San Cristobal de la Habana
Launched in Havana on 20 November 1999 and named for the city's founding name, with vitolas named after its colonial fortresses.
San Cristobal de la Habana was launched on 20 November 1999, timed to the anniversary of the founding of Havana, whose original name it borrows. The four opening vitolas were named for the fortifications that guard the harbour: El Morro, El Principe, La Fuerza and La Punta. A pre-revolutionary brand of the same name had existed, but Habanos has stated that the modern marca is a new creation rather than a revival.
Three further sizes were added by 2004, and the brand has since received regional and limited editions. The blend is drawn from Vuelta Abajo leaf and sits in the medium range, and production is handled at the La Corona factory in Cerro. Output is small compared with the flagship marcas, and the brand is more visible in European and Asian markets than in Latin America.
A separate and unrelated non-Cuban brand called San Cristobal is sold in the United States by Ashton Distributors and made by My Father Cigars in Esteli. Readers should not treat ratings or availability information for one as applying to the other. The two brands are sold in different markets under different ownership, and the Nicaraguan cigar is considerably fuller in strength. Habanos has extended the Cuban line through regional and limited releases rather than through new core sizes.