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Packaging Information

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Finished Cigars
Packaging Types
Date Codes
Factory Codes
Box Stamps
Box Seals
Warranty Seals
Health, Logo & Duty Paid Stickers
Habanos Packaging Codes


logo Finished Cigars

Individual cigars are finished (presented) in various ways:


With Bands

Since mid 2006, all Cuban cigars have bands (anillo's) applied.  Limited and Special Releases usually have a second band.  Commemorative issues may have a special band and/or a second band.  On rare occasions, the bands may be individually numbered.

Early bands for Machine-made cigars are imprinted Elaborado A Maquina.


Without Bands

Previously, un-banded Cuban cigars were limited to Slide Lid Boxes and Bundles.  Between 2004 and 2006, this packaging can be found with or without bands.  Un-banded cigars are no longer produced.


Aluminium Tubes

Some cigars are only available in aluminium tubes, while others are available either with or without tubes. 

Aluminium tubes have a thin cedar timber veneer lining.  Tubes help preserve cigars from physical damage and short-term drying out.  Habanos recommends removing the cigars from their tubes if storing in a humidor; but MRN recommends leaving cigars in their tubes for improved (but slower) aging.

Since 2006, Habanos SA has been extending the available tube range in their major brands, using both the recoloured standard tubes and a new premium style tube.  Some of the minor brands are having the tubes withdrawn.

The standard tubes have a bottom screw-cap.  The older style tubes have black text printed on the natural silver background; while the newer style tubes have the same screw-cap construction but with more colourful tube colour and printing.

The new premium tubes have a twin tube construction, with top friction pull-apart section.  They are usually print in multiple colours.

Davidoff had a special multi-tube system with a long slot, that could be opened or closed by twisting the tube.  This slot was intended to give the user humidity control by adjusting the slot width.


Humidified Tubes

In 2008 a super-premium Humidifier Tube was released for the Travel Retail Selection pack.  It incorporates a rechargeable humidifier sponge within a double aluminium chamber and a clear plastic upper section, and a cap that incorporates a reusable cigar punch.


Cedar Wrapped

Cedar wrapping is intended to add a cedar aroma to the cigar.  It provides some protection against physical damage.  The cedar wrapping may be left on when storing in a humidor.


Tissue Wrapped

Only one brand is currently available tissue wrapped; the Fonseca.  The wrapping adds nothing and provides negligible protection.  The tissue may be left on the cigars in a humidor.  It must be removed before smoking.


Paper Foil

This may be silver or gold coloured, and is currently used to fully or partially wrap some cigars, such as the Cuaba Diademas and the Bolivia Gold Medal.  Paper foil has been used since 1980, when it replaced Aluminium Foil.


Cellophane Sleeves

In recent times, cellophane sleeves were only used with machine-made cigars.  According to Habanos, almost all Cuban cigars were (in earlier times) available in cellophane sleeves.


Other Types

Some earlier cigars were available in Glass Tubes (discontinued mid 1970's), Aluminium Foil (discontinued c.1980), and more recently Plastic Tubes (discontinued 2005/6).




logo Packaging Types

Cigars are packaged for sale in the various forms:


Dress Box

This is the standard cigar box.  Also referred to as a current box, labeled box or semi-plain box (semi-plain more correctly applies to boxes pre-WW2, where the dressings did not cover the whole box). 

The standard dress box contains 25 banded cigars.  The cigars are normally box pressed (the cigars are slightly flat on four sides) except for cedar-wrapped or tubed cigars.  The box is "dressed" with specific paper labels and trimmings. Until the mid 1970's, the box is constructed from solid cedar, after which time it changed to cedar veneered plywood.  The box is sealed using a pin / nail.


Small Dress Box

This is a smaller version of the dress box, usually containing 10 cigars.


Slide Lid Box  (SLB)

Also referred to as a Cabinet.  This is a varnished or unvarnished timber box containing 25 or 50 round cigars; packed in a bundle and tied with a silk ribbon, with cigars-bands since mid 2006.  Around 1997, the timber changed from solid cedar to cedar veneered plywood.


