Habanos & Tauromaquia, Fourth Edition

Exclusively for the Spanish market, Tabacalera and Habanos has released their fourth edition dedicated to the art of bullfighting, a brave gesture at a time when the bullfighting festival raises a lot of controversy in Spain.

Bulls, yes; bulls, no. The public discussion in Spain is very hot, almost as hot as the smoking tobacco contreversy, but there is no doubt that premium cigars and bullfighting share a good part of their tradition. One of the most established customs in bullrings is to enjoy a cigar while attending the show and, for this reason, Tabacalera, official distributor of Habanos in Spain, launches exclusively for the Spanish market its fourth edition dedicated “La Tauromaquia”, the art of bullfighting.

In what can even be considered a brave gesture, Tabacalera presents a shiny black-amber cigar box with a colorful figure of a bullfighter who is a myth throughout all the Hispanic world: Manuel Laureano Rodríguez Sánchez, aswell known as Manolete, a legend of the art of bullfighting that represents more than anyone the elegance in front of the bull. Manolete was a well-known figure in the 1940s, the decade of his greatest splendor, although he had a short career: in 1947, in the Linares arena (Andalucía), a bull called “Islero” pierced the femoral triangle of his right thigh. He was 30 years old. In addition to having revolutionized the art of bullfighting with his upright and solemn style, he died in the bullring, becoming a myth of 20th-century bullfighting culture.

As stated by Tabacalera, “the “Tauromaquia & Manolete” edition reaffirms the historic relationship between Habanos and bullfighting.” On this occasion, the fourth already, the chosen cigar is Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo de San Juan (150 mm x 54) which is presented with a commemorative footguard. It is a special limited edition of only 1,000 numbered boxes, presented in a black lacquered wooden case with an illustration of the bullfighter, in which the “right-handed” performs his best-known bull pass: the “Manoletina”.

“Tauromaquia & Manolete” is now on sale in Spanish tobacconists at a price of 25.00 euros per cigar (250 euros for a box of ten cigars).

Fourth edition bullfighting

Manolete’s is already the fourth special bullfighting edition of Tabacalera, and it is one of the most anticipated pieces of the year by cigar lovers, whether they are followers or detractors of the so-called “National Festival”. Regardless of one’s opinion about bullfighting, the piece is highly coveted, especially by collectors, and is meant to be bought by boxes.

The series began in 2019, when Tabacalera wanted to pay tribute to one of the main current figures in bullfighting, Morante de la Puebla, a bullfighter who is also a premium cigar enjoyer. It is easy to see him in the arena of the bullring, savoring a cigar. That first edition, “Habanos & Morante de la Puebla”, contained ten Montecristo Double Edmundo (155 mm x 50).

In 2020, Tabacalera dedicated the edition to a bullfighter from the 1920s who is another myth of bullfighting: Joselito el Gallo, who died in 1925 gored by a bull in the plaza of Talavera de la Reina (Toledo). The “Habanos & Joselito” edition contained ten Partagás Series P No.2 (156 mm x 52).

After the year of the pandemic, in 2021, Tabacalera paid tribute to a man who is probably the greatest bullfighter in history: Juan Belmonte, aswell known as “El Pasmo de Triana”. In Spanish, “Pasmo” is astonished, someone who remains absolutely still, without moving a muscle… Triana is the neighborhood in Seville where he was born. Belmonte, who was a figure in bullfighting in the 1920s and 1930s, stood so still in front of the bull that everyone said that he would die in the bullring, but that was not the case. He died in 1962, at the age of 69. For that third edition, “Habanos & Juan Belmonte”, Tabacalera chose ten Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchills (130 mm x 55).