The 2021 EMS stamp has been issued by Hunters & Frankau and is being applied to all Havana cigars that pass the UK quality inspection. Every box of Havanas in the UK must be opened and the seals broken in order to conduct this process.
EMS stands for English Market Selection and is a description that has been used in Cuba for over a century to identify the quality of cigars destined for the British market. All packs of Havanas (Habanos) selected for sale in the UK now bear this stamp.
Since 1997, the colour of the stamp has been changed annually. This means it is common to find various different coloured stamps on the shelves of your local Havana Cigar Specialist, depending on when the cigars were originally checked by H&F quality control experts.
To learn more about the EMS stamp and what it represents today within the UK market, please click here.