Semi Boite Nature  (SBN)

A varnished or unvarnished timber box containing 10, 24, 25, or 50 round cigars in layers.  This box has a flat hinged lid (no sealing-collars) and is fitted with a clasp.  Around 1997, the timber changed from solid cedar to cedar veneered plywood.


Boite Nature  (BN)

A varnished cedar timber box normally containing 10 or 25 round cigars in one or more layers. This box has a formed hinged lid with projecting sealing-collars, and is fitted with a clasp.


8-9-8 Box

A varnished cedar timber box with curved sides (on two sides) containing 25 round cigars, arranged in 3 layers of 8, 9, and 8 cigars.


3-4-3 Box

A recent smaller version of the curve sided 8-9-8 box, containing 10 cigars, arranged in 3 layers of 3, 4, and 3 cigars.


Single Box

Also known as the coffin box.  A varnished or unvarnished cedar timber SLB or SBN containing a single round cigar or a Culebras (three intertwined cigars).  The single boxes are normally packed in a 3 or 5 pack dress or slide lid box.  Usually reserved for expensive cigars.


Bundles

Bundles (Mazos) of 25 round cigars, with cigar-bands since mid 2006.  Either wrapped in cellophane or silver paper foil. May be presented in a cardboard outer box.  Normally used for cheaper (well selling) short filler cigars, such as Quintero.


Cardboard Packs

Cardboard Packs of 3 or 5 round cigars. Normally available as 5 Packs within an outer display box.  This is a recently revived form of packaging (circa 2002).  Used for small Packaging of premium cigars (including Cohiba) for affordability, but also for non-premium cigars for cheapness.  Cardboard Packs existed pre-revolution but lapsed in the early 1970's.  At the end of 2006, some of these packs were phased out.


Special Packaging

Special packaging takes many forms; from ceramic jars (the Millennium editions) to special individually made Boite Nature boxes (sometimes containing a small humidifier) with a varying number of cigars ( 5 in the Robusto & Pyramids collection, up to 30 in the Cohiba Select Reserve).  Some releases take special forms, such as the Habanos Collection, which is presented in the form of a book.  Occasionally a Cajon (large box) of 50 to 100 cigars is used.


Special Humidors

Special humidors can take many forms and are usually issued for a special occasion.  They are normally limited in quantity, carry a premium price surcharge and may contain vitolas not in normal production.  The cigars may have a special or an extra band.  The humidors are usually numbered and (rarely) the bands may be numbered.


Earlier Packaging

Other earlier cigar packaging included: Cajon's of 50 or 100 (discontinued pre 1960), tin cans (discontinued mid 1960's), glass jars (discontinued mid 1970's), and aluminium packs (discontinued mid 1980's).  There were also humidors of all forms e.g. tree branch's etc.


Internal Notice

Inside each box is a 104mm x 69mm advisory notice printed on a waxy paper, in Spanish, English, French, and German.  Since circa 2005, a newer notice was used, correcting the spacing error (in the English section) after the (16°C-18°C) text.  A further revision was released circa 2007 when the German & French texts were rewritten. The original German text had spelling and grammatical errors.  Presumably the French text was changed for the same reason.

notice  notice notice




logo Date Codes

Cuban cigar boxes produced since 1985 contain a coded date stamp.  Prior to 1985, there was no official date identification on boxes (some dealers dated the boxes themselves, usually handwritten in pencil).

These codes are ink stamped onto the bottom of the timber box or the cardboard outer packing, sometimes both.

The imprinted dates are the dates that the cigars are packaged; not the date produced.  It is not uncommon for discontinued cigars to be found with boxes dated one or two years latter than the official discontinued year.

