When I attended the Cohiba Talismán 2026 World Launch in London last month, one detail that particularly caught my eye was THAT impressive ice sculpture of El Laguito, the historic Havana cigar factory that has been Cohiba’s home since the brand was established in 1966 👇.

Having featured the sculpture in my original report of the event, I was proper obsessed and wanted to find out a bit more about how it was made.

I contacted Icebox Design, and Csaba Vass, Head of Creative and Head 3D Ice Sculptor, kindly talked me through the process.

Far more than a simple carving job, the project involved some seriously impressive precision engineering using around 600kg of ice!

Recreating a piece of Cohiba history

El Laguito is more than just a factory; it’s an integral part of Cohiba’s story. Housed in a former mansion in Havana, it became the brand’s home when Cohiba was established in 1966. Making its recreation a particularly fitting centrepiece for an event celebrating the brand’s 60th anniversary.

Icebox Design were provided with photographs of a wooden replica, along with side-elevation drawings. The brief was to recreate the building in ice, engrave the Cohiba logo on the roof and produce a centrepiece for an illuminated plinth measuring 1.3 metres wide, 1.2 metres deep and one metre high.

Rather than carving the entire building from a single block, Csaba broke the design down into 28 individual sections, using a three-axis CNC machine to cut the pieces and engrave the windows and architectural details.

The sculpture required approximately five blocks of ice, each weighing around 120kg.

The secret behind the white details

One of the features I found particularly interesting was the contrast between the transparent ice and the white architectural details. These weren’t painted on or made from a separate material.

Csaba explained:

“We engrave the details into the ice, pack snow back into the cavities and pour water over it.”

As the water freezes, it binds the snow into the engraved sections, creating the white details while keeping the sculpture entirely made from ice.

It’s a clever technique that brings out the building’s features and helps make the miniature El Laguito so recognisable.

A week in the freezer

Csaba spent approximately a week working on the sculpture, with the freezer maintained at between -10°C and -12°C.

After machining, the individual pieces were sanded and assembled in the freezer to check that everything fitted correctly.

Each section was then labelled and wrapped in bubble wrap for transport before being assembled at the venue and fused together using water.

The finished sculpture was displayed on an illuminated plinth, allowing light to pass through the crystal-clear ice.

As Csaba put it:

“Ice sculpting is really about directing light through a crystal-clear material.”

He also explained that the ice contains no trapped air bubbles, helping it melt more slowly. Yet the material is never entirely static.

“As ice is essentially a living material, every time you come back to look at the sculpture, it will have changed slightly.”

More than a centrepiece

Having now discovered the work behind the sculpture, I appreciate it even more. What caught my eye at the launch was the finished building; what makes it particularly impressive is the precision machining, careful assembly and craftsmanship required to create it.

There was also a deeper connection to the subject. During the event, José Antonio Cejas Díaz, former Deputy Director of El Laguito, shared personal memories of his time at the factory. Hearing those recollections added another dimension to a sculpture representing such an important part of Cohiba’s history.

My thanks to Csaba Vass of Icebox Design for sharing the details behind the project 🙏. It’s always interesting to discover the craftsmanship behind the details that make an event memorable.

If you missed my original report, you can read it here: Cohiba Talismán World Launch London 2026 – A Complete Recap.

If you want to know more about Icebox Design visit their website at https://theicebox.com/