Last month, I had the incredible opportunity to spend 7 unforgettable nights in Cuba 🇨🇺 with Surrey Cigars. It was truly a dream trip and worth every penny. For £2k, we experienced an action-packed itinerary, delving into Cuba’s rich cigar history as a group of ten passionate cigar enthusiasts. This was an experience I never could have planned on my own, and I’m so glad I did it with this amazing group (waves to James, George, Alistair, Chris, Fabian, Rich, Shelly, Daniel, and Terry – if you’re reading this 👋)!
In this post (Part 4 of my cigar adventure), I’ll share the details of our second full day in the Pinar del Río province, Cuba’s tobacco-growing heartland. After visiting the Alejandro Robaina Tobacco Plantation on day one, we headed to the famed Héctor Luis Prieto Tobacco Plantation in the Vuelta Abajo region—known for producing some of the world’s finest tobacco leaves.
If you missed the earlier posts, catch up here:
Part 1 – Before the trip
Part 2 – Getting there and first impressions
Part 3 – Visiting the Alejandro Robaina Tobacco Plantation
Stay tuned for upcoming posts as we visited cigar factories and shops, going from seed to store!
The Famous Hector Luis Prieto Tobacco Plantation
We set off early in the morning and hit the road. The journey from Havana to San Juan y Martínez takes about three hours each way, so the total drive adds up to around six hours! That’s quite a chunk of time on the road – luckily we had cigars and drinks on the ride.
If you’re planning to visit a few plantations during your trip, I suggest staying nearby. This way, you’ll have more time to explore and fully appreciate everything they have to offer.
I later found out that you can actually stay at the farm itself—just take a look at their website: fincahectorluis.com (though I’m not sure about the pricing details). Unfortunately, I don’t think they would have been able to accommodate all 10 of us!
I had really been looking forward to this visit because I had heard so many great things about Héctor Luis.
It was also exciting because my friend Harish, who lives in London, had gifted me a custom 60-ring gauge cigar last year, made at Hector’s farm. It turned out to be an incredible smoke, so I already knew firsthand that Hector’s cigars were top-notch.
Who is Hector Luis?
In 2007, Héctor Luis Prieto, at thirty-six years old, was awarded the prestigious Hombre Habano honor during the Festival del Habano.
The annual festival, held in Havana, Cuba, celebrates the craftsmanship and heritage of Cuban cigars.
As the youngest Hombre Habano in history, Prieto’s achievement was remarkable. His plantation provides Cuba’s Habanos S.A. with one of the most exceptional tobacco blends, which is grown exclusively for the country’s premium cigar brands such as Cohiba, Montecristo, and Romeo y Julieta.
I believe this includes some of the limited edition and regional cigars out there too!
The team at Privada Cigar Club (USA) recently had the opportunity to sit down with Hector Luis for an exclusive interview—check it out here:
The fields and barns
As we arrived at the plantation, we were welcomed by this breathtaking view 👆 that felt like paradise. These tobacco fields were remarkable! This land has been lovingly tended to by four generations of the Prieto family.
A few moments later, we found ourselves walking through those very tobacco fields—something I never could have imagined.
It was incredible to be so close to the heart of such an important tradition, strolling through the fields like a local and taking in the peaceful, meditative atmosphere.
The process of making cigars at the farm
At Finca Héctor Luis Prieto, the process of making cigars is a labour of love, steeped in tradition. Here’s how it works:
1 – Growing the Tobacco: The tobacco plants are grown on the farm for about 9 months before being harvested.
The rich soil of Pinar del Río gives the tobacco a unique flavour, and the leaves are carefully selected by hand.
2 – Curing the Tobacco: After harvest, the tobacco leaves are hung in drying barns for several weeks to cure. This process changes the leaves from green to a deeper yellow, setting the stage for the development of flavour and aroma.
3 – Fermentation: The cured leaves undergo fermentation, where the natural enzymes in the tobacco break down impurities and enhance the flavour. This is a crucial step to remove any bitterness and to prepare the leaves for rolling.
4 – Sorting and Aging: The tobacco leaves are sorted by quality and then aged. The best leaves are reserved for the wrapper, while others are used as filler and binder. The aging process can last for several months, allowing the flavours to mature.
5 – Rolling the Cigars: The cigars are rolled by hand by skilled torcedores (cigar rollers). The filler, binder, and wrapper are carefully combined to create a perfectly shaped cigar. The wrapper is the most important for the cigar’s appearance and flavour, and it’s selected for its smooth texture and richness.
6 – Aging the Rolled Cigars: After being rolled, the cigars are placed in aging rooms where they rest for several more months, allowing the flavours to meld together and develop even further.
7 – Quality Control: Before the cigars are packaged, they undergo a rigorous quality control check to ensure that each one meets the high standards of craftsmanship. This involves examining the construction, draw, and appearance of each cigar.
More highlights from the visit
Unfortunately, Héctor Luis wasn’t there during our visit, but we had a great tour guide who shared the history of the farm and the cigar-making process.
We also got the chance to be nosy around his farm…
The farm had an upstairs and downstairs area with a cozy cigar lounge—a really cool spot to hang out.
Lunch was amazing too—definitely recommend the food, especially the dessert with coconut (can’t remember the name, but it was spot on!).
Afterward, we had the chance to buy some of the farm’s famous 60-ring gauge cigars.
We all loved them and of course smoked them during our visit!
As we concluded our visit and made our way back to Havana, I couldn’t shake off a feeling of sadness. I wished I could have stayed longer.
Honestly, I would love to spend some time living and working on the farm—it’s a beautiful way of life, deeply connected to the land and tradition. But the reality is that it’s incredibly tough work, especially under the intense heat – and of course the economic conditions are very different from what we’re used to in the UK. I have a deep respect for the people who do this every day.
This experience made me truly appreciate the dedication and hard labour that goes into producing single every cigar 🙌🏻.
Here’s a little compilation video I made of the visit, that I posted on my social media feeds.
Next Up: The Cigar Factories!
In my next post, I’ll share our adventures visiting the NEW Partagas, H.Upmann, + Romeo y Julieta Factory! 🇨🇺
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