There have been three date systems used since 1985:
Original Date System (1985 to 1998)

This is the so called "NIVELACUSO" code.  Each of the 10 letters was given a number from 0 to 9 (starting at 1) as follows:

N I V E L A C U S O
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

The code for each month is assigned to the number of the month, represented as 1 to 12 (1 or 2 digits).   The year code is the last two digits of the year (in short year format, where 1985 is expressed as 85).  The full date code is either 3 or 4 digits, with the month first and the year second (myy or mmyy) as follows:

Month Month Number Month Code Year Year Code
January 1 N or ON 1985 UL
February 2 I or OI 1986 UA
March 3 V or OV 1987 UC
April 4 E or OE 1988 UU
May 5 L or OL 1989 US
June 6 A or OA 1990 SO
July 7 C or OC 1991 SN
August 8 U or OU 1992 SI
September 9 S or OS 1993 SV
October 10 NO 1994 SE
November 11 NN 1995 SL
December 12 NI 1996 SA
      1997 SC
      1998 SU

Examples
January 1985 is: NUL
December 1998 is: NISU


Transition Date System (1999)

This is the so called "CODIGUNETA" code.  Each of the 10 letters was given a number from 0 to 9 as follows:

C O D I G U N E T A
9 8 7 6 5 0 1 2 3 4

However, while this system was intended to be a replacement for the original date system, it became only a transitional system.  To further complicate this period, some factories (about half) only used this system from January 1999 to May 1999, and then used a fixed code system for the remaining seven months.  This gives the following date codes for 1999:

Month / Year CODIGUNETA Code Alternate Code
January 1999 CCUN --
February 1999 CCUE --
March 1999 CCUT --
April 1999 CCUA --
May 1999 CCUG EPOO
June 1999 CCUI ESOO
July 1999 CCUD EUOO
August 1999 CCUO EAOO
September 1999 CCUC EOOO
October 1999 CCNU LEOO
November 1999 CCNN LLOO
December 1999 CCNE LROO

Examples:
 January 1999 is: CCUN
December 1999 is: CCNE or LROO depending on the factory of origin.


Current Date System (2000 on)

This is the current date system.  Each month is given an alpha code based on the first three letters of the Spanish spelling of the month.  The year is indicated by the last two digits of the year (in short year format, where 2006 is expressed as 06).  The full date code is 5 digits with the month first & the year second (mmmyy) as follows.

Month Month (Spanish) Month Code Year Year Code
January Enero ENE 2000 00
February Febrero FEB 2001 01
March Marzo MAR 2002 02
April Abril ABR 2003 03
May Mayo MAY 2004 04
June Junio JUN 2005 05
July Julio JUL 2006 06
August Agosto AGO ....and so on
September Septiembre SEP
October Octubre OCT
November Noviembre NOV
December Diciembre DIC

Examples:
January 2000 is: ENE00
December 2005 is: DIC05



logo Factory Codes

Cuban Cigar Boxes produced since 1985 contain a coded factory of origin stamp.  Prior to 1985, there was no factory identification on boxes.

These codes are ink stamped onto the bottom of the timber box or the cardboard outer packing, sometimes both.

These codes are used for quality control purposes as in different years, numerous factories may make a particular brand or vitola.

The codes keep changing to deter buyers from demanding or rejecting a particular factory as it went in or out of favour, as this causes stock problems for Habanos and their distributors.

Factory codes normally comprise 3 capital letters, although some 2 & 4 letter codes exist.  Up until about 2001, they were sometimes enclosed with a rectangle.

There have been four code systems used since 1985, coinciding with the box date code changes, with the forth (and still unbreakable) code introduced in 2003.

Details are as follows:


First System (1985 to 1998)

The first series of factory codes involved 2, 3 & 4 capital letters, was very simple, and often obvious (eg BM for the Romeo y Julieta Briones Montoto factory, FPG for the Partagas Francisco Perez German factory, and CFGS for the Quintero Cienfuegos 1 factory).

In several provinces, all the factories use a common code (eg SS for the 10 factories in the Sancti Spiritus province).


Second System (1998 to 1999)

The second series of factory codes involved 3 capital letters, was less obvious, and the factories were all given separate codes. As in the above examples, BM became EDC, FPG became EAT, CFGS became OTC, and the 10 SS province factories were given separate codes.


Third System (2000 to 2003)

The third series of factory codes involved 3 & 4 capital letters, changed the main codes again, and introduced another system for the provinces; where each province shared a group of codes.

The failure of this system lead to the current system.


