For fans of Cuban cigars, there are cigar superstars. Hamlet, La China, Yolanda, Reynaldo, Taboada and Cueto are all elite rollers of custom blends, referred to by names, their names. For farming superstars in Cuba, there is one name that stands above all else—Robaina. Earlier this week, Nicaraguan-based Cubanacan Cigars announced that at the upcoming IPCPR convention and trade show, it will be unveiling a new line of cigars called simply HR, which happen to be the initials of the cigar’s blender, Hirochi Robaina. Robaina is well known for being the grandson of Alejandro Robaina, the legendary farmer who grew some of the country’s best tobacco at his farm, Cuchillas de Barbacoa, in San Luis, Pinar del Río. The elder Robaina was famous enough that when he passed away in April 2010, The New York Times penned an obituary. Omar González Alemán, Cubanacan’s master blender who previously worked in Cuba’s cigar industry, wanted to create a cigar to honor his legacy and approached the younger Robaina in 2011 regarding the idea. The pair has been working on the project ever since and will be debuting the line in Las Vegas later this month at the annual trade show. Robaina will be ...
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