Por Larranaga (Cuba)

Por Larrañaga holds a singular distinction in the cigar world — it is the oldest Cuban cigar brand still in production, founded in 1834 by Ignacio Larrañaga, a Spanish immigrant who arrived in Havana in 1825. Only the Cabañas brand, registered in 1810, is older, though that distinction has been the subject of friendly debate among historians. By the end of the 19th century, Por Larrañaga had built an international reputation elegant enough to earn the admiration of Rudyard Kipling, who immortalized it in his 1886 poem "The Betrothed" with the line "There is peace in a Larrañaga, there is calm in a Henry Clay." The brand was also notable for a different reason: it was the first Cuban factory to introduce machine-made cigar production in 1925, a move that sparked a workers' boycott and forced the machines to be returned to the United States. Following the Cuban revolution, production was consolidated at the La Corona factory in Havana, and the brand weathered a steep decline in the 1980s and trademark disputes in the 1990s that restricted its exports to only a handful of countries. Since 2002, all Por Larrañaga vitolas have been rolled entirely by hand using long or short filler tobacco from the premium Vuelta Abajo region of Pinar del Río. The current regular lineup is intentionally small, with the Petit Coronas and Galanes among the standout sizes, and the brand is frequently selected by Habanos S.A. for regional and limited edition releases. Today Por Larrañaga sits in the "Other" portfolio category within the Habanos classification system, which understates its appeal among serious Cuban cigar enthusiasts who prize its light to medium strength and refined, understated complexity.