Cigars Factory

Cuba is famous for rum, samba and cigars. Cohiba - Fidel Castro's favourite brand, or others such as Montecristo, Romeo Y Julita, Bolivar, Partagas are known to connoisseurs the world over. They owe their qualities to the extremely fertile Cuban soil, the favourable climate and more than 400 years of cigar-making tradition. The world's largest cigar factory, La Corona, employs 700 workers in a single 24-hour shift. In a single day, 25,000 cigars are made. All the processes - from storing and fermenting the leaves to selecting, rolling, labelling and packaging - are carried out on the factory premises. The technology of each process is closely guarded and supervised only by highly qualified staff. Adherence to an excellent traditional recipe is a fundamental principle.

There is also a school on the premises where young cigar rollers are trained. After about two years (depending on their progress), a student can become a skilled cigar-roller, producing cigars that can fetch up to US$100 each.

01.12.2004 - Havana, Cuba