1. Outer packaging
There are many types of Cuban boxes. Many shopping websites will also describe how the cigars are boxed and packaged, such as SLB, SBN, etc. Here we will briefly sort out the different packaging categories.
CIGAR TUBECUBAN CIGAR MOISTURIZER TUBE HUMIDOR HUMIDOR TRAVEL PORTABLE CIGAR HUMIDOR
1).CB (Current Boxes) hard colored paper wooden boxes: Some people also call them DB (Dress Boxes), which literally means dress boxes. They are colorful and beautiful. They are also a very common and abundant way of boxing Cuban cigars. Because of the presence of colored paper, the packaging of the packaging enhances the aesthetics, and compared with other pure wooden boxes, it also saves costs, which is a multi-purpose product.
It is worth mentioning that this kind of box is usually designed to be a little smaller, so the entire box of cigars will become a bit square when placed inside, but it is not considered box-shaped.
In addition, because of the presence of colored paper, be aware that the colored paper may absorb moisture and cause the cigar to become overly wet during long-term storage. Therefore, in terms of preservation, I personally feel that the effect is inferior to that of a pure wooden box.
Almost all the daily RA25 series use CB boxes, which is really consistent.
2) SLB (Slide Lid Boxes): Cuba’s classic packaging method. Almost all Friends cigars and 50-pack cigars use this method. One of the advantages of this method is that it is bundled and the humidity is relatively high. Uniform, the force will be relatively uniform and will not be squeezed or deformed. The disadvantages are that the feet are easy to explode during transportation, and the shape of the box is different, making it difficult to store it in the lock.
3) VSLB (Varnished Slide Lid Boxes) lacquered wooden boxes with drawer lids: have the same appearance as SLB, the only difference is that the outside is lacquered. Lacquering is one of the signs of high-end products in Cuban cigar packaging, so COHIBA The 25-piece Century series are all packaged in this VSLB lacquered wooden box with a draw-top lid. And "civilian brands" like Good Friends don't use painting to save costs.
4) SBN (Semi Boite Nature) flip-top wooden box: It is difficult to say which one is better than the SLB wooden box with flip-top lid. They basically belong to the same "grade" in packaging. The more classic representative is Pata. Gas brand, such as D4, E2, P2 and so on.
Partagas Maduro 1
5) VSBN (Varnished Semi Boite Nature) lacquered clamshell wooden box: As mentioned before, lacquering is one of the manifestations of high-end, and VSBN is also an argument for this statement, and the VSBN packaging should currently only appear in special Inside the packaging of this rather "mysterious" cigar in Trinidad.
trinidad reyes
6) BN (Boite Nature) fence wooden box: pure wooden box packaging, the upper lid is buckled on the lower box, this is the biggest difference between BN fence wooden box and SBN clamshell wooden box. This type of wooden box usually has better sealing performance, and the packaging level is higher than SBN and SLB.The reason why there is no picture is because BN boxes rarely appear alone. This kind of fence wooden box is usually painted VBN.
7) VBN (Varnished Boite Nature) painted fence wooden box: Because BN fence wooden boxes are relatively high-end, they are usually packed in paint (such as Cohiba’s mentor), so the usual BN packaging on the market is VBN painted. Fence wooden box.
COHIBA Tutor
This is the difference between BN and SBN on the lid
8) BLBN (Black Lacquered Boite Nature) black piano lacquer fence wooden box: In view of the high-end nature of BN boxes, high-end goods in Cuba also usually use this kind of packaging. What do you think of here? That's right, it's the classic BHK series. They all use SBN fence wooden boxes painted with piano paint. They are full of style and expensive. Because there are so many rich people, it’s really hard to buy.
COHIBA Behike 52
9) CP (Cardboard Packs) carton: This carton version is also one of the more common versions on the market. There are independent small packages in a carton, usually 5X3 and 5X5.Some are cheaper, with several cigars placed side by side in small packages, such as Monte's Petite No. 2.
