Brand guide
Partagás cigars
Partagás is a Havana cigar brand from 1845, made today in two versions: a Cuban one rolled in Havana for Habanos S.A. and a Dominican one made by General Cigar.
Partagás began with a Catalan in Havana
Jaime Partagás y Ravell, born in Arenys de Mar, Catalonia, in 1816, opened his Havana cigar factory in 1845.
He had reached Cuba in 1831. His first factory stood at 1 Cristina Street, then moved to Calle Industria. In 1868 he was murdered on one of his plantations, and his son José took over.
The brand changed hands several times before the revolution. Banker José A. Bances bought it. Ramón Cifuentes Llano became his partner in 1899 and bought him out in 1900. Cifuentes and Francisco Pego Pita formed Cifuentes, Pego y Cía. in 1916. That firm added Ramón Allones in 1927, then Bolívar and La Gloria Cubana in 1954. Wikipedia says that by 1958 only H. Upmann exported more Cuban cigars.
Why are there two Partagás brands?
The Cuban government seized the Partagás factory on September 15, 1960, and the Cifuentes family later rebuilt the name outside Cuba with General Cigar.
In Cuba the brand stayed in state production, first under Cubatobaco and later under Habanos S.A. Wikipedia notes that Altadis bought a controlling share of Habanos in 2002.
Outside Cuba, Ramón Cifuentes Toriello relaunched Partagás with General Cigar. A US trademark followed in 1978. Wikipedia describes General Cigar as part of Scandinavian Tobacco Group of Denmark. The US version contains no Cuban tobacco, though its site still counts the brand's age from Havana: "more than 180 years." Its band copies the red and gold of the original, with "1845" in place of "Habana."
Partagás factories in Havana and Santiago
Cuban Partagás is rolled in Havana, and most sizes now come from a newer factory about 3 km from Havana Vieja that took over on January 2, 2012.
The old building on Calle Industria now carries the name Francisco Pérez Germán. Every Cuban Partagás vitola is hand-made, though two machine-made cigarillos, the Mini and the Club, also use the name.
General Cigar's version started in Jamaica, then moved to Santiago, Dominican Republic, in 1979. In 1995 the 70,000 square foot Santiago plant had about 600 workers and turned out about 8 million Partagás that year, alongside Macanudo. One newer line breaks the pattern: General Cigar says Partagás Cortado is the first Partagás made in Nicaragua.
Partagás blends as General Cigar lists them
General Cigar publishes a full wrapper, binder and filler for every US-market Partagás line, and the wrappers come from five different places.
Classic uses Cameroon over a Mexican San Andrés binder. Black Label uses a proprietary Connecticut Havana Seed wrapper. Valle Verde was the first Partagás with a Mexican San Andrés wrapper. Cortado was the first with Connecticut shade, grown in Ecuador. Y Nada Más Cibao pairs an Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper with a Sumatra binder and a four-country filler. Wikipedia gives no wrapper details for the Cuban line.
US-market Partagás lines
| Line | Stated wrapper | Stated body | Notable sizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | Cameroon | Mellow to medium | Number 10 7 1/2 x 49, Number 1 6 3/4 x 43, Robusto 4 1/2 x 49 |
| Black Label | Connecticut Havana Seed | Medium to full | Magnifico 6 x 54, Clásico 5 1/4 x 54, Colossal 4 1/2 x 60 |
| Valle Verde | Mexican San Andrés | Medium | Double Corona 7 1/2 x 54, Toro 6 x 52, Robusto 5 x 50 |
| Cortado | Ecuadorian Connecticut | Mellow to medium | Presidente 8 x 54, Corona 5 1/2 x 42, Robusto 5 x 50 |
| Y Nada Más Cibao | Ecuadorian Corojo | Medium to full | Gordo 6 x 60, Toro 6 x 52, Robusto 5 x 50 |
Cuban Partagás sizes people ask about
The Cuban Serie D No. 4 is a 4 7/8 x 50 robusto, and Wikipedia calls it the top-selling Cuban cigar worldwide since it passed Montecristo No. 4 in the early 2010s.
Other Cuban sizes: Lusitania at 7 5/8 x 49, a double corona; 898 at 6 3/4 x 43, sold varnished in cabinet boxes; Serie P No. 2 at 6 1/8 x 52, a pyramid added in 2005; and the 5 1/2 x 54 Serie E No. 2. The Serie D numbers also run as Edición Limitada releases, from No. 1 in 2004 to the 2010 Especial.
Partagás dates from 1845 to 2012
Partagás has a founding date, a seizure date and a factory move that Wikipedia pins to the day.
- 1845: Jaime Partagás opens his Havana factory.
- 1868: Jaime Partagás is killed; his son José takes over.
- 1900: Ramón Cifuentes Llano becomes sole owner.
- September 15, 1960: Cuban factory nationalized.
- 1975: Serie D No. 4 introduced in Cuba.
- 1978: US trademark for the General Cigar version.
- 1979: US-market production moves from Jamaica to Santiago.
- 2005: Serie P No. 2 pyramid added in Cuba.
- January 2, 2012: most Cuban production moves to the new Havana factory.
Partagás labels: reading the band and box
The fastest way to tell the two Partagás brands apart is the word under the name: "Habana" on the Cuban band, "1845" on General Cigar's.
Line names don't overlap much. Serie D, Lusitania and 898 are Cuban names. Black Label, Valle Verde, Cortado and Y Nada Más are General Cigar names. The box states the country of manufacture. General Cigar's sizes run from the 3 3/4 x 24 Miniaturas to the 8 x 54 Cortado Presidente, so check the ring with the ring gauge converter if a size name is new to you. Our robusto guide explains the shape behind Serie D No. 4. This guide reports ownership only and gives no view on import rules for Cuban cigars.
Partagás questions
Is Partagás a Cuban cigar?
The original is. Cuban Partagás is made in Havana for Habanos S.A., while the Partagás sold in US shops is a separate General Cigar brand made mainly in the Dominican Republic with no Cuban tobacco.
What does 1845 mean on a Partagás band?
It is the founding year of the Havana brand. On the General Cigar version, "1845" sits on the band where the Cuban band says "Habana," according to Wikipedia.
Where is Partagás Black Label made?
General Cigar does not print a country for the line itself; it lists a Connecticut Havana Seed wrapper, a Dominican La Vega Especial binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan ligero filler.
What size is a Partagás Serie D No. 4?
It is a robusto, 4 7/8 inches by 50 ring, and Wikipedia dates its introduction to 1975.
Where the Partagás facts come from
- Partagás, Wikipedia
- Partagas cigars, General Cigar Co.
- Partagas home page, General Cigar Co.