José L. Piedra is a particularly noteworthy Havana not only because its blend is composed of filler tobaccos grown exclusively in the Remedios tobacco region (formerly called VueltaArriba), but also because it is made using the ‘totalmente a mano, tripacorta’, or ‘totally hand made, short filler’ technique. The Piedra family came to Cuba in the 1880s from the Spanish province of Asturias. They settled near the town of Santa Clara, which lies at the heart of the Remedios region where tobacco has been grown since the 16th Century, and started to make cigars. The family’s second generation led by José Lamadrid Piedra, whose name is commemorated today, founded and developed the brand. All of the José L. Piedra sizes are made from Remedios tobaccos using the traditional ‘tripa corta, totalmente a mano’ – short filler, totally handmade technique.