Some are also in small packaging cartons, and there are independent cartons, such as the Cohiba Spear carton version and the Trinidad Robust Premium carton version.
In some extreme cases, aluminum tubes (A/T: Aluminum Tubes) are placed in the carton. However, from the perspective of long-term storage, this kind of carton can easily absorb environmental humidity and cause mold, so it is recommended to take it out of the carton for long-term storage. In my opinion, this carton packaging looks more like retail packaging. As the name suggests, the packaging is small and easy to carry. It is very suitable to buy 3 or 5 cigarettes at a smoke shop for retail, take them home and smoke them on the spot, or open and smoke them on the spot. The remaining ones are packaged and easy to carry. Suitable for places with limited inventory and cigar shops everywhere.
Among them, the AT aluminum tube can provide short-term storage outside the store and is easy to carry. It can be said that it takes both portability and storage into account. Therefore, I prefer to call it a "tasting pack", which is suitable for people who are new to cigars and want to try the taste. It doesn't cost much to buy alone, it's easy to store, and the aluminum tube ensures the taste in the short term. It can also be seen from the styles of aluminum tubes that most of them are classic styles, which is one of the strategies to lure people into the trap. Therefore, some people say that the quality of aluminum tubes is the best, and the best things should be used to lure people into the trap. Analysis from this angle is not a bad idea.
Various aluminum tubes
2. Boxing method
Strictly speaking, A/T Aluminum Tubes aluminum tube packaging does not count as a box classification for Cuban cigars. It is not at the same level as SBN, SLB, etc., but belongs to the cigar boxing method. In fact, the way of packaging the cigars in our boxes is also very detailed.
The most common one is the package of 25 cigars lying in a box. These are called Plain Cigars, which are just ordinary cigars, one next to the other without anything else.
Pack of 25 Partagas D4. Later, in order to distinguish machine-made cigars from hand-made cigars, cellophane sleeves appeared. The ones enclosed in cellophane were machine-made cigars, and the ones without cellophane were hand-made cigars. Of course, what I am talking about specifically refers to Cuba, because most non-ancient cigars But it's all inside the cellophane.
Machine-made cigars and non-vintage cigars
Of course, after 2002, Cuba stopped producing machine-made cigars except for MINI, CLUB and other cigars. The original machine-made cigars were discontinued one after another, and the rest were all handmade, except that there was a difference between hand-made long cores and hand-made short cores. , the cellophane cover officially entered history. This also explains why some brands have the same size but different names, such as Upmann's Regalias and Petit Corona, which are both 42X129 PC sizes, but have different names. , and before 2002, Upmann's license was actually a machine-made cigar, but it was changed to manual production in 2002, so this seemingly "strange" situation occurred.
Let’s take a closer look. In addition to the common stuff like cellophane, Cuban cigars also have many “customized” cigar packaging, such as the cedar wood chips wrapped around the cedar series of Romeo and Juliet. And the white tissue paper wrapped around Fonseca cigars.
Romeo and Juliet Cedar LCDH
Fonseca Benelux Limited
These are counted as features of the respective brands and models. Some of these methods are to add cedar aroma to the cigar, and some are to prevent the appearance of the cigar from being damaged due to physical reasons. They can be regarded as clever tricks in their own way. In addition to wood wrapping, there are also aluminum foil wrappings, such as CUABA's Diademas that are fully wrapped, and half-wrapped Bolívar Gold Medal.
Cuaba Land (online map)
Bolivar Gold Medal
Even more exaggerated is the Romeo and Juliet Hunter, with 25 pieces in a box all wrapped in aluminum foil. It is said that this kind of packaging can reduce the oxygen that the cigar comes into contact with, reduce the loss of flavor, lock the oiliness of the tobacco leaves, and achieve better aging. Effect. (How does it look like an advertisement)
romeo and juliet hunter
In addition, cigars are also packaged in independent small paper boxes (the Cohiba spear type mentioned earlier), tubes with humidifiers (travel commemorative edition), and single independent boxes like Monte A. The wooden boxes with painted lids, the wooden boxes with unpainted lids from Cuaba, the plastic tubes from Guantanamo, the 3-piece bundle of Pata Coiled Snakes, etc. When I mentioned this, I couldn’t help but sigh, Cuban guy I really put a lot of thought into my export products that earn foreign exchange.
