Cigar Brands: The Directory

Cigar brands can be confusing. One name may stand for two different cigars, and a house founded in Havana may now roll its cigars in Nicaragua. This directory gives a plain, neutral profile of 20 major makers. Each page covers history, factories, key sizes and house style. It also lists strengths, common gripes and the brand’s place in Malaysia.

How to read the brand directory

Every profile follows the same pattern, so you can compare houses easily. First, a fact file lists the year it began, where it is from, who owns it and how strong it tends to be. Next comes the story of who started the brand and how it changed hands. After that, a table lists well-known sizes, called vitolas, with length and ring gauge.

The flavour notes describe a house style in broad terms. They are not notes for one cigar. For those, see our cigar reviews, which score single cigars on a fixed scale. Finally, no profile is an ad. We list common gripes too, because every brand has them.

Cuban vs New World cigar brands

Broadly, the market splits in two. Cuban brands are made in Cuba from Cuban tobacco, mostly grown in the Vuelta Abajo. The Cuban state owns them, and Habanos S.A. sells them around the world. Our pillar on Cuban cigars explains that system in depth.

“New World” covers everything else, mainly the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras. Most of these brands are family firms or parts of big groups, and many blend leaf from several countries. In general, Nicaraguan cigars lean bold and peppery, while many Dominican cigars are smoother. Our guides to Nicaraguan cigars and Dominican cigars go further.

Why some names exist twice

After the revolution, Cuba took over its cigar industry in 1960. Many owners left and set up their brands again abroad, mainly for the US, where the embargo bans Cuban cigars. As a result, Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, H. Upmann, Hoyo de Monterrey, Punch, Partagás, Bolívar and Trinidad all have non-Cuban namesakes.

The US Cohiba is the best-known case. General Cigar has sold it since the late 1970s, and the trademark fight with Cuba has run since 1997, as Cigar Aficionado reports. Our Cuban profiles cover the Habanos brands and explain each split. Outside the US, the Cuban version is the one you will normally meet.

All 20 cigar brands at a glance

Dates refer to the brand or firm, not the family’s first work with tobacco, unless we say so. Strength labels follow our cigar strength chart.

Cigar brands in Malaysia

Malaysians search for Cohiba far more than for any other name, followed by Davidoff, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Partagás and Trinidad. Cuban brands arrive through The Pacific Cigar Company, the official Habanos distributor for the Asia-Pacific region, according to Habanos. Habanos has even released a Malaysia regional edition, the San Cristóbal de La Habana Harimau Malaya, in 2021.

Under Act 852, tobacco advertising and online sales are banned, so this directory never points you to a seller. Our page on Act 852 and cigar law explains the rules. For the wider picture, start with our guide to cigars in Malaysia, and read about cigar health risks before you smoke.

Where to start

If you are new, read the Cuban profiles in the order above, then compare one New World house from each country. Our guide to cigars for beginners suggests gentler starting points. To spot fakes of the famous names, see counterfeit cigars.