Habanos S.A. Releases Cohiba 55 Humidor Auction Catalogue

Next week in Havana, Habanos S.A. will be hosting a gala celebration of the 55th anniversary of the Cohiba brand, and today the Cuban cigar maker released the catalog for the humidor auction that will occur during the event’s final evening dinner.

Unlike the humidor auction that occurs during the Festival del Habano where six humidors are auctioned, one for each of the company’s six global brands, this auction will only feature two items, both of which are dedicated to Cohiba.

The first humidor, the Cohiba 55 Anniversario, was first shown off in May 2021 after the Festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and much of the company’s programming shifted online for Habanos World Day. Described as a cave-shaped humidor, it was designed by Nous Group and executed by Humidores Habana, which has been creating humidors for Habanos S.A. for more than 20 years.

Measuring 170cm (67 inches) tall by 130cm (51.2 inches) wide and 100cm (39.4 inches) in depth, its design features veneers of precious woods, mother of pearl embedded along the base, and the Cohiba 55th Anniversary logo in gold with Swarovski crystals. The interior is made from okoume and mahogany, with trays to hold the 550 cigars that come with the humidor. An internal humidification system and hygrometers ensure that the cigars are kept at optimal conditions.

As for the cigars inside, the list is extensive and spans the majority of the Cohiba portfolio, including regular productions, limited editions, and a handful of cigars that are not sold, such as the Cohiba Gran Corona:

• 20 Cohiba 1966
• 35 Cohiba 55 Aniversario
• 35 Cohiba Ambar
• 20 Cohiba BHK 52
• 20 Cohiba BHK 54
• 20 Cohiba BHK 56
• 20 Cohiba Espléndidos
• 20 Cohiba Genios
• 25 Cohiba Gran Corona
• 35 Cohiba Ideales
• 20 Cohiba Lanceros
• 20 Cohiba Mágicos
• 20 Cohiba Medio Siglo
• 25 Cohiba Novedosos
• 25 Cohiba Pirámides
• 20 Cohiba Pirámides Extra
• 20 Cohiba Robustos
• 20 Cohiba Robusto Especial
• 25 Cohiba Robustos Supremos
• 20 Cohiba Siglo IV
• 20 Cohiba Siglo V
• 20 Cohiba Siglo VI
• 25 Cohiba Sublimes Extra
• 20 Cohiba Talismán

At the 2020 Festival del Habano, the Cohiba-themed humidor sold for €2.4 million ($2.65 million), which provides some idea for how much the Cohiba 55 Anniversario humidor could fetch.

The second item up for bid will be the first edition of Rare Le Rituel, described as a tasting cabinet combining a bottle of Champagne Rare Millésime 1988 and 44 of the Cohiba Ambar, a new cigar for the marca.

It measures 32 cm (12.6 inches) tall, 32 cm (12.6 inches) wide, and 64 cm (35.2 inches) deep, and is made of sycamore, okoume, gold, silver and mother of pearl. The designs on the sides and inner lid draw on the sun and moon for inspiration. The humidor was designed by Elie Bleu, the French company that has been making humidors since 1976.

Inside the humidor if the bottle of Champagne, 44 of the Cohiba Ambar cigar, an ashtray, cigar cutter and cedar sheets. The Cohiba Ambar is a new vitola not just for the Cohiba brand but for the entire Habanos S.A. portfolio. It measures 5 1/5 (132mm) x 53, a robusto extra vitola known as Placeres. The Cohiba Ambar has not been released commercially yet and title is known about it, other than that it will be sold in boxes of 10. In the catalogue, Habanos S.A. describes it as having strength that goes from medium to full, offering a strong tobacco flavor from the first puff, with a drier note developing into the second third. The final third is described as “unctuous, tannic and spongy,” while preserving the dry note from earlier.

In addition, the winner of the auction will be taking home 48 more bottles of Champagne, 24 bottles each of Rare Millésime 1998 and Rare Millésime 2008.

Habanos S.A. said that after the auction, an additional nine of the Rare Le Rituel humidors will be produced “upon request.” The company has not yet elaborated on how they will be sold or how much they will cost.

The Cohiba 55th Anniversario celebration event runs from Sept. 7-9.

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.