Robaina was born in
Alquízar in
La Habana Province of
Cuba but he grew up and lived most of his life in the tobacco-growing
Vuelta Abajo district of
Pinar del Río Province where his family had been growing tobacco since 1845. He became involved with his family's tobacco growing business at the age of ten, having smoked his first cigar just shortly before then. and remained an independent grower even after the 1959
Cuban Revolution when plantations were often absorbed into
cooperative organizations. In a 2006 interview with
Cigar Aficionado magazine, Robaina stated that he spoke with Castro and that he "told Fidel I did not like cooperatives or state farms and that the best way to grow tobacco was through family production. He wanted me to join a cooperative and I told him no." The tobacco leaves from Robaina's plantations are often considered among the best in the world During the 1990s, Robaina was recognized by the Cuban government as the country's best tobacco grower. His travelling subsided as he got older and he received visits at his home and plantation by thousands of cigar enthusiasts and tourists annually. Robaina was diagnosed with cancer in 2009 and died in his home on his tobacco plantation near
San Luis, Pinar del Río. He handed over the majority of the day-to-day operations of the plantation to his grandson Hiroshi several years before his death. ==References==