Cuban Cigars – Quality Comes at a Price

The situation with cigars is similar to all high-quality goods that are produced with significant effort, often by skilled labor, and have a manufacturing tradition that can span centuries: There are clear price differences that a layperson can hardly understand or track, leading to the temptation to avoid expensive products and instead go for a perceived bargain. We would not only advise against this, but also warn against the opposite assumption that a high price alone guarantees the quality of a product. As always, experience and good advice are valuable when purchasing such goods. However, we can give you a few tips to help prevent your cigar purchase from becoming a mistake.

Longfillers and Shortfillers

The price of a good cigar depends on many factors. First and foremost, the quality and origin of the tobacco used are key – Cuba is a premium origin, but tobacco from the Dominican Republic or Honduras is almost on par with Cuban tobacco. Another important factor is the labor-intensive handcrafting process, which drives up the price of cigars – provided they are premium cigars, of course, as there are also good and very good cigars whose production involves both manual and machine work, and they are not exactly sold at bargain prices. The quality difference is most evident between so-called longfiller and shortfiller cigars.

Longfiller

Longfiller cigars are made from whole high-quality tobacco leaves, often hand-rolled with great effort. They are then wrapped by hand in the binder, where the length of the binder determines the overall length of the filler.

Shortfiller

Shortfiller cigars also use high-quality tobaccos, but the filler is made from tobacco leaves that are of lower quality than those used in longfillers. The tobacco leaves for these cigars are cut and shredded and are mainly produced by machine. This simpler production process is naturally reflected in the price of the cigar.

Who to Trust When Buying

Every purchase is a matter of trust. You wouldn’t just buy a pair of sneakers without being convinced by the brand, the store, or the service during the purchase. With cigars, it’s essentially the same. The only difference is that you’ll rarely have the opportunity to personally buy your favorite cigars in Cuba. Typically, you’ll need to rely on a trusted dealer, either locally in your city or through a reputable online retailer. In any case, whether you're buying in Havana or your hometown, keep the following in mind: In Cuba, there are official, semi-official, and simply shady cigar sales points. To be on the safe side, stick to the official state stores – but this comes at a price. The purchase becomes tricky or even foolish when a friendly vendor lures you into a sales conversation on the streets of Havana in the midday heat. Be sure: You might pay half the price – but the real question is, what are you actually paying for? If you feel overwhelmed by all the quality seals and personal quality tests of feel, appearance, and smell, certified and renowned dealers, whether local or online, provide exactly the security and quality that you, as a buyer, can rightfully expect.

La Casa del Habano

In Germany, there are also designated Casas del Habano, which hold the license to sell Cuban cigars. Worldwide, only a few specialist cigar stores are allowed to carry this designation. In addition to the prestige associated with it, this especially benefits the aficionado, as they can order Cuban LCDH cigars, which are produced exclusively for Casas del Habano by the Cuban cigar industry every year. A better price/performance ratio can be found – except in the state stores in Cuba itself – nowhere else.