Culebra Cigars

We love showing you all of our rare and unusual cigars we have to offer and one of the most unusual that catches everyone's attention is the Culebra. A culebra is three separate cigars twisted around each other and then banded together. These brilliant cigars are usually 5-6 inches long and tend to be a small ring gauge.

Nobody really knows how the Culebra came to be but the most common story is that they were made as a way to stop workers in cigar factories from taking more than their allowance of three cigars a day. When Culebra cigars are pulled apart they are crooked in shape which means anyone seen smoking a straight cigar would be considered a thief. It was also used as a deterrent for all the factory workers who wanted to sell cigars for their own profit as people would be less likely to buy a twisted cigar.

This story is very often scrutinised since any cigar roller could have made cigars into Culebras. Also creating Culebras just for workers would waste a lot of rolling time which costs money, which is money companies would be unlikely to waste.

Another story came from the Philippines during the 19th century. People believed that weaving together a few thin cigars would help them mature much faster. This idea never caught on with the rest of the world and cigar factories stuck to their own maturing methods.

How to make a Culebra cigar.

The cigars in a Culebra tend to be thin cigars almost Panatela size with a 38 ring gauge. To start with the individual Panatelas are rolled a little smaller than usual, they’re also over-moistened to ensure the wrapper doesn’t split when the cigars are being braided together.

The three cigars are put together and tied with a ribbon at the cap before being braided and then tied with another ribbon at the bottom end. Over time the cigars begin the mould together as they age and the extra moisture applied earlier evaporates. The cigars retain their twisted shape even when they are pulled apart to be smoked.

How to smoke a Culebra cigar

Whenever customers see the Culebras we have in stock the first thing they ask is “do you smoke that altogether?'' Now whilst this is theoretically possible, I really dont recommend it as you are essentially smoking three cigars in one.

What you should do is unwrap the ribbons and separate the cigars and then smoke individually, if it’s a special occasion you could always separate them, share with two friends and enjoy the experience together.

Culebras are often produced as part of a limited edition collection that doesn’t stay around for long, however they are considered a rare novelty cigar that is collectable.

Click here to view our range of Culebras

Written by Oliver Partington