed in the Tobacco Directory. It is miswritten but it sounds quite similar.   

·       The domestic market was as important as the global commercialization. 

·       There are three other cities that are named Sagua, e.g.: Isabela de Sagua (Bay city) Sagua la Chica and Sagua de Tánamo (Holguín province) None of them are relevant to Cohiba as a brand.  

·       More information is needed so it would be greatly appreciated any contribution to help dismissing rumors and theories.  

·       Last, but not least, Sagua la Grande was one of the locations where the Russian nuclear missiles aiming at US territory were stored and hidden during the October Crisis in 1962.  

I think this sums it up. Let´s call it a day and now have a Cohiba, mates                                                                                                                  

 

[clutch5150]

Wow, what a great read, the last bit about the location Sagua la Grande is quite interesting. The mystery deepens!  Thank you for sharing this.

[Colt45]

Nice work Punchy

[LLC]

Great post Jose. Enjoyed spending some time with you in Havana and remember us talking about your collection of bands. All the best my friend.


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[madandana]

Great to see his writings again. Thanks Jose! 

[helix]

Thanks Jose great stuff .

[Fatshotbud]

Interesting read - thanks!

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[...]

Thank you very much for the write up Jose, hope to see you in Havana soon!

[LordAnubis]

Nice read Jose! Insightful as always.


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[Fuzz]

Great read, Jose!

[anacostiakat]

Great info!  Thanks Jose!!

[Ethernut]

Really enjoyed the read! Thanks for tracking this down

[heftytome]

[Fugu]

That's excellent info. Thanks for posting!

As Joe sais, it appears not too unlikely that more than one bright mind came up with the idea of using the old Taino word for branding a cigar, one way or the other.

At that occasion - here's springing to my mind again the naming of the Behike line: Prior to the Behike Aniversario humidor and well before the regular BHK-line, there had obviously been such naming in existence, perhaps even been (secretly) in use already. In a 1992 documentary ('The Havana', filmed mostly in 1991 as it seems) there is a very brief still, showing a display of El Laguito bands and box stickers (vista labels) including two with "BEHIKE" written on them (different sizes even). At a time, when Cohibas still came cello-sleeved and Habanos S.A. had not yet been founded.... (minute 43:48)

Anyone able to shed a light on the history of that?

 

[Sean3]

Terrific post!

[alloy]

Very informative read. Thanks Joe!

[MrStixx]

Love it....the cliff notes of Cohiba history! 

[Habana Mike]

On 11/30/2017 at 5:09 PM, Fugu said:

That's excellent info. Thanks for posting!

As Joe sais, it appears not too unlikely that more than one bright mind came up with the idea of using the old Taino word for branding a cigar, one way or the other.

At that occasion - here's springing to my mind again the naming of the Behike line: Prior to the Behike Aniversario humidor and well before the regular BHK-line, there had obviously been such naming in existence, perhaps even been (secretly) in use already. In a 1992 documentary ('The Havana', filmed mostly in 1991 as it seems) there is a very brief still, showing a display of El Laguito bands and box stickers (vista labels) including two with "BEHIKE" written on them (different sizes even). At a time, when Cohibas still came cello-sleeved and Habanos S.A. had not yet been founded.... (minute 43:48)

Anyone able to shed a light on the history of that?

 

Very elucidating! Quite old bands and cello - this video is well aged....

[cherokee2u]

Really enjoyed reading this piece of cigar history

[Benzopyrene]

Thanks for the share...... I have seen this band before, but I feel like someone was actually selling cigars with this band....I will try to remember where that happened, but I remember it being a big deal, because there was a lot of authentication talk, or maybe I'm mixing up my memories....but let me see what I can dig up

[Puros Y Vino]

1 hour ago, Benzopyrene said:

Thanks for the share...... I have seen this band before, but I feel like someone was actually selling cigars with this band....I will try to remember where that happened, but I remember it being a big deal, because there was a lot of authentication talk, or maybe I'm mixing up my memories....but let me see what I can dig up

A certain cigar auction site had a 6'r of these up for auction a year or so ago.

[Benzopyrene]

Yes, thats where I remember it from, but I couldnt find it looking through past posts today. 

[FLB03TT]

What a fabulous read and what great investigative work. Bravo!!

[getnon]

Great read.  

[ha_banos]

Was just watching a vid from DrJoe. The same Joe? Most interesting and entertaining