Fourth & Current System (2003 on)

With this system of factory codes, all factories have an unique 3 capital letter code that can be changed monthly and yearly.  With this system there are a substantial number of unique codes available, which means there need not be a duplicate code for many years.

Consequently identifying and tracking them is virtually impossible. Only those with access to the code generator program would know codes in advance.

Occasionally a code may be reported but even if correct, it is of limited use as it may only be valid for short time.

Given the much improved quality control from 2005/6 on, the difference in factory output is reduced, making it less important to "chase factories".  In addition, the rationalisation, improvement, and replacement of factories means that most brands are now being made in a single factory.

For more information about factories.....click here.




logo Box Stamps

In addition to the box date codes and factory codes, Cuban cigar boxes have other box stamps.  These are impact stamped onto the box and some indentation should be evident.


Producers Name

box stampsBetween 1985 and 1994 "Cubatobacco" was the authority responsible for the production of Cuban cigars.  They used a stylised tobacco leaf logo above the word.  This leaf symbol was later incorporated into the Habanos box sticker (see below).


box stampsFrom 1994 to present "Habanos S.A." is the responsible authority.



Country of Manufacture

box stampes Pre-revolutionary (1960) boxes were all stamped: "MADE IN HAVANA-CUBA" in English. 



stampsFrom October 1960, this inscription was changed to the "Hecho en Cuba", Spanish for made or grown in Cuba, and was enclosed in an oval.  This logo is still current.


Handmade Cigars

stamps Since 1989, boxes of premium handmade long filler (Tripa Larga) cigars have the inscription Totalmente a mano, meaning "totally by hand.





Short Filler Cigars

stamps Since circa 2002, boxes of handmade short filler (Tripa Corta) cigars are identified by TC being ink printed below the Totalmente a mano inscription, however boxes of short filler cigars have been found without this stamp (either old box stock or manufacturing error).




Machine-bunched Hand-finished Cigars

stamps The practice of hand finishing machine-bunched cigars was reduced in the 1990's and fully discontinued by c.2002.   Machine-made hand finished cigars also used the Totalmente a mano inscription.




Fully Machine-made Cigars

stamps Fully machine made (Mecanizado) cigars usually have no third inscription, except that an inscription "Envuelto a Mano" has been reported, meaning that the cigars were placed, packed, and wrapped by hand.

No longer produced by Habanos.




logo Box Seals

sealThis section covers box seals that are applied by Habanos before the boxes leave the factory.  The Habanos seal has been used since 1994 . 

The seals are typically affixed to the top right-hand corner of the box.

The appear to be two types of seal.  Both seals fluoresces under ultra-violet black light.



Box Seal - Original Type 1994 to 2004

Type 1 is a self-adhesive, rectangular 102 mm x 20 mm seal.  It comprises a white seal with full length gold line top & bottom; the leaf emblem and a second thin line in black; and the word "Habanos" is in red and is embossed?, and has a yellow shadow background. seal





Box Seal - Second Type 2005 on - Current

Type 2 is a self-adhesive rectangular seal.  It comprises a white seal with single full length gold line top & bottom; the leaf emblem and the text "Denominación de Origen Protegida" in black; and the word "Habanos" is embossed, and is red and has a yellow shadow background.   The are two sizes; 107 mm x 21 mm for boxes, and 60 x 20 for small packs.
seal

Box Seal - Limited & Regional Editions

Limited Edition and Regional Edition boxes have a second seal set below the white Habanos seal. 

  seal seal




logo Warranty Seal

The warranty seal was first introduced on 13th February 1889 by Royal Decree of the King of Spain to be used by the manufacturers (Union de Fabricantes de Tabaco).   The first two seals are strictly called Union Seals.

In 1912 the Cuban Government authorised a new design, that was modified in 1931, again in 1999, and now in 2008.


Warranty Seal - 1889 to 1902

This warranty seal was introduced in 1889 when Cuba was still under Spanish control.

This seal had a portrait of Christopher Columbus on the right, and the Coat of Arms of Spain and Habana on the left, and was was used until 1902.  Each factory printed their name across the face of the seal.

