What Cigar Brand Did Fidel Castro Smoke?

Fidel Castro’s signature cigar was the Cohiba Lancero, a brand created exclusively for him in 1966. The story begins with Eduardo Rivera, one of Cuba’s most talented cigar rollers, who was crafting exceptional cigars for his own enjoyment using a unique process that involved a third fermentation of the tobacco leaves. When Castro’s bodyguard noticed how remarkable these cigars smelled and tasted, he brought them to Fidel’s attention. Castro was so impressed that he appointed Rivera as his personal cigar maker, and the Cohiba brand was born — initially as a state secret reserved for the Cuban president and his inner circle.

The Secret Origins of Cohiba (1966-1982)

For sixteen years, Cohiba existed as Cuba’s best-kept secret. Here’s how the brand evolved:

• 1966 — Eduardo Rivera begins producing cigars exclusively for Castro at El Laguito, a converted mansion in the Havana suburbs that had been built by the Marquez de Pinar del Rio before the revolution
• 1968 — Production formalizes at El Laguito factory under the direction of Avelino Lara, who would become one of Cuba’s legendary cigar masters
• 1969-1982 — Cohiba remains a diplomatic cigar, given as gifts to heads of state, ambassadors, and visiting dignitaries. It was not available for public sale anywhere in the world
• 1982 — Cubatabaco (predecessor to Habanos S.A.) officially launches Cohiba to the public market at a trade show in Madrid, initially with three sizes: Lanceros, Coronas Especiales, and Panetelas

The name “Cohiba” itself comes from the Taino indigenous word for the rolled tobacco leaves that Christopher Columbus observed the native people of Cuba smoking in 1492. It was a deliberate choice — connecting Cuba’s most prestigious cigar to the island’s deepest tobacco roots.

The Lancero: Castro’s Personal Size

Castro’s preferred cigar was the Cohiba Lancero, a long, elegant format measuring 7.5 inches (192mm) with a 38 ring gauge. This is a slender, refined cigar that takes roughly 90 minutes to smoke — a format that demands exceptional rolling skill due to its narrow gauge and length.

The Lancero format perfectly reflected Castro’s style. It was visually distinctive — you could recognize it in photographs from across a room — and its thin ring gauge delivered an intense, complex flavor profile heavily influenced by the wrapper leaf. The tobacco blend used leaves from Cuba’s Vuelta Abajo region in Pinar del Rio, widely considered the finest tobacco-growing soil on earth.

What made Cohiba’s tobacco unique was the “triple fermentation” process. While all Cuban cigar tobacco undergoes two fermentations, Cohiba’s filler leaves (specifically the ligero and seco leaves) receive a third fermentation in cedar barrels. This extra step removes additional impurities and creates the distinctively smooth, refined character that Cohiba is known for.

The Debate: Was Cohiba Really Castro’s Favorite?

The Official Story

The narrative promoted by Habanos S.A. and supported by most historical accounts is clear: Cohiba was created for Castro, and the Lancero was his daily smoke for decades. Photographs from the 1960s through the 1990s consistently show Castro with long, thin cigars matching the Lancero format. Multiple biographers and diplomats who met Castro confirmed his devotion to the brand.

The cigar became so intertwined with Castro’s image that it functioned as a symbol of Cuban sovereignty and defiance — a handmade luxury product that represented everything the revolution supposedly stood for: Cuban craftsmanship, Cuban agriculture, Cuban independence.

The Alternative View

Some cigar historians and former Cuban officials offer a more nuanced picture:

• Before Cohiba existed, Castro was known to smoke various Cuban brands, including Montecristo and H. Upmann. He wasn’t born a Cohiba smoker — that brand didn’t exist until he was 40 years old.
• Political branding — Some argue that Cohiba was as much a political tool as a personal preference. Having “Castro’s cigar” was a powerful marketing asset when the brand went public in 1982.
• Multiple accounts — Some visitors to the presidential palace reported being offered various brands, not just Cohiba, suggesting Castro kept a diverse humidor
• He quit in 1985 — Castro famously stopped smoking cigars in 1985 for health reasons, publicly declaring he quit as an example to the Cuban people. He was 59 years old and had smoked for roughly 40 years.

The truth is likely somewhere in between. Castro genuinely preferred the Lancero format and the unique Cohiba blend, but he was also a pragmatic politician who understood the power of iconography. The image of Castro with a Cohiba became one of the most recognizable symbols of the 20th century — right alongside Che Guevara’s beret.

The El Laguito Factory: Where Cohiba Is Still Made

The El Laguito factory (officially Fabrica de Tabaco El Laguito) remains the exclusive production facility for Cohiba cigars to this day. Originally a mansion built in the 1910s in Havana’s upscale Cubanacán neighborhood, the building was converted to a cigar factory after the revolution.

El Laguito is notable for several reasons:

• It was the first Cuban cigar factory to employ female rollers, breaking a centuries-old tradition of all-male production
• Only the most skilled rollers in Cuba are assigned to El Laguito — it represents the pinnacle of Cuban cigar craftsmanship
• The factory produces all Cohiba lines: the Linea Clasica (including Lanceros), Linea 1492 (the Siglo series), Maduro 5, and the ultra-premium Behike line
• Annual production is deliberately limited to maintain quality standards

Castro’s Legacy in Cuban Cigars

Whether you view Castro as a revolutionary hero or authoritarian dictator, his impact on the Cuban cigar industry is undeniable. The nationalization of Cuba’s tobacco industry in 1960-1962 — which consolidated hundreds of private manufacturers into the state-run Cubatabaco — fundamentally reshaped how Cuban cigars are produced and distributed. And Cohiba, his personal creation, became the flagship of the entire industry.

Today, a box of 25 Cohiba Lanceros — the exact cigar Castro smoked daily for two decades — retails internationally between $500-$700. The brand has expanded to include the Siglo VI, widely considered one of the greatest cigars in production, and the Behike line, which uses a rare tobacco leaf called medio tiempo that grows only at the very top of select tobacco plants.

Explore the full Cohiba collection to discover the brand that started as one man’s private pleasure and became the most famous cigar in the world. For a broader look at Cuba’s cigar heritage, visit our Cuban cigar brands guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size cigar did Fidel Castro smoke?

Castro’s preferred size was the Lancero (also called Laguito No. 1), measuring 7.5 inches (192mm) in length with a slender 38 ring gauge. This elegant, thin format was the original Cohiba size, created specifically for him in 1966. The Lancero takes approximately 90 minutes to smoke and delivers an intensely flavorful experience due to the high wrapper-to-filler ratio of its narrow gauge.

When did Cohiba become available to the public?

Cohiba was introduced to the public market in 1982 at a trade fair in Madrid, Spain. For the sixteen years before that (1966-1982), the brand existed exclusively as a diplomatic cigar, produced only for Fidel Castro and as gifts for foreign heads of state and dignitaries. The initial public release included three sizes: Lanceros, Coronas Especiales, and Panetelas. The Siglo line was added in 1992 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Columbus arriving in Cuba.

Did other Cuban leaders have their own cigar brands?

Cohiba was unique in being created specifically for a Cuban leader. However, Che Guevara was a known cigar smoker who reportedly favored Montecristo — particularly the Montecristo No. 4. Other revolutionary figures smoked various established Cuban brands. No other Cuban leader had a cigar brand developed exclusively for their personal use the way Castro did with Cohiba.