EMS is a term that has been referred to in Cuba for over a century to identify the quality of cigars designated for the British market. It is the cornerstone of the UK’s long established reputation as the world’s centre for the finest Havana cigars.
The EMS stamp was introduced by Hunters & Frankau over twenty-five years ago as an easily identifiable mark of quality and authenticity for Havanas sold in the UK market.
The stamp is applied to all boxes and packs of Havanas that have passed an additional UK quality inspection before being made available for sale to trade accounts.
Every single box and pack of Havana cigars are opened (by cutting the seals) and inspected before they leave the Hunters & Frankau warehouse. This is to ensure that only the very best quality cigars are released for sale in the UK market.
The EMS stamp guarantees that:
Every box has come directly from Habanos S.A. in Cuba to Hunters & Frankau
Every box has been shipped and stored by experts
Every box has passed a UK quality check
All UK duties have been paid
Every box carries correct UK health warnings
The EMS stamp is also an important safeguard against counterfeit Havanas that occasionally find their way onto the world market.
The colour of the EMS stamp changes every year:
Look for the stamp on all boxes/packs of Havana cigars sold in the UK.
Export & Duty Free stamp
A different stamp is applied to cigars destined for Travel Retail or one
of the various Export markets served by Hunters & Frankau, which states
‘H&F Imported directly from Cuba’.
