Cigar Aficionado

No cigar brand garners more attention than Cohiba. Created in Cuba in 1966, commercialized in 1982 and now commanding prices of up to $800 and more for a single cigar, Cuba’s most luxurious cigar is one worthy of attention and adulation—and it was the centerpiece of a seminar at the Las Vegas Big Smoke.

Cigar Aficionado managing editor Gregory Mottola and executive editor David Savona led the presentation, which featured a Powerpoint series of photographs that took the audience through the (nearly) 60-year-history of the brand.

Mottola spoke about the original size, the Cohiba Lancero. Before it was sold commercially it was only available as a gift from Fidel Castro himself, or via some other high-ranking member of the Cuban government. “This was the original cigar unicorn before that term even existed,” said Mottola.  

Talk of El Laguito, the mother factory of Cohiba, brought attention to its unusual layout. Because it’s a converted mansion, the operation is a series of smaller rooms rather than a large, wide-open space of typical cigar factories. Mottola pointed out that not all Cohibas are made at El Laguito, but he and Savona said they had never seen a Cohiba Behike rolled anywhere else. 

Mottola also mentioned the aspects that make Cohiba different from other Cuban cigars, including the fact that the tobacco used in the brand is said to come from Cuba’s top tobacco farms. He and Savona spoke about the evolution of the band, which began as a rather simple design but today incorporates several holograms and embossments. 

The presentation inevitably turned to one of supply and price, as Cuban cigars in general—and Cohibas in particular—have become ever more expensive and considerably harder to find. 

“We go to Cuba regularly, and keep track of the cigar prices,” said Savona, who read a number of figures about the changing prices of Cuban cigars. While mainstream cigars such as the Montecristo No. 2 have more than doubled in price over the past 10 years (from $241 per box of 25 to $571) Cohibas have gone up far more. “A box of Cohiba Siglo I went from $172 in 2015 to $775 in 2025, and that’s the smallest size in the Siglo line…Siglo VI cigars went from $490 to $2,500. A box of Cohiba Lanceros went from $398 in 2015 to $2,325. That’s a 484 percent increase.”

Mottola spoke about the Cohiba Behike, the ultimate expression of the Cohiba brand. The Cohiba Behike BHK 52, which debuted in 2010, was named Cigar of the Year by this magazine that same year. Savona spoke about the medio tiempo tobacco used in the blend, setting it apart from other Cohibas, and Mottola teased Savona for not buying them when they were plentiful and selling for only around $300 a box of 10. Today they go for about 10 times that price. “Dave, didn’t you see a bunch of these in the Casa del Habano at Habana Libre back in the day?” Savona shook his head. “Thanks for reminding me, Greg. I should have bought them!”

And then came the subject of counterfeits, a prevalent problem plaguing the Cohiba brand. Mottola explained how it’s by far the most counterfeited brand in the cigar world. He also lamented the fact that many people buy them without caring that they are fake. “When women buy fake Luis Louis Vuitton bags, they know they’re buying a fake,” he said. “Men have no idea that they bought a fake cigar, and don’t want to hear otherwise.” He shared a story about a friend who called him for advice about a dubious box of Behikes. When Mottola heard it was a 25 count, he immediately knew it was fake. He told the friend, who told the person who was selling them. He bought them anyway. Mottola shook his head. “Some people just don’t want to know.”

The Big Smoke will return to Las Vegas next fall, November 6 and 7, 2026. Save the date.

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