The Art of Tobacco in Cuba

Cuba is catnip for cigar aficionados. While cigars are not rolled on the thighs of virgins as the mythology suggests, Cuban cigar rollers, or torcedores, are the most skilled rollers in the world.

Havana is blessed with a plethora of decent tobacco shops and clubs where you can enjoy a cigar and Cuba Private Travel can organize private tours of Havana’s Cigar Factories: La Carona, or the Partagas and H. Upmann factories. Let us know if you want us to arrange a party in your villa with your private cigar roller brought in.

But why not discover where your beloved cigars come from? Take a ride in a vintage car a few hours west to the rustic province of Pinar der Rio, where the Viñales valley creates a lush, craggy and dramatic scenery enhanced by the triangular tobacco-drying huts and oxen.

“There is nothing like a Cuban cigar! It’s an intrinsic part of our history since the Taino people. Whether for religious purposes, or for the sheer pleasure off it, enjoying a cigar is a truly Cuban experience.”

Elias Asself

AfroCuban religion expert - Cuba Private Travel Team

The pretty village of Viñales and its environs is tucked into the breathtaking Sierra de los Organos mountain range, and the Viñales Valley is UNESCO-protected. Nothing can prepare you for the beauty of its tree-covered limestone knolls, rising dramatically out of the green landscape, and the sight of its weather-beaten farmers in spurs and straw hats working the blood-red soil. Richly fertile, with endless tobacco, sugar cane, and coffee plantations, the western province is blessed with a lush greenness that captivates, with beautiful rivers and natural springs.
 
Each farmer has their own recipe for fermentation, but traditional recipes may include pineapple skin, guava leaves, sugar cane, rum, and honey to lend a sweet aroma to the country puros. We can arrange a quiet organic farm-to-table lunch or a pig roast with a campesino farmer under a mango tree on his country finca. Later, he may roll a cigar for you and that night, you can ride through his tobacco fields by the light of the moon.

Cuba Private Travel is one of the most experienced luxury private travel companies on the Caribbean island of Cuba.
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The best things to do in Cuba and our travel tips

The Cuba Private Travel team has access to the very best in Cuban art, music, literature, dance, environment, history and architecture as well as Cuba’s most outstanding beaches and accommodation. By listening to you, the independent traveller, we are able to create tailor-made travel itineraries for your vacation that take you to the heart of Cuba’s culture, landscape and people. Cuba Private Travel’s bespoke itineraries are fully U.S. Treasury Department compliant and include access to personal guides, experts, interpreters and, of course, a 24-hour concierge.