Vegueros Centrogordos are now available across the United Kingdom in tins of 16 cigars.
Vegueros is the Cuban name for tobacco farmers and it is a tradition in the Vuelta Abajo zone of Pinar del Rio for the Vegueros to make their own cigars. Naturally, visitors to the province often want to try these cigars, made in the land where the world’s best tobacco is grown. So, in 1996, the Vegueros brand was introduced to the market as a tribute to the countless generations that have cultivated tobacco in Pinar del Rio.
All Vegueros are made at the “Francisco Donatien” factory in Pinar del Rio, the same factory which makes Trinidad. The building, located in the centre of the city, was built as a prison in 1868 and converted into a cigar factory in 1961.
Originally launched as a full-flavoured brand, Vegueros was rereleased in 2013 with a slightly lighter, medium to full blend. The relaunch saw in brand new sizes, dressed in new bands, and presented in tins of 16 or small packs of 4. Happily, the revised blend maintained the brand’s rustic edge and much of its original identity.
The names of each new vitola have taken inspiration from the Cuban farmers’ vocabulary. Centrogordo, for example, is the classification for a particular stage of harvesting.
The harvesting of a single tobacco plant takes around 30 days, starting at the bottom and slowly working up leaving days in between each picking. This method of harvesting accentuates the natural difference between the older, less flavoursome leaves at the bottom and the younger, more potent leaves at the top. It also allows the top leaves to reach full maturation. Centrogordo is the stage of harvest just before the farmer reaches the corona (the very top) of the plant.
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