Learning firsthand about the “totally by hand” production process of a Habano cigar. Photo credit: Timothy Donahue
The 2025 Habanos Festival was unique. This year, for only the second time in the festival's 25-year history, attendees were allowed to roll a cigar alongside professional rollers at one of five factories during a master rolling class in the same buildings where Habanos cigars are produced.
Daymi Difurniao Rodríguez, a communications and marketing specialist for Habanos, said that holding the rolling class in the factories allows more attendees to learn firsthand about the “totally by hand” production process of a Habano (a 100% Cuban cigar). “I wanted attendees to make their own Habano so they could understand the details and intricacies involved in creating the Habanos, the world’s finest cigars,” she said.
The torcedor (cigar roller) who taught the El Laguito class was Ana Isel Mederos Cano, the main quality specialist at El Laguito. She has been there for 26 years, 12 of them as a roller and the past 15 in her current position. “I love that I have been given this opportunity to teach the art of cigar rolling to cigar aficionados from around the world,” she told Tobacco Asia.
Nestled in Havana's tree-lined Miramar district, El Laguito stands out among the many exquisite mansions in the area. For years, it has served as the home factory for Cohiba. Yet, a single step inside reveals its former life as the opulent residence of a wealthy gentleman—a testament to the majestic symmetry of classic Beaux-Arts architecture. The factory was established by Fidel Castro to roll his personal cigars and is recognized as the site where the Cohiba cigar was first manufactured.
Inside, a sweeping spiral staircase dominates the lobby, while two intimate salons, each furnished with rolling tables, flank the main foyer. Unlike the expansive, open rolling rooms typical of many cigar factories, these smaller spaces might initially seem confined. However, the tall windows flood each salon with natural light, creating an airy, welcoming atmosphere. What were once dining rooms, sitting rooms, tea rooms, or parlors have been thoughtfully transformed into the dedicated workspace where Cohiba cigars are meticulously crafted daily.
Visitors also had the opportunity to visit La Corona, Partagás, H. Upmann, and Carlos Baliño. La Corona has about 750 employees, 300 of which are dedicated rollers. The rollers produce brands such as Hoyo de Monterrey, Montecristo, Cuaba, Diplomaticos and San Cristobal de la Habana. At the H. Upmann Factory, H. Upmann, Montecristo, and Romeo y Julieta, and sometimes several sizes of Cohiba are produced. Partagas is one of Havana’s iconic factories and Carlos Baliño is the former El Rey del Mundo factory.
El Laguito, however, is legendary. It is the factory where many of Habanos’ premier marcas are produced, such as Cohiba (including the entire Behike line) and Trinidad. Festival roller trainees were given a wooden board to roll, a “chaveta” tobacco leaf cutting blade, some vegetable glue, and an apron. Several factory rollers made rounds around the room, helping festival attendees roll their cigars. It was an experience many will cherish forever.