In 1492, during Columbus' first voyage to the "new world", he visited the island of Cuba. His sailors were introduced to "Cohiba" by the island natives, a bunch of dried leaves that were smoked in a pipe called a "Tobacco".
When Columbus returned to Spain with a sampling of the dried leaves, it is said that he mistakenly called the leafy smoke “Tobacco”. And so it goes…Cohiba, true to its brand, is “Tobacco”, literally. If there is one Cuban cigar that is truly worthy of it’s name, it is definitely the Cohiba. The brand, first introduced in 1968, was originally reserved for diplomatic use only. In 1982, three types of Cohiba Cuban cigars were introduced to non-diplomats: the Lanceros, the Coronas Especiales and the Panatelas. Three more vitolas were added to the brand in 1989: the Espléndidos, the Robustos and the Exquisitos, completing what is known as "La Línea Clasica". Five more vitoles were added in 1992 creating the "Linea 1492": the Siglo I, II, III, IV and V. Cohiba remains the “King of the Cubans”. Only the finest tobacco leaves are used to create the various types of Cohiba cigars.
If this story is true, there are no pre-embargo Cohibas.