Frequently asked questions

Yes. The Philippines has made cigars since the Spanish colonial period, and Philippine tobacco — particularly from the Isabela and Cagayan valleys in northern Luzon — has been grown for cigars for well over a century. Tabaqueria de Filipinas is one of the manufacturers still hand-rolling here, in San Pedro, Laguna.

A manufacturer. Every cigar sold on this site is made in our own workshop by our own torcedores. We do not import cigars and put our name on them.

The tobacco. Philippine-grown leaf has its own character — our premium blend uses Isabela pais, a varietal descended from Spanish-era plantings, alongside Cuban-seed filler. The result sits apart from both Cuban and Dominican cigars rather than imitating either. The craft is the same tradition; the leaf is not.

It depends on the line. Flor de Filipinas uses a Java wrapper over a Sarah binder, with Isabela and Sarah filler. Antonio Gimenez uses Isabela pais and Cuban-seed filler with an Isabela binder and a Java wrapper. 1898 Independencia is made from 100% Philippine long-filler tobacco.

Hand-rolled means a person made the cigar, not a machine. Long-filler means the filler tobacco runs the full length of the cigar in whole leaves rather than being chopped — it burns more evenly and holds its draw better. Both are true of every cigar we make.

Gabriel Ripoll Jr., in 1993, after more than forty years in the Philippine cigar industry — nineteen of them as a company director. He started again from nothing: ten people in a rented house on Taft Avenue in Manila. The company now employs more than five hundred and works from its own factory in San Pedro, Laguna. His sons run it alongside him, Tirso as general manager and Román as sales and marketing director. (Interview with Gabriel Ripoll Jr., La Cámara, March 2023.)

We are the largest cigar manufacturing company in the Philippines, as reported by the trade publication Tobacco Asia, with a capacity of around 15,000 cigars a day and roughly 60% of production exported. More than five hundred people work here. Large by Philippine cigar standards is still small by world standards — which is rather the point. (Eric Piras, "Cigars: Made in Asia", Tobacco Asia, May 2016.)

Yes, and that is not a figure of speech. The founder's two sons hold the general manager and sales and marketing roles, and decisions about the blends are made by the family rather than by a board. It is the reason we can keep making formats that sell slowly and turn down work that would mean compromising how the cigars are made.

Both, and honestly. Philippine leaf is milder and lower in nicotine than Cuban, Dominican or Nicaraguan tobacco, which makes our cigars unusually approachable for someone starting out. Experienced smokers come to us for the opposite reason — a hand-rolled long-filler cigar from an origin they have not smoked before. If what you want is a full-bodied Havana-style cigar, we are not that, and we would rather tell you now.

Concretely: nothing is machine-made. In the founder's words, "the process is completely manual, we do not use machines." Every cigar is long-filler — whole leaves running the length of the cigar rather than chopped scrap. Around 90% of our tobacco is Philippine-grown, and we buy it by working directly with about fifty farmers in La Union, supplying them with seed and other inputs rather than bidding for leaf on the open market. That costs more than buying on the market. It is also why the cigars taste the way they do. (La Cámara, March 2023.)

Two published sources cover the company and its founder. La Cámara, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, published an interview with Gabriel Ripoll Jr. in March 2023 covering the company's founding and how the cigars are made. The trade journal Tobacco Asia profiled Philippine cigar manufacturing in May 2016. We would rather point you at those than ask you to take our word for it.

Our original house blend, and the one the family has made longest. A Java wrapper over a Sarah binder with Isabela and Sarah filler, giving a smooth, easygoing cigar rather than a powerful one. It is the line we would hand to someone trying a Philippine cigar for the first time.

Our founder's grandfather, and the reason the company exists. The line named after him is our premium blend — Isabela pais and Cuban-seed filler beneath a Java wrapper, bolder than the house blend and with a touch of spice.

Philippine independence, declared on 12 June 1898. The line is made from 100% Philippine long-filler tobacco, which is the point of it — a commemorative cigar made entirely from the country's own leaf.

Flor de Filipinas cigars finished with an aromatic character, in Panetelas and Slim Panetelas. Six options: Honey Nectar, Cherry Blossom, Chocolate Truffle, Vanilla Creme, Spiced Rum, and a Gourmet Variety assortment containing five of them. Vanilla Creme is the most popular.

A Flor de Filipinas Corona or Half Corona. The house blend is the most approachable of the three lines, and those formats are short enough to finish comfortably. If you already smoke regularly and want something with more weight, start with an Antonio Gimenez Robusto instead.

They describe the cigar's shape and size. Broadly: Half Corona and Panetelas are the shortest, Corona and Londres sit in the middle, Robusto is short but thick, and Coronas Largas and Churchill are the longest. Slim Panetelas are the most slender, Torpedo is tapered at the head. Exact dimensions are on each product page.

