Historic Habanos manufactories: the film

„In the Heart of Havana: Historic Habanos Manufactories“ is undoubtedly a film not to be missed if you are interested in the fascination of Habanos and the soul of Cuba. Havana, the capital of Cuba, is inextricably linked with the myth of the Havana cigar. These hand-rolled masterpieces are known worldwide for their quality and unique flavour. To explore the origins and fascination of these cigars, we embarked on a unique tour of the city's former factories in mid-June 2023.

Havana News Autumn 23: The review

Please click on the 4-fold arrow symbol:

The film: Historic Habanos manufactories

Enjoy the film „In the heart of Havana: Historic Habanos factories“

The official importers of Cuban cigars have generously made the film available free of charge: Intertabak AG (Switzerland, Liechtenstein) and 5^TH AVENUE Products Trading-GmbH (Germany, Poland, Austria). Crazycat Media GmbH produced the film for Zigarren.Zone. Thank you very much for the great co-operation. My special thanks go to Claudia Puszkar, who accompanied us on this fascinating journey with her historical knowledge. We hope you enjoy the film Historic Habanos Manufactories.

LIVE preview: A fantastic online event

On 25 July 2023, viewers had the opportunity to watch the preview of the film “In the Heart of Havana: Historic Habanos Manufactories” LIVE on YouTube.

A few seconds before the LIVE pre-premiere. I'm already very excited!

The event began with an exciting countdown and the anticipation was palpable as viewers expressed their excitement and expectation for the film in the live chat. As the first images appeared on the screen, it was immediately clear that the audience was being taken on an exciting journey through the historic Habanos factories in Cuba.

The atmosphere in the live chat was very lively throughout the entire presentation. Viewers were enthusiastic and shared their impressions and emotions in real time. The comments were consistently positive and full of admiration for the images shown and the cultural significance of Habanos.

When you watch the film, you can read all chat comments in sync with the film. To do this, activate the „Chat playback after livestream“ button. Depending on the device you are using, you will find the button in different places.

Overall, the LIVE premiere of „In the Heart of Havana: Historic Habanos Manufactories“ on YouTube was a great success. The film offers fascinating insights into the world of historic Habanos manufactories and leaves viewers with a greater understanding and respect for the art of cigar making.

„In the Heart of Havana“ is undoubtedly a film not to be missed if you are interested in the fascination of Habanos and the soul of Cuba.

Reviews of the film

Great cinema!!! Dear Vasilij, thank you very much for your work with cigars.

As an occasional cigar smoker, I benefit immensely from your knowledge and passion for cigars. I hope to read a lot more from you.

Thank you again for the evening.

- Michael

„Vasilij and Claudia take us on a tour of Havana in the morning, bathed in golden light. I felt like I was there in person! The two of them are a perfect team, Claudia impresses with her in-depth specialist knowledge, while Vasilij lightens up the information with his own humour, which is appreciated by all fans (including me!). I laughed a lot, marvelled even more and, above all, absorbed everything with relish. I also smoked a fine Cuban cigar and sipped my seven-year-old Legendario Elixir. What more could you want! Thanks to the journalistic dream team Claudia Puszkar and Vasilij Ratej, who have created an informative and entertaining masterpiece.“

- Annette Meisl / La Galana Cologne

„Even after 20 visits to Cuba, I still succumb to the morbid charm of Ciudad La Habana. You and your team have succeeded in shaking me up again ... A big thank you for this somewhat different, special story of Cuba.“

- Roland Anderegg

„I congratulate you and the team wholeheartedly. I really enjoyed the documentary film, you have done a historically valuable job presenting interesting information in an entertaining way. I didn't even realise how the 40 minutes had passed. Undoubtedly a documentary that anyone interested in the history of Habanos and Havana should see.

I can't remember ever having seen a similar audiovisual documentary produced in Cuba. So you are probably the first person to make an audiovisual documentary about the history of the old tobacco factories in Havana, at least in German.

The curiosities surrounding the Fonseca brand seem very interesting to me😄, and I have certainly visited this place several times without realising it was this factory.

I really enjoyed the tour of Havana. I am very moved because I grew up and lived in the very neighbourhoods shown in the documentary. It is sad that some such beautiful and historic buildings have been abandoned in this way, but this work can also serve to draw attention to this part of Habanos history that is being lost.

Congratulations on all the valuable content you can create for cigar lovers. Zigarren.Zone will definitely be more than just a magazine, a great social network for aficionados and cigar lovers (something like the Facebook of premium cigars 😉 ).“

- Maribel Fonseca

„The video is great! The historical material itself is a bit dry (as is often the case with such topics). But Vasilij has managed to liven up the story with his film editing and the many funny, informative and beautiful interludes. It is a very nice contemporary document.

What I personally miss is perhaps a Cuban having their say. But I understand that this can be a bit difficult.

