Cuban cigars come in all shapes and forms and today there are 27 different brands. While all Habanos are Cuban, by no means all Cuban cigars are Habanos. The title ‘Habano’ is the Protected Denomination of Origin —Denominación de Origen Protegida D.O.P—, reserved for a selection of the most outstanding brands whose cigars are manufactured to the highest standards from tobaccos grown only in particular areas of Cuba and fully hand made.

The Partagas 8-9-8 jar is one of the most iconic cigar jars that served as a porcelain humidor and its vintage original version was produced circa the 1920s in ‘Talavera de la Reina’ —a traditional white and blue type of porcelain made in Spain. Designed in a limited edition of only 1,000 pieces, the Partagas 8-9-8 jar is a true object of desire and a rarity when found in its original vintage state. This pre-Castro jar is so iconic that in 2015 Habanos S.A. produced an 800-piece limited edition for La Casa del Habano in Spain along with other jars for the rest of their brand portfolio within the vintage collection of cigars. While relatively similar in looks to the original jar, the 800-piece jar wasn’t an accurate copy of the original one.

Luckily for us back in 2014, we met a Cuban artisan that happened to be visiting La Casa del Habano in Mexico City and who was doing a hand-made exact reproduction of this iconic jar back in Cuba. Individually numbered and fully personalized, the Partagas 8-9-8 jar comes in a limited edition of 1,000 pieces and made in Cuba. And as you guys know, here at WCL we of course had to have one, no matter what.

Made exactly to look like the original vintage jar from the 1920s measuring 9” x 5” —23 cm x 13 cm—, the Partagas 8-9-8 cigar jar was created to serve as a humidor and to perfectly fit a bundle of 19 Partagas 8-9-8 cigars. A time capsule that takes us back to the most glorious days of the Partagas brand and an object of desire that is worth talking about.

Partagas much like Cohiba sits at the upper echelon of Cuban cigars. Located right behind Cuba’s Capitol building in Havana, this cigar factory was opened almost two centuries ago in 1845 by Don Jaime Partagas and it has been making the cigars that bear his name ever since. A Partagas cigar is immediately recognizable by its deep, earthy flavor.

Made in white glazed ceramic and hand-painted before being fired several times in a pottery oven, the iconic Partagas 8-9-8 jar features a blue medallion at the center with the phrase in Spanish: “Fumando las penas van pasando, y… si fumas Partagas nunca las tendras.” In English, this translates to: “Smoking your worries go away and if you smoke Partagas, you’ll never have them”.

The Partagas 8-9-8 is a Dalias-shaped cigar that is full-bodied and that measures 6 3/4” long —17 centimeters— with a 43 ring gauge. This delicious cigar with strong woody notes has an intense flavor and a long burning time with no burnouts at all. Its light caramel-colored wrapper is a unique characteristic that identifies this regular production cigar from other Partagas cigars.

Sticker Price $1,200 USD cigars and Audemars Piguet not included.