140 years of passion: La Flor de Portuondo with Cuban family
„Hello Vasilij, I'm Yoel Portuondo and I represent my own brand La Flor de Portuondo.“ From the very first sentence, you can tell that someone is not just selling cigars here - but carrying on history. La Flor de Portuondo is not just any old brand. It is one of the oldest Cuban cigar houses - founded in the year 1885 in Havana. A time when cigars were also made in small factories, long before the revolution changed everything.
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10 years Feria del Tabaco - pleasure meets passion
A unique in-house exhibition in Zurich: MANUEL'S brings together cigar importers, manufacturers and aficionados for an enjoyable meeting of a special kind. For ten years now, the Feria del Tabaco cigar lovers come together in Zurich. What once began as a small in-house exhibition is now a fixed date in the calendar of the Swiss cigar scene. Numerous importers present their exclusive cigars, accessories and new products. For two days, the city is transformed into MANUEL'S into a lively forum of enjoyment: talks, tastings, innovations and encounters - all centred around the cigar. An anniversary that is not only celebrated, but savoured.
Yoel Portuondo - From the very first sentence, you can sense that someone is not simply selling cigars here - but is carrying history forward.
From Havana to the world - and almost lost
He tells me proudly: „Back then, we produced in Havana and sold our cigars mainly to the USA.“ But with the revolution came the break. „The family left for America. Many died, some stayed in Cuba. We no longer had a factory, nothing. And then my grandfather died too.“ The brand almost completely disappeared - today there are only a few old boxes left in collections. „You can rarely find them anymore,“ says Yoel quietly.
Where the smoke once rose
I ask him where exactly the factory was back then. „We were behind the Capitolio in Havana, very close to the current Romeo y Julieta factory,“ he says. „That's why I also incorporated the Capitolio as a symbol in our new logo.“ A beautiful, emotional reference to the past - to a time when Havana's air smelled of fermented tobacco.
Rebirth of the brand
Today, 140 years after its foundation La Flor de Portuondo back - with new life, new ideas and the same passion. „I now have my own small factory in Nicaragua,“ says Yoel proudly. „We produce there ourselves - with tobaccos from regions that have excellent soil and an excellent tobacco climate.“
A new blend with old roots
He presents four lines:
1 - Legado Santiago. Named after his father - a tribute to the Portuondo family.
2 - Perfecto. „A classic, elegant figurado - the way it used to be rolled.“
3- La Leyenda. Our own creation - modern, but with a traditional soul.
4 - Elegant 1919. „I wanted to preserve the old - but fill it with new life,“ says Yoel.
Tobacco - inspired by Cuba
„I have tobaccos from Ometepe (Nicaragua), Jalapa and Estelí, in addition Criollo from Ecuador. A blend that is inspired by Cuba but has its own character.“ The result: cigars with soul, depth and a touch of nostalgia.
It's not about a new brand - it's about memory
Yoel says a sentence that sticks: „I don't just want to create a new brand. I want people to know that there are something real there. 140 years of tradition - that's important.“ He is young, committed and yet he carries on an old story. „I do this with good cigars - and with heart. I want them to stay.“
Sales and future
Sales will be direct for the time being. „I have my own online shop.“ In the long term, however, Yoel would like to work with selected specialist retailers. „For me, it's about quality, not quantity.“
140 years and pride
The history of La Flor de Portuondo is the story of loss, memory and rebirth.
Yoel Portuondo proudly carries on his family's name - 140 years after it was founded. With craftsmanship, passion and vision, he is bringing a piece of Cuban family history back to life. And anyone who smokes one of his cigars is holding more than just tobacco in their hand - they are holding a piece of the past, retold for the present.
Picture credits
These were the exhibitors at the Feria del Tabaco 2025
Exhibitors have their say at Feria del Tabaco 2025: Click here for the portraits
Top row, from left to right: Manuel Fröhlich (Manuel's), Stefano Nett (Compañía de Tabacos), Carlos Andrés (Cigarmundi), Dirk Behrendt (Hartl Premium Tobacco), Matthieu Rebjock (Oettinger Davidoff), Toni Galatti (Intertabak)
Bottom row, from left to right: Lajos Horváth (ImpCor), Dominik Mezzomo (The Royal Cigar Company), Yoel Portuondo (La Flo de Portuondo), Salvatore Schaffner (Uniportis).
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