The Robusto Revolution

There has been no greater upheaval during my five decades in the Havana cigar trade than the change in the preference for sizes of cigars. Had I prophesied 40 years ago that, one day, the most popular Cuban cigar size would be Robustos, I would have been laughed off the premises of any of the noble merchants of London’s St James’s Street.

In those days, Havanas were virtually all Lonsdales, Coronas or Petit Coronas, all 42 ring gauge shapes, and, if anything, customers looking for alternatives would go for something even slimmer—like 33 ring gauge Ninfas or Palmas.

That is not to say that Robustos did not exist back then. There were four cigars that fitted the strict dimensions of 4 inches by 124mm by 50 ring gauge, which defined the vitola de galera, or factory name, Robusto: the Bolivar Royal Corona, the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2, the Partagas Serie D No. 4 and the Ramon Allones Specially Selected.

The problem was that nobody wanted to smoke them.

I know this is hard to believe these days. Over the years I have searched long and hard for a way to illustrate just how unpopular Robustos used to be. My quest ended during a conversation with my good friend and long-time colleague, Ana Lopez, erstwhile Marketing Director of Habanos S.A. When she first joined Cubatabaco (the forerunner of Habanos S.A.), in the mid 1980s, Ana was responsible for liaising with the Partagas factory.

She recalled how, probably in 1985, the total annual order for Partagas Serie D No. 4 for all the markets in the world was just 5,000 cigars. Today the equivalent figure is measured in millions because the D4, as it is known, has become Cuba’s biggest selling single vitola.

For more of our Simon Chase features check our latest issue.