Brand guide
La Aroma de Cuba cigars
La Aroma de Cuba is an Ashton cigar brand made in Estelí, Nicaragua, by the Garcia family of My Father Cigars.
La Aroma de Cuba launched in 2002 as an Ashton value line
Cigar Aficionado reported that La Aroma de Cuba was first released in 2002 as a budget-friendly premium cigar.
The brand belongs to Ashton, and someone else rolls it. Altadis did first. The Garcia family has since 2009.
Despite the name, nothing in the current lineup is Cuban. Every line page lists Nicaragua as the country of origin.
From Flor de Copan to the Garcia family
La Aroma de Cuba was first made at Altadis's Flor de Copan S.A. factory in northern Honduras, then moved to Jose "Pepin" Garcia in Nicaragua in 2009.
Cigar Aficionado covered the move on July 10, 2009. Ashton vice president Sathya Levin said the company was "very impressed with Pepin's work" and that the switch was nothing against Altadis. By then Garcia already made the La Aroma de Cuba Edición Especial and San Cristobal for Ashton. The 2009 report also says Ashton made changes to the brand, without listing them.
La Aroma de Cuba's factory in Estelí
The brand says Edición Especial is blended and produced by the Garcia family in Estelí, Nicaragua.
The Garcia operation there is Tabacalera Cubana S.A., known as TACUBA, which Wikipedia dates to June 2006. Once the Estelí factory opened, Pepin Garcia renamed the whole company My Father Cigars, after a blend his son Jaime made for him. Wikipedia lists La Aroma de Cuba among Ashton's brands made by Garcia, with Edición Especial, New Blend and Mi Amor named. Cigar Aficionado's 2009 piece calls the factory "My Family Cigars." That is the magazine's wording, not the company's name.
Wrapper is what separates the La Aroma de Cuba lines
Every La Aroma de Cuba line opened for this guide uses Nicaraguan long filler, and the wrapper changes from line to line.
The original line wears Connecticut Broadleaf, a dark leaf. Edición Especial wears Ecuador Habano, which the brand calls a golden-brown Cuban-seed leaf. Mi Amor wears San Andrés, from Mexico. Binder isn't stated on any of the three pages.
| Line | Stated wrapper | Stated strength | Notable sizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Aroma de Cuba | Connecticut Broadleaf | Medium | Rothschild 5 x 50, Immensa 5 3/4 x 60, El Jefe 7 x 58, Double Corona 7 1/2 x 54 |
| Edición Especial | Ecuador Habano | Medium-full | No. 1 5 5/8 x 46, No. 2 5 x 50, No. 4 7 x 49, No. 60 6 x 60 |
| Mi Amor | San Andrés | Medium-full | Robusto 5 x 50, Duque 5 1/4 x 56, Valentino 6 x 60, Churchill 7 x 50 |
The brand site also lists Connecticut, Habano Reserve, Noblesse, Pasión, Reserva and Small Batch lines. Their specs weren't checked for this guide, so they stay out of the table.
La Aroma de Cuba key years
La Aroma de Cuba's documented history is short: two makers, two countries and one switch.
- 2002: first released, made at Flor de Copan in Honduras.
- June 2006: the Garcias open Tabacalera Cubana in Estelí.
- 2009: Ashton moves the brand to Pepin Garcia in Nicaragua.
Before buying La Aroma de Cuba, check the sub-line
"La Aroma de Cuba" on a band names the brand, not the blend, so the line name decides the wrapper and stated strength.
Sizes repeat across lines with different names: a 5 x 50 is a Rothschild in the original line, a No. 2 in Edición Especial and a Robusto in Mi Amor. Three 60 ring options exist across the three lines. Compare those against a classic gordo, and match wrapper shades with the wrapper color chart. Body and strength labels are the maker's own; our strength vs body guide explains the difference.
La Aroma de Cuba questions
Who makes La Aroma de Cuba cigars?
The Garcia family of My Father Cigars makes them in Estelí, Nicaragua, for Ashton, which moved production there from Honduras in 2009.
Is La Aroma de Cuba a Cuban cigar?
No. Despite the name, every current line is listed with Nicaragua as its country of origin, and the brand was made in Honduras before that.
What wrapper is on La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor?
A San Andrés leaf from Mexico, over premium Nicaraguan long filler, and the brand rates it medium-full.
What is the difference between La Aroma de Cuba and Edición Especial?
The wrapper: the original line uses Connecticut Broadleaf and is listed as medium, while Edición Especial uses Ecuador Habano and is listed as medium-full.
Where the La Aroma de Cuba facts come from
- Ashton's Aroma de Cuba brand now rolled in Garcia factory, Cigar Aficionado
- Pepin Garcia, Wikipedia
- La Aroma de Cuba, La Aroma de Cuba (Ashton)
- La Aroma de Cuba Edición Especial, La Aroma de Cuba (Ashton)
- La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor, La Aroma de Cuba (Ashton)