Minis (Cigarillos) From Cuba

Mini Cubans (Cigarillos) have gained a respectable market share throughout the world as well as in our renowned specialist retail store, Taylors Tobacconists.

These small, machine made cigarillos no longer stand in the shadow of Habanos premium products; due to thriving global sales they were able to flourish. They have become especially popular with younger tobacco lovers and passionals who watch their budget and want to discover the world of fine Cuban tobacco at the same time.

The marketing specialist of International Cuban de Tabacos S.A has reason to be happy.

In 2014 a record production number of over 160 million Mini Cubans was registered, compared to the previous year, there was a 6.6% rise in sales. The Habanos little sister triumphs with excellent tobacco quality at an amazing price. This expanding branch of Cuban cigarillos is marketed around the world by the Cuban Spanish joint venture Promocigar, based in Madrid.

Gonzales, also export manager for South America, is giving me a tour of the production sites at ICT in Havana. This is where the mecanizados – all machine made cigars and cigarillos – have been produced for the past 15 years. More than 80 percent of the 430 employees are female tobacco specialist workers.

They are recruited in the Boyeros district near the airport, where the ICT has its company headquarters .

The finished goods are transported in huge containers from the port of Havana to Cantabria in Northern Spain. Further distribution to other European destinations is done from the city of Santander.

As Arcila Gonzales explained to me during our tour of the 15000 square metres production site, the premium segment of cigarillos with brand names such as Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta and Partagas is not the only booming business. Popular low price brands are also  trending in the market.

It was no wonder that the brand Guantanamera became a sales sensation in the UK. Produced using tobacco from  the Vuelta Arriba region – the second largest cultivation region in Pinar del Rio – this cigar guarantees a mild smoke. Even when Alejandro Robaina, the gran maestro of Cuban tobacco growers, was stricken by illness in his later years, he was allowed by his doctor to smoke Guantanamera cigars.

Although a Mini Cubans is only filled with finely chopped tobacco leaves and as a machine made cigar, cannot compete with the beauty of a hand rolled Havana in this sense, it shares with its big Havana sister the same special blend of 100% pure Cuban Tobacco.

The mini Cubanos sold in special limited editions also make an impact such as a 50 count wooden box of Cohiba Club cigarillos.

Arcila Gonzales says proudly, we school our personnel to use a new generation of machines that assume even more routine work in order to create a more attractive work space for our employees.

Currently they are using fully automated machines to mix the blends. Only the wrappers are added to the cigar manually. We are working to switch the wrapping process from manual to automated.

The mini Cubans are classified by the formats Puritos, Club and Mini. The total of ten brands with 52 product lines may also call their Cubans Puro, a Havana predicate used for pure cigars.

The cigarillo bestsellers brands are Cohiba and the Montecristo made from select tobacco from the Vuelta Abajo region in Pinar del Río.

If you wish to know more about cigarillos, please contact us today.