Cuaba

Cuaba is a Cuban cigar brand sold around the world by Habanos S.A. It was launched in 1996 at the Romeo y Julieta factory in Havana. Every Cuaba is a double figurado: a cigar that is pointed at both the head and the foot. This shape was popular in Cuba in the late 1800s, and Cuaba was created to bring it back. Double figurados are hard to roll, and few factories make them in quantity.

The name is a Taíno word from the time of Columbus. It was the name of a bush that burned easily and was used to light cigars in religious ceremonies.

Cuaba started with four small sizes: Divinos, Tradicionales, Generosos, and Exclusivos. Three larger sizes, the Distinguido, Diadema, and Salomón, were added in 2003. The leaf comes from the Vuelta Abajo region of Pinar del Río. Habanos rates the brand medium to full in strength.

Cuaba was created after the 1959 revolution, and Habanos holds the trademark. There is no separate non-Cuban Cuaba. Cuban Cuabas cannot legally be sold in the United States because of the U.S. embargo.