An image is available at: http://www.nationalcigarmuseum.com/Dating/Dating_Cuban_Boxes.html


Warranty Seal - 1902 to 1912

sealThis warranty seal was introduced in 1902 when Cuba obtained its independence from Spain.  This seal was in use until 1912.

It is a modification of the earlier seal.  The Spanish Coat of Arms replaced by the Republic of Cuba Coat of Arms and Seal; and is no longer over-printed with the factory name. 




Warranty Seal - 1912 to 1931

sealThis seal was introduced on 16 July 1912 by the new independent Cuban Government.  This seal was used until 1931.

It has a simplified Cuban Coat of Arms, and a scene of a tobacco field in lieu of the Christopher Columbus portrait.




Warranty Seal - 1931 to 1999

sealThis seal was a modification of the previous seal and was used between 1931 and 1998.

It was printed in four languages with green ink (shades) on a white paper, in 3 known sizes (± 1mm):  182mm x 62mm & 97mm x 33mm for boxes, and 60mm x 20mm for cardboard packaging.

The box seals were glued and the pack seals were self-adhesive.


Warranty Seal - 1999 to 2009

sealThis seal was introduced in late 1999. 

It was a major modification of the previous seal and incorporated more security features.  There are two sizes (148mm x 49mm for boxes and 60mm x 20mm for cardboard packs). 

The smaller seal has no serial number.



sealThe seals are manufactured with better quality self-adhesive paper (two types of paper), micro-printing, a hidden ultra violet shield (two types), with the box seal bearing a unique serial number printed in red ink, that has different reactions under UV light. 

Currently there are several known variations of this seal.

A. Darker green shade of ink, printed on bright white paper, providing a good contrast.  Under UV light: the paper fluoresces, a poorly defined pinkish-orange coloured shield appears, and the whole serial number appears a very dark black-red.

B1. Lighter green shade of ink, printed on creamy white paper, providing a less distinctly appearance.  Under UV light: the paper does not fluoresce, a well defined lemon-yellow coloured shield appears, and the whole serial number appears a very dark black-red.

B2. Similar to B1, but under UV light, the letters of the serial number remain a very dark black-red, but the numbers strongly fluoresce bright red.

The hidden UV Image (incorrectly called a watermark) is located centrally and above the serial number.  It is a larger version of the printed shield.

The micro printing is present in 2 locations;  towards the top just above the "Republic de Cuba" text and near the bottom below the "torcidos y picadura" text.  The micro printing consists of "SELLO DE GARANTIA REPUBLICA DE CUBA" repeated across the seal between the two scrolls.  This is not readable to the naked eye and is not overly distinct or clear under magnification, due to the printing process.

The serial number consists of two letters and six numbers, and the first letter of the Serial Number "should" correspond with the following box date code.  The second letter appears to be somewhat random.  Any serial number on the warranty seal commencing with XX or XY has been opened and inspected at the Habanos SA facility as part of their quality control and these boxes may have a "REVISADO" (reviewed) stamp on the base of the box. 

Box Date Serial Number Prefix
October 1999 on A
2000 A
2001 A, B, D
2002 A, B, D
2003 B, D, E
2004 F, G
2005 G, H
2006 H, I
2007 I, EZ
2008 I
2009 I, J
NB.  There is no known serial prefix "C"


Warranty Seal - 2009 on (current)

sealIn 2009 Habanos SA commenced the introduction of a seal with more security features. 

There are two sizes of seals: a 118mm x 35mm for dress boxes, cabinets etc and a 58mm x 20mm seal for carton packs.  Both new seals incorporate a hologram and the larger seal has a serialised barcode in lieu of the previous serial number. 



sealThe smaller seal has no barcode (or serial number).

The seals are printed on a synthetic paper that is destroyed on removal.  It incorporates a scan and photocopy protection system (presumably micro printing).  The hologram displays a bicolour text (text unknown at this stage).