Independent small carton inside the carton (Trinidad Robusta Extra)
Partagas Coiled Snake (3 pieces in a separate wooden box)
Monte "A" 5-pack
The most common way of packaging is Plain Cigars, which is the "streaking" type of packaging.
3. Other packaging
898 Boxes: 8-9-8 is really a special thing in Cuba. The size is 898 and the arrangement is 898. Even the boxes are called 898 boxes. If you are so powerful that others can only accommodate you. You. Originally, 898 refers to cigars arranged in such a way that there are 8 cigars in the first layer, 9 cigars in the second layer, and 8 cigars in the third layer. The 898 box usually refers to a coffin-like box like the 898 box. The top is square. When viewed from the front, it is an inverted round trapezoidal box.
Partgas 8-9-8 box looks like an inverted trapezoid when viewed flatly
Similarly, 898 boxes are divided into two types: painted and unpainted. Pata’s 898 is a painted version, and the old version of 898 is an unpainted wooden box. In addition to Pata, RA also produces 8-9- 8. Unfortunately, it has been discontinued in 2003. I was lucky enough to get one. According to someone in Hangzhou, it was called: "Crazy and cool to blow up the sky." RA re-produced this 898 in 2015, but changed it to a limited edition in Germany. Unfortunately, the formula was changed, and the taste of the old version is destined to only become an aftertaste. Juan Lopez once released a version limited to the Andorra region, which was a small Robust size of 50 pieces and also came in an 898 box.
VCN (Varnished Cabinets) lacquer cabinets: Literally translated as lacquer cabinets, they are actually a variant of VBN lacquered fence wooden boxes. Mr. Upmann's Sir Winston is this style. In my opinion, it is the same as VBN. The biggest difference is: the locking method is different.
The top is the COHIBA instructor, and the bottom is Upmann Sir Winston. Other than that, there is no obvious difference between the two.
Some people also say that the paint color is different, but the Shengke process with the same paint color is called VBN.
Some people also say that the paint color is different, but the Shengke process with the same paint color is called VBN.
Jar Jar: Jars can be said to be another tool for Cubans to cheat money. There are about 25 cigars in a beautiful jar, many of which are aged cigars. They are limited to 800 pieces. It is simply perfect. I bought this jar at a price that is at least 50% higher than the normal price. Should I smoke it or not? Especially in recent years, the usual jars have sleeve labels of common styles, and it is rare to see products as thoughtful as the Pata P1 jar. I still remember that someone joked that the ashes after death would be put into Pat P1’s jar. Then in May this year, Pat P1’s empty jars were sold at a water station for a high price. It was really speechless. It can be said.
I almost forgot to mention that there are also subdivisions in the jars. The porcelain jars are called Ceramic Jars, or CJ for short, while Upmann’s crappy LCDH version of the glass jars are called: GJ, Glass Jars. Simply put, they are called glass jars.
MT (Metal Tins) and MP (Metal Packs): These two are metal packaging. MT is a large iron box, which is the type in the 2013 new Weigulo series.
MP is a small iron box, like a 5X5 Upman half crown.
Bundles: See most Quintero brands.
The toughest Cuban I've ever come across is the Petit Quntero.
Cardboard Boxes Cardboard Boxes: See most small ratios.
Cajóns wooden box: This kind of thing has disappeared in the sea of people. It was basically discontinued in the 1980s. It was the packaging of Cuban cigars in the past, usually in packages of 50 or 100 cigars. If you can really see it, tut tut, you know.
Humidors humidor: The highest quality of Cuban cigars, the humidor version is a product of Haozhonghao. The box itself is a humidor, and there are cigars inside. The size of the cigar is specially made, and all the used materials are used. Nice leaves. Okay, no more talking, I took a towel to wipe my saliva.
