Historical Habanos Manufactories: The Film

"In the Heart of Havana: Historical 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 inseparable from the myth of the Havana cigar. These hand-rolled masterpieces are known worldwide for their quality and unique taste. To explore the origins and fascination of these cigars, we embarked on a unique tour of the city's former manufactories in mid-June 2023.

Expected Reading Time: 11 Minutes

Havana News Fall 23: The Review

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The film: Historic Habanos Manufactories

Enjoy the film "In the Heart of Havana: Historic Habanos Manufactories".

The official importers of Cuban cigars generously provide the film 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. I would like to thank them very much for the great cooperation. My special thanks go to Claudia Puszkar, who accompanied us with her historical knowledge on this fascinating journey. We hope you enjoy the film Historic Habanos Manufactories.

LIVE preview: A terrific online event

Viewers had the opportunity to watch the preview of the film "In the Heart of Havana: Historic Habanos Manufactories" LIVE on YouTube on 07/25/2023.

A few seconds before the LIVE pre-premiere. I am already quite excited!

The event began with an exciting countdown and the anticipation was palpable as viewers expressed their excitement and anticipation for the film in the live chat. When 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 manufactories in Cuba.

The atmosphere in the live chat was very lively during the entire demonstration. 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 movie, you can read all the chat comments in sync with the movie. To do this, activate the "Play chat 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 more 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 for your work around the cigar.

As a casual cigar smoker, I benefit immeasurably from your knowledge and passion for the cigar. I hope to read much more from you.

Thanks again for the evening.

- Michael

"Vasilij and Claudia take us on a tour around morning Havana bathed in golden light. I felt as if I were there in person! The two are a perfect team, Claudia convinces with deep expert knowledge, while Vasilij loosens up the information with his own humor, appreciated by all fans (including me!). I laughed a lot, marveled even more and, above all, absorbed everything with relish. I 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 succeeded here in creating 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 succeeded in shaking me up anew ... A big thank you for this somewhat different, special history of Cuba."

- Roland Anderegg

"I congratulate you and the team with all my heart. I really enjoyed the documentary, you did a historically valuable job presenting interesting information in an entertaining way. I didn't even notice how the 40 minutes passed. Undoubtedly a documentary that should be seen by anyone interested in the history of Habanos and Havana.

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

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

I enjoyed the tour of Havana very much. I am very moved because I grew up and lived in the very neighborhoods that are 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 for all the valuable content you can create for cigar lovers. Cigars.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 done! The historical material is a bit dry in itself (as is often the case with such topics). But Vasilij managed to lighten up the story with his film editing and the many funny, informative and beautiful interludes. It is a very nice document of the times.

What I personally miss is that maybe a Cuban gets a word in edgewise. But I understand that this can be a bit difficult.

All in all, I really enjoyed the film because you get to learn the history of the historic Habanos manufactories in a way you don't get otherwise."

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

"Great film, great lighting, I feel transported back to my visit to Havana. What is scary are the empty streets. One feels transported back to the beginning of the last century. No TV, internet, etc., all analog. Cigars were purchased here in colonial goods stores or specialized cigar stores. Sumatra, Brasil, Havana were emblazoned on the outdoor advertising. There were cigar rooms where mostly gentlemen indulged in tobacco in peace, a real smoking culture. A completely different time."

- Heino Nohrden

Experience history up close on film

Our trip "In the Heart of Havana: Historic Habanos Manufactories" 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. In the past, there was a railroad station here where the valuable bales of tobacco arrived by train. Cigar manufacturers settled around this station to gain access to the high-quality tobacco leaves.

Havana was once the center of cigar production with over 500 manufactories within a radius of about 500 meters. Old Havana, compared to today's expanse of nearly 800 square kilometers, was then only about 8 square kilometers. Our tour focused on Old Havana, the historic center where many of the most important cigar manufactories were located.

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

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

The addresses and info of the visited manufactories

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

Owner: Miguel Jané /cigar factory from 1870 to ca. 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 about 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 ca. 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 Manufacture: Industria 520 (entre Dragones y Barcelona)

Owner: Ramón Cifuentes and family among 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 among others.

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

Owner: Jaime Partagás / cigar factory from 1845 to 1900 / brands: Partagás

8 - H.Upmann manufactory: 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, a total of more than 90 brands

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

Owner: Francisco E. Fonseca et al / 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 Manufacture: 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 comment 🤗

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