Warranty Seal - Placement

Seals up to 2009.  Until 2009 seals are normally located on the left-hand side of the opening side of the box.  It is positioned so that the fold is through the centre of the coat of arms.  If the cigar box comes packed inside an cardboard outer carton, the warranty seal is normally adhered to the carton box only.
seal
Seals from 2009.  The new seals will also be placed with the fold through the centre of the coat of arms, but with the barcode showing at the front of the box, resulting in the seal being fixed in reverse of the previous seals.  There will be a transition period when both new & old seal may be affixed.
 



logo Health, Logos, and Duty Paid Stickers

These are stickers applied by the Regional Distributors before being sent to retailers.


Government Health Warning Stickers

These are placed on boxes by the regional distributors to comply with local anti-smoking laws. 


Logos and other Duty Paid Stickers

These include stickers applied by some distributors to authenticate their point-of-distribution origin.  In some countries, a duty paid sticker is also applied.

Cuba
Habanos cigars produced for sale within Cuba have a exclusive hologram on the boxes.   Only Habanos SA approved retailers in Cuba sell boxes of Cuban cigars with this hologram.   Boxes produced for export do not have the hologram.  The sticker is a transparent hologram with a serial number printed on it.
hologram

United Kingdom
UK Distributors, Hunters & Frankau,  resurrected the old EMS (English market selection) sticker in 1993 and applied it to cigar boxes after clearing bond by the payment of the duty and excise.
ems ems ems ems

UK Travel Retail, Republic of Ireland, Gibraltar and the Channel Islands
For boxes of Havana cigars sold unopened by Hunters & Frankau, a "H & F Imported Directly from Cuba" sticker is used. These stamps are applied to all boxes for UK Travel Retail and the Hunters & Frankau export markets (Republic of Ireland, Gibraltar and the Channel Islands).
H&F

Germany
German Distributors, Fifth Avenue, apply a logo and a government duty sticker.  Old style and new style shown.
stamps stamps stamps








logo Habanos Packing Codes

On the Habanos SA website, a special packaging code is used to describe the Packaging available for each vitola.

The packaging code is made up of 6 parts, each part separated by a hyphen (-) symbol. 

1  -  2  -  3  -  4  -  5 -  6

This (roughly) works out as:

pack type - pack material - fixing / packing - cigars per layer - cigar finish - total cigars

        Note: "n" does not mean number.....it means nada, nothing, not applicable.

The codes in each part are:

Part 1: Box or Packaging Type
CB / CD Standard Box  aka: Current Box / Dress Box / Semi Plain Box
SLB Sliding Lid Box   aka: Cabinet
BN Boite Nature box
SBN Semi Boite Nature box
SPB Special Cabinets
D Display box  (normally cardboard - see next part of code)
CAB Special Varnished Boite Nature box
BUN Bundle
898 SBN Box with brooch & two rounded sides

Part 2: Box Type or Outer Material
UW Unvarnished Wood
VW Varnished Wood
C Cardboard
CEL Cellophane
 Sp Special

Part 3: Fixing or Packing method
C/L Clasp / Lock (brooch)
C/S Clasp / Staple (nail or pin)
C/P Carton Pack
A/F Aluminium Foil
GP Glassine Paper
SR Silk Ribbon
n none (nada) i.e. not applicable

Part 4: Number of Cigars per Layer
single number For boxes, shows the number of cigars per layer.
Can be a single layer or multiple layers.
To calculate the number of layers, divide the total number of cigars (from the final part of the code) by this number.

For carton packs (C/P), the number represents the number of cigars in each individual pack. 
To calculate the number of packs, divide the total number of cigars (from the final part of the code) by this number.
multiple numbers For boxes, shows the number of cigars in each layer, separated by a comma. 
M Bundled
n none (nada) i.e. not applicable

Part 5: Individual Cigar Pack or Finishing
A/T Aluminium Tube
C/B Cardboard Box
CW Cedar Wrapped
A/F Aluminium  Foil
G/F Gold Foil
S/F Tissue Paper wrapped 
W/B Timber Box   aka: coffin - each cigar individually packed
n none - no finish

Part 6: Total Number of Cigars
 single number For boxes, this is the total number of cigars.

For carton packs (C/P), this number represents the total number of cigars in the full outer-pack.



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