All in all, I really enjoyed the film because you learn about the history of the historic Habanos factories in a way that you don't get anywhere else.“

- Thomas Portmann / La Casa del Habano St. Gallen by Urs Portmann

„Great film, great light, I feel transported back to my visit to Havana. What's frightening are the empty streets. You feel like you've been transported back to the beginning of the last century. No TV, internet etc., all analogue. Cigars were bought here in colonial goods shops or specialised cigar shops. Sumatra, Brasil, Havana were emblazoned on the outdoor advertising. There were cigar rooms where mostly the gentlemen enjoyed tobacco in peace, a real smoking culture. A completely different time.“

- Heino Nohrden

Experience history up close on film

Our tour „In the heart of Havana: historic Habanos factories“ began at the imposing Capitolio, a Havana landmark. Although no cigars were made here, this place played an important role in the logistics of the tobacco industry. There used to be a railway station here, where the valuable tobacco bales arrived by train. Cigar manufacturers set up around this station to gain access to the high-quality tobacco leaves.

Havana was once the centre of cigar production with over 500 factories within a radius of around 500 metres. Compared to today's area of almost 800 square kilometres, Old Havana was only about 8 square kilometres in size. Our tour focused on Old Havana, the historic centre, where many of the most important cigar factories were located.

During our tour, we visited ten of the largest and most important former factories. The old factory buildings tell exciting, touching, sad and gruesome stories. You will experience a film that will inspire and captivate you.

Claudia Puszkar is the history expert and will guide you through the programme. You can expect 40 entertaining, exciting and touching stories about the 10 largest and most important historical Habanos manufactories.

The addresses and information of the manufactories visited

1 - La Majagua: Paseo de Martí 615 (entre Dragones y Maximo Gomez)

Owner: Miguel Jané /cigar factory from 1870 to approx. 1904 /brands: La Majagua, Arien, La Preferida

2 - Palacio Villalba: Maximo Gomez 51 (entre Agramonte y Cárdenas)

Owner: José Suarez Murias / Cigar factory from 1880 to 1904 / Brands: La Flor de Suarez Murias, J.S. Murias

3 - La Escepción: Avenida Belgica (entre Dragones y Maximo Gomez)

Owner: José Gener / Cigar factory from 1882 until the 1960s / Brands: Hoyo de Monterrey, José Gener, La Escepción, Punch, La Belinda

4 - La Meridiana: Agramonte 658 (entre Gloria y Apodaca)

Owner: Pedro Murias and others / Cigar factory from 1882 to approx. 1940 / Brands: La Meridiana, Pedro Murias, Balmoral, El Rey del Mundo

5 - El Eden: Agramonte 702 (entre Misión y Gloria)

Owner: Calixto Lopez and others / Cigar factory from 1888 to approx. 1960 / Brands: El Eden, Lo Mejor, La Flor de Calixto Lopez, Lo Bueno, Los Reyes de España, La Mirella, La Coqueta

6 - Palacio Aldama (La Corona): Avenida Simon Bolivar (entre Amistad y Águila)

Owner: Havana Cigar & Tobacco Factory, American Trust, later La Tabacalera / Cigar factory from 1889 to 1932 / Brands: La Corona, La Flor de Henry Clay, La Rosa de Santiago, La Flor de Naves, La Legitimidad (more than 90 brands in total)

7 - Partagás factory: Industria 520 (entre Dragones y Barcelona)

Owner: Ramón Cifuentes and family and others / Cigar factory from 1900 to 2012 / Brands: Partagás, Ramón Allones, F. Pego Pita, La Intimidad, Coruncho, La Eminencia, El Corojo, Particulares, Prudencio Rabell, El Cambio Real and others.

7.1 - Partagás Manufacture by Jaime Partagás: Industria (esquina a Barcelona), 

Owner: Jaime Partagás / Cigar factory from 1845 to 1900 / Brands: Partagás

8 - H.Upmann-Manufaktur: Amistad 407/409 (entre Barcelona y Dragones)

Owners: Alonso Menendez and Pepe García and others / Cigar factory from 1944 to 2003 / Brands: H.Upmann, Montecristo and others.

9 - Palacio de Hierro (Iron Palace): Agramonte (entre Colón y Refugio) 

Owner: La Tabacalera / cigar factory from 1904 to 2006 / brands: La Corona, more than 90 brands in total

10 - Fonseca Manufacture: Galiano 466 (entra San Martin y Barcelona)

Owner: Francisco E. Fonseca and others / Cigar factory from 1915 to 1960s / Brands: Fonseca, Flor de Fonseca, Hamlet, Filoteo, Lurline, Castañeda, El Genio, Filotea, Para Mi, Real Carmen, Rotario and others.

Special: Today's La Corona manufactory: 4JCC+8MF, La Habana, Cuba

Avenida 20 de Mayo, Havana, Cuba

Resources on the topic

Intertabak AG

5^TH AVENUE Products Trading-GmbH

I hope you enjoyed my latest article and found the information it contained interesting. I am very excited to hear your views and look forward to reading your comments 🤗

First name:

eMail:

Due to tobacco restrictions by law, we need your date of birth. Thank you for your understanding.

Month of birth

Your birth monthJanuary february March April May June July August September october November December

Year of birth:

Your birth year2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941

Privacy policy

In the heart of Havana: Historic Habanos factories. A production of Crazycat Media GmbH. In co-operation with Intertabak AG (Switzerland, Liechtenstein) and 5^TH AVENUE Products Trading-GmbH (Germany, Poland, Austria)