Habanos changes packaging for Jose L. Piedra. The short filler, low priced, bundle cigar from Cuba updated the artwork. And the cigars will no longer be offered in bundles of 25. The new packages will contain 12 cigars instead. The cardboard packs of 5 cigars remain available.

A little history

José L. Piedra was founded in the 1880s. Before the Cuban revolution, it was a very popular brand but the popularity faded quickly after Castro and his clan grabbed the power. Nationalization didn’t help the brand either. For a while, it seemed that José L. Piedra would be one of those forgotten and discontinued brands. In the early 1990s, the brand got discontinued after more than a century.

Five years later, José L. Piedra reemerged. This time as a budget brand. And as a tripa corta or short-filler in English. It is classified as a volume brand by Habanos.

Current production

All José L. Piedra cigars are handmade since 2002. For the first six years after the relaunch of the brand, several vitolas were machine-made. But that changed in 2002. Currently, four different sizes are rolled. Those are the 5¼x42 Brevas, the 6×43 Cazadores, and the 5½x44 Conservas. These vitolas are all part of the original 1996 re-release line-up. In 2007, a 4?x43 Petit Cazadores was added to the line-up.

The Petit Cetros, Nacionales, and Cremas were introduced in 1996, but have been discontinued since. The new packaging will be distributed as soon as the current stock is sold out. The old and the new and updated packaging will co-exist for a short while according to a press statement by Habanos.