San Cristobal de La Habana is a Cuban cigar brand produced by Habanos S.A. and is one of the youngest brands in the modern Habanos portfolio. The brand was officially launched in Havana on 20 November 1999 and is named after the original Spanish colonial name of the city of Havana, San Cristóbal de La Habana, which dates back to the city's founding in 1519. The brand is unrelated to a separate, older San Cristobal brand that existed in Cuba prior to the 1959 Revolution.

The History of San Cristobal de La Habana

The brand was launched by Habanos S.A. in late 1999 to mark the passing of the millennium and to commemorate the long history of the Cuban capital. The launch was significant: it was the first new global Cuban cigar brand to be released in decades, and one of the few Habanos marcas created entirely in the modern era rather than carried forward from a pre-Revolution heritage.

The name draws on history. When the city was founded in 1519, it was originally called San Cristóbal de La Habana, San Cristóbal in honour of Saint Christopher (the saint of the day on which the city was founded), and La Habana taken from a name associated with the indigenous Taíno chief Habaguanex. A separate, unrelated brand also called San Cristobal de La Habana existed in Cuba up until the 1959 Revolution, but the modern brand has no connection to it.

The brand was launched with four vitolas, each named after one of the four Spanish fortresses built to defend Havana from French corsairs during the colonial era: El Morro, La Fuerza, La Punta, and El Príncipe. El Morro was discontinued in 2013, leaving three of the four original sizes in regular production today. Three additional vitolas, named after streets in Havana's historic old quarter (Mercaderes, Oficios, and Muralla), were added in 2004 for the brand's fifth anniversary, and remain La Casa del Habano exclusives.

Where San Cristobal de La Habana Cigars Are Made

San Cristobal de La Habana is produced at the La Corona factory in Havana, formally known as the Fábrica de Tabacos Habanera Miguel Fernández Roig. The brand uses tobacco from the Vuelta Abajo region of Pinar del Río province. The blend was created by Felix Jiménez, the master torcedor at La Corona, and is classified as medium-bodied. All cigars in the range are produced as totalmente a mano, tripa larga, totally hand-made, long-filler.

The San Cristobal Range

The current standard portfolio consists of the three remaining original vitolas plus the three 2004 La Casa del Habano exclusives.

El Príncipe (a Mareva / Petit Corona) is the smallest of the original line. La Fuerza (a Cervantes / Lonsdale) and La Punta (a Pirámides) complete the regular core range. The three street-named LCDH exclusives, Mercaderes, Oficios, and Muralla, are each named after a notable street in Old Havana.

The brand has also produced a number of significant special releases including the 20 Aniversario humidor (2019), regional editions for specific markets, and the rare 1519 collector's release.

San Cristobal Cigars at CigarBox

Browse our wider range of Cuban Cigars and the complete Cigars By Brand catalogue. For comparison reading across origins, our Cuban Cigars vs New World Alternatives and Dominican Cigars: A Smoother Alternative to Cuban Classics blog posts are useful starting points. You can also browse our Nicaraguan Cigars and Dominican Cigars collections.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does San Cristobal mean?

San Cristobal is the Spanish name for Saint Christopher (San Cristóbal in modern Spanish spelling). The city of Havana was originally named San Cristóbal de La Habana when it was founded in 1519, with the saint's name chosen because the city was founded on his feast day. La Habana refers to a name associated with the indigenous Taíno chief Habaguanex.

When was San Cristobal de La Habana launched?

The brand was officially launched in Havana on 20 November 1999 by Habanos S.A. to commemorate the new millennium. It was the first new global Cuban cigar brand released in decades. A separate, unrelated brand also called San Cristobal existed in Cuba prior to the 1959 Revolution.

What are the four San Cristobal cigars named after?

The four original vitolas, El Morro, La Fuerza, La Punta, and El Príncipe, are each named after one of the Spanish fortresses built to defend Havana from corsair attacks during the colonial era. El Morro was discontinued in 2013, leaving three of the original four in current production.