Cuban cigar box codes

Cuban cigar box codes are essential for two reasons.
They are the best seal of authenticity as every cigar box can be traced to the factory it was made, as well as the date. Before purchasing a box you can already check the code you expect to see.

Cuban cigar box codes are also tools for collectors. Cigars change each year, due to climate, soil and other factors. With box codes you can collect and store the most sought after smokes the world has ever produced.

What are Cuban Cigar Box Codes?

Every box of Cuban cigars is ink stamped with a special code unique to each factory. This allows the product to be traced to its origins, for better quality control purposes and to provide a valuable defense against counterfeiting. A date code is added along with the factory code. This allows further accuracy in determining the cigar’s origins and gives cigar connoisseurs a bonus of knowing their cigar collection’s history.

Know Your Cuban Cigar Box Codes

Each lettered code represents a factory or group of factories that produce cigars in Cuba today. These secretive codes are occasionally changed and often difficult to decipher. If the code on a box does not appear to match a current code, it does not necessarily mean the cigars are fake. It could mean the cigars were made before the code was changed. The following is a list of current codes for factories that produce the most popular Cuban cigars.

BM Briones Montoto (Havana)
CB Carlos Balino (Havana)
EL El Laguito (Havana)
FL Por Larranaga (Havana)
FPG Fernando Perez German (Havana)
FR Miguel Fernandez Roig (Havana)
HM Heroes de Moncada (Havana)
JM Jose Marti (Havana)
TLP Lazaro Pena (San Antonio)
CFGS Cienfuegos (Cienfuegos region)
PR Francisco Donatien (Pinar del Rio region)
SS Sancti Spiritus (Sancti Spiritus region)
VSC Villa Santa Clara (Santa Clara region)
TTB Granma (Bayamo region)
TTH Holguin (Holguin region)

Date stamps are more straightforward, featuring the first three letters of each month. These are listed in Spanish and are stamped below the factory code.

ENE – Enero (January)
FEB – Febrero (February)
MAR – Marzo (March)
ABR – Abril (April)
MAY – Mayo (May)
JUN – Junio (June)
JUL – Julio (July)
AGO – Agosto (August)
SEP – Septiembre (September)
OCT – Octubre (October)
NOV – Noviembre (November)
DIC – Diciembre (December)

The month code is followed by the last two digits of the year of production. So, a Montecristo Edmundo box that reads AGO 19, for example, means the cigars were boxed in August of 2019. This lets you know the cigars’ exact age, adding another gratifying element to the cigar smoking experience.

Buy Authentic Cuban Cigars

Test these cigar box codes by buying a box of authentic Cuban cigars from your favorite online cigar store today!