It varies by line and format. Most are sold in packs of two or three and boxes of five, ten, twenty-five or fifty. Gift boxes in narra wood hold three, five or ten; humidors and the treasure chest hold fifteen to fifty. Each product page lists what is available.

Because they are handmade from a natural leaf. Colour, shading and finish vary from cigar to cigar and from box to box, and the narra boxes vary in grain because the wood does. Reasonable variation of that kind is a feature of hand-made goods, not a defect.

Yes, and it is one of the things we are asked for most. Custom ring bands can carry a name, a date, a monogram or a company logo, and narra boxes and humidors can be engraved. Weddings, birthdays, corporate gifts and christenings are the usual occasions. Email info@tabaqueria.com with what you have in mind.

One or two lines on the lid of a narra box or humidor. Engraving is done by hand, so placement and depth vary slightly from piece to piece. Custom ring bands are a separate option and are chosen on the product page.

Longer than a standard order — we will confirm the expected time when we accept the order. Logo and artwork work may need a separate quote and a proof before production starts. Please check spelling, dates and artwork carefully before approving a proof, because we reproduce exactly what is approved.

Yes, before the custom work begins. Once engraving, band production or other personalisation has started, a personalised order cannot ordinarily be cancelled for a change of mind. If the finished item differs from the approved proof because of our error, or arrives damaged or defective, our Return and Refund Policy applies as normal.

Yes, to the destinations offered at checkout. Rates are calculated by weight and shown before you pay. Tobacco import rules differ in every country, so please check that you may lawfully import the quantity you are ordering before you place the order.

Within the Philippines, shipping is free and orders usually arrive in 1 to 3 business days. International orders are sent by courier at a rate calculated by weight at checkout; transit times vary by destination and customs inspection can add to them. Delivery estimates are estimates, not guarantees.

On international orders, yes — duties, import taxes and customs charges are the recipient's responsibility and are not included in our prices. We do not collect them and cannot tell you in advance what your country will charge. Check with your local customs office before ordering. Orders delivered within the Philippines include 12% VAT in the price.

That depends entirely on where you are, and it is your responsibility to check before ordering. Many countries restrict tobacco imports, cap the quantity a private individual may receive, or require a permit. If a parcel is refused, seized or destroyed because it was not permitted at the destination, we cannot refund it.

At roughly 65–70% relative humidity and a stable, moderate temperature. A humidor with a humidifying pad and a hygrometer is the reliable way to do it. Cigars are a natural product and will dry out, crack or grow mould if stored badly — this matters more in a hot, humid climate, not less, because swings in temperature do as much damage as dryness.

Kept properly, they keep for years and many improve. Kept badly, they can be ruined in weeks. Heat, dryness, damp and direct sunlight are the things to avoid. Damage caused by storage after delivery is not something we can replace, so it is worth getting a humidor if you are buying more than you will smoke soon.

Through our secure checkout, provided by PayMongo. The payment methods available to you — cards, e-wallets, online banking and, for orders within the Philippines, instalments through Billease — are shown at checkout. We never see or store your full card details.

Yes, for a full refund, at any time before we notify you that your order has shipped. Email info@tabaqueria.com with your order number as soon as you can. If the parcel has already been handed to the courier before we can act on the request, the order counts as shipped.

Contact us and we will put it right. Please tell us within 48 hours of delivery where you reasonably can, with your order number, photographs or video of the problem, and photographs of the packaging and shipping label. Keep the item and its packaging until we have reviewed the claim, and do not send anything back until we ask you to.

Before shipment, yes — cancel and you are refunded in full. After shipment we do not refund a change of mind, a wrong size ordered, or a product you no longer want. Goods that are damaged, defective or materially not as described carry the remedies required by Philippine law, which may include repair, replacement, a price reduction or a refund. Our Return and Refund Policy governs.

Yes, for orders within the Philippines. At checkout, choose Secure Payments via PayMongo, then Billease. Billease will ask you to sign in or apply, and if you are approved it shows the plan options, interest, fees, total amount payable and repayment schedule before you confirm. Please read its Disclosure Statement before you accept.

You repay Billease, not us. Approval and all credit terms are decided by Billease, and we add no charge for paying this way. If an order paid with Billease is cancelled or refunded, the refund goes back through Billease, which adjusts your plan.

Billease is operated by First Digital Finance Corporation, a financing company regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (Certificate of Authority No. 1101) and registered with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas as an Operator of Payment System (OPSCOR-2021-0007). For questions about your plan, contact Billease at info@billease.ph. Paying in instalments does not change our age requirement: you must be at least 18 to buy.

At least 18, or older if the law where you live or where the order is delivered sets a higher minimum age for buying tobacco. Selling tobacco to minors is unlawful in the Philippines. We may ask for proof of age at any point before delivery and will cancel and refund an order if age cannot be verified.

Yes. Our packaging carries the graphic health warnings required by Philippine law, and the product photographs on this site show them.