The famous Partagas factory was opened in 1845 by Don Jaime Partagas and it has been making the cigars that bear his name ever since. This is one of the most famous cigar factories in Havana, located at No. 520 Industria Street in the heart of the city. Innovative in many ways, the Partagas factory was the first to introduce the Cuban practice of reading to cigar workers.
When Don Jamie owned Partagas, he was also the owner of some of the best cigar plantations in the world. His ability to choose from among the finest tobaccos on the island, as well as an instinct for blending and fermenting tobacco, made the brand a huge success. Still to this day his innovative fermenting and aging techniques are used to create the famous cigar.
Partagas is packed with history. In the 1860s Don Jamie was murdered, leading to his son taking over the company. From the 1900s the Cifuentes took over the company, growing it over the next half a century to be one of the largest exports of Havana cigars. At this time the company was known as Cifuentes Y Cia, and by 1958 they were responsible for over 25% of total Cuban tobacco exports. Through the revolution, the world’s passion for Partagas cigars did not change, with an excess of 10 million cigars hand-rolled and exported by 1990.