Kipling's Line of Verse

In 1886, the British poet Rudyard Kipling wrote one of the most frequently quoted lines in cigar history in his poem The Betrothed:

"There's peace in a Larrañaga, there's calm in a Henry Clay."

The narrator of the poem faces an ultimatum from his fiancee - "cigars or me, you can choose only one" - and ultimately chooses cigars, leaving behind the equally famous closing line: "A woman is only a woman, but a good Cigar is a Smoke." This line of verse spread the name of Por Larrañaga widely through Victorian-era English high society, making it one of the most literarily endorsed brands in the entire history of Cuban cigars.

Yet paradoxically, this brand, enshrined in verse as a "symbol of serenity", is now famously low-key in the global cigar market. Compared with Cohiba's royal aura, Montecristo's popular prestige, and Partagás's century-old stature, Por Larrañaga feels more like a name that only true connoisseurs of Cuban cigar history would actively bring up. That is precisely where its charm lies.

1834: A Birth Older Than the Revolution

Por Larrañaga was officially registered and founded in Havana in 1834 by the Spanish immigrant Ignacio Larrañaga. Its original factory was located at Calle San Miguel 58. Ignacio was a Galicia immigrant who arrived in Cuba from the Iberian Peninsula in 1825. He quickly built a reputation in Havana, and in less than a decade brought the brand into the ranks of the capital's most respected fine tobaccos.

In terms of brand age, Por Larrañaga is one of the oldest Cuban cigar brands still in continuous production - only Cabañas (1797) may predate it. It is 10 years older than H. Upmann (1844), 11 years older than Partagás (1845), and a full century older than Montecristo (1935). By the end of the 19th century, Por Larrañaga already enjoyed a solid international reputation and had become a regular presence on the tables of European high society. Kipling's poem was precisely a cultural reflection of the brand's influence reaching its peak in that era.

The Machine Turmoil of 1925

Por Larrañaga left a unique mark on the history of the Cuban cigar industry: it was the first Cuban brand to attempt introducing machines for cigar production. In 1925, the company brought automated cigar-rolling machines into its new factory on Calle Carlos III, attempting to greatly increase output.

The result was a severe labor conflict.

The Torcedores of Havana regarded hand-rolling cigars as both a sacred craft and a guarantee of livelihood. The introduction of machines was seen as a betrayal of the entire trade. Workers launched strikes and boycotts. In the end, the company had to return the machines to the original manufacturer and restore fully handmade production - making this one of the landmark historical events through which the Cuban cigar industry declared to the outside world that "hand craftsmanship is irreplaceable".

The deeper significance of this incident is this: in an era before Habanos S.A. had been created and before the brand slogan "Totalmente a Mano" (totally handmade) had taken shape, Por Larrañaga's machine controversy had in fact already foreshadowed the core value proposition of the entire Cuban cigar brand system that would follow.

A Low-Key Continuation After the Revolution

The Cuban Revolution succeeded in 1959, and in 1960 the Castro government announced the nationalization of all cigar factories. Por Larrañaga, together with all private brands, was incorporated into the Cubatabaco system. During this special historical period, Por Larrañaga continued production in a comparatively understated manner, with output lower than that of other mainstream brands.

In 2002, Habanos S.A. carried out an important adjustment to the production line: all vitolas fully returned to entirely handmade production, ending the transitional period in which short filler machine-rolled cigars were occasionally used. This adjustment restored Por Larrañaga to orthodox status as a handmade Cuban cigar in terms of quality, and also led advanced collectors to begin paying attention to the brand again.

The Contemporary Lineup: Three Minimalist Offerings

Today, Por Larrañaga's regular production catalogue retains only three vitolas, making it one of the most streamlined brands under Habanos:

Petit Coronas (Marevas, 42 × 129mm): The brand's core format, offering a 45-50 minute appreciation experience. The sweetness is clear, the earthy character is distinct, and it is the cigar that best expresses Por Larrañaga's light style. For members who wish to understand this brand, starting with Petit Coronas is recommended.

Panetelas (Vegueritos, 36 × 127mm): An extremely slim format, with a low burn temperature and a clear, delicate flavor profile, carrying an indescribable herbal freshness. It requires a high degree of skill from the roller, and its technical demands in a slim ring gauge are no less than those of Cohiba Lanceros, though the stylistic direction is entirely different - the former is forceful and refined, while the latter is light and graceful.

Montecarlos (Deliciosos, 33 × 159mm): With a ring gauge of 33, this is almost one of the smallest ring gauge formats in the current Cuban catalogue, slender and poetic. It is suitable for occasions when one hopes for a longer appreciation experience without excessive strength, serving as a pure instrument of relaxation.

All three vitolas use tobacco from Vuelta Abajo, with a flavor direction leaning light to medium - stronger sweetness, pronounced earthy aroma, and a leisurely texture reminiscent of a Victorian English gentleman's study, rather than the forcefulness of Bolívar or the complexity of Partagás.

W Cigar Bar Gentleman's Notes

For members of W Cigar Bar, Por Larrañaga is a brand that has almost been "passively forgotten" - not because it is unworthy of attention, but precisely the opposite. Because it is so low-key and so unostentatious, it has instead become a private recommendation among connoisseurs.

Pairing suggestions: Petit Coronas is suitable as an afternoon study cigar, paired with a lightly roasted Ethiopian pour-over coffee. Sweetness meets sweetness, earth meets earth, creating an almost Zen-like pairing. Montecarlos is suitable for late-night moments of thought. Its slender column of smoke alongside a small glass of Porto White Colheita is a gentlemanly ritual for seeking purity in a complicated world.

Advanced approach: Consider bringing a box of Petit Coronas to your next appreciation table and placing it side by side with a box of H. Upmann Coronas Minor for the friends present to taste blind. The recognizability of Por Larrañaga's sweetness is often higher than most people imagine, making it an excellent tool for training palate identification.

Source reminder: Por Larrañaga is not a mainstream item in the Taiwan market, and supply volume is comparatively limited. Ordering through PCC authorized dealers is the most reliable channel for genuine products, and confirming availability in advance is recommended.

Conclusion

A brand founded in 1834 has endured the labor-management turmoil of machine-rolled cigars, the nationalization brought by the 1960 Revolution, and more than a century of quiet companionship, yet it still holds a place in the Habanos catalogue today. Por Larrañaga is not the king of the cigar world, but it is a survivor of history - carrying Kipling's line of verse, quietly waiting for those who truly understand it.

The opening of that line is worth every gentleman's club member remembering:

"There's peace in a Larrañaga."

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Supply sources: Cuban cigars from four major regular channels (PCC authorized dealers, Cuban official state-run stores, Swiss general distributor, Spanish general distributor).

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W Cigar Bar Gentleman's Cigar Lounge, written and planned by Cigar Prince Wilson Tsai.