These Cohiba cigars are made at the company's El Laguito factory in Havana. The factory was set up in 1968 to make cigars for then President Fidel Castro to give to visiting dignitaries, and the cigars were not sold commercially until 1982. All photos by Peter Day.

Dried and fermented tobacco leaves are sorted by size, colour and texture. Each cigar will be rolled from three leaves - a wrapper, a filler and a binder.

The next stage is to remove the central stalks from the dried "wrapper" tobacco leaves, so they roll more easily.

The tobacco leaves come from an area to the west of Havana called Pinar del Rio, famed for a special micro-climate which produces the cigars' distinct flavour.

Each cigar is rolled by hand using techniques which have not changed for more than 200 years. Many rollers come from the same family.

A sharp blade is used to remove the excess tobacco leaf from the cigar. Workers typically make 100 cigars a day.

The final stage is to construct the cigar's characteristic tip, known as the head.

The cigars are then pressed into plastic moulds to rest for 15-20 minutes and ensure they are the correct size and shape.

The cigars are checked to ensure they will "draw" correctly when smoked. If they do not meet the company's high standards, the whole batch could be rejected. These cigars, known as Behike, are smaller than the traditional Robusto cigars.

Cohiba makes premium cigars which are exported or sold to tourists due to their cost, typically $28 (£18) per Behike. A larger Robusto could cost twice this.

To smoke the cigar, the "head" is cut and the "foot" is lit. Smoke should be drawn from the head of the cigar with the mouth, and not inhaled into the lungs.