Customs and traditions:
The Marvellous Habano

One of the marvels Columbus encountered when he arrived to the islands that would later be called the Antilles, was the use of tobacco, especially in Cuba. The Great Admiral watched as natives used a pipe-shaped instrument to smoke what they called tobago, hence the name tobacco. Illustrations of the time show natives smoking through the nose.

The tobacco plant, with its beautiful large green leaves, can grow to between one and three metres tall, and requires intensive care while growing. The earliest inhabitants of Cuba believed the plant had medicinal properties and used it in religious ceremonies.

Although Its cultivation has spread to some 120 countries where climate permits, Cuba has maintained the reputation for growing the best tobacco in the world, as well as for making the best cigars in the world.

A Spaniard from the Canary Islands, Demetrio Pela, reportedly was the first European to roll a cigar, taught the secrets by indigenous chief Eno-Xil. Tobacco is grown in different parts of the Island, but it is Vueltabajo, in western Pinar del Río Province, that has the greatest world fame.

The famous cigars have led to an industry that includes the art of making cigar boxes, beautifully engraved bands that identify each brand of the aromatic product, humidors for their preservation and cabinets of precious wood to store and protect them.