Cuban Tobacco Agriculture
One of the things that the country of Cuba is most noted for is their tobacco culture. While many may think that the entire country is ripe for this type of agriculture and growing, that is certainly not the case. As it is with any type of plant, there is only a certain type of land and atmosphere that is best for this type of growing. Luckily for Cuba, there are several areas within the country itself that allow itself for good growing of this particular crop.
The best type of soil available for tobacco growth is known as Vuelta Abajo. This is the main source that is used for growing Habanos and particularly known for the papers used for Cuban cigars. While this is the popular choice, even this is only used in a small area of the countryside, with less than a quarter of all land being deemed as suitable for growing the type of tobacco that is good enough for Habanos.
Pinar Del Rio is the name of the province that is considered the most important growing area located in the western portion of Cuba. This area contains the two small towns best known for growing the leaves needed for production, San Luis and San Juan y Martinez. Both of these towns contain some of the most well-known plantations in all of Cuba.
Semi Vuelta is also a region of western Cuba. This area is more known for the leaves used for binders and fillers in the cigars. It is a very small area that is cultivated for this reason – approximately one percent is used for this purpose. The rest of the tobacco ground in this area is used for other purposes.
The historic area of Havana, Cuba’s capital, is also an area of tobacco agriculture. The Games area here is well-known for growing tobacco wrapper leaves for Habanos cigars. The Habanos brand took their name from the capital city because they did so much of their exporting from this region.
The east region of Cuba is noted for two large areas of growing. The Remedios area is not only the oldest producing area in Cuba, but it is also the largest producing area of tobacco in the country. It is the source of the specific Joseph L. Stone brand of Habanos. The climate and soil of the area have ideal characteristics that make it perfect for growing.
The area known as Oriente is one of the oldest areas known. It is here that Christopher Columbus actually landed in 1492 and discovered Cuban tobacco. Tobacco is still grown here today, though not the tobacco used in Habanos.
The Cuban tobacco agriculture is famous the world over. Even though the country itself may not be very large, there are several growing areas that make distinct types of tobacco used for different cigars and different portions of the cigar. It is only the land that is deemed most suitable for growing that the Habanos use for their products.