HAVANA - Cuba's Habanos cigar corporation unveiled here Friday a 400-dollar ultra-elite cigar to mark the anniversary of its renowned Cohiba line. 

The company presented the Cohiba Behike, a luxury cigar that according to the company pays homage to the iconic Cohiba brand on its 40th anniversary.

The Cohiba Behike is priced at 375 euros ($451) each and will be sold on order in elegant boxes fashioned from mother of pearl, ebony, sycamore, cedar and bone and containing 40 cigars for the not inconsiderable sum of 15,000 euros ($18,000).

"Not only is this the most exclusive in the world, it is probably the most expensive in the world," said Juan Girón, assistant marketing director of Haba-nos, when presenting the new cigar to the media.

According to Girón, the cigar which takes its name from the behike, or a witch doctor of the Taino tribe who performed sacred rites with tobacco, began as a project in 2001 to be ready in time for the anniversary of this flagship brand of Cuban cigars.

The cigar boxes were made by Parisian manufacturer Elie Blue; the cigars themselves were prepared by Norma, the most experienced hand-roller in Havana’s El Laguito factory – while the wrappers were chosen by Pancho Cuba, Alejandro Robaina and Antonio María Paz,the three most important tobacco growers in the country.

Girón said that only 4,000 of the luxurious Behike will be produced, each one numbered, adding that it is "unique and unrepeatable" and that it "captures the spirit of Cohiba."

The cigar measurements are 52 millimeters (2 in.) by 192 millimeters (7 1/2 in.), which coincide with the girth of the Siglo VI and the length of the Lancero, the two models "that have contributed most to build the brand’s prestige," according to Habanos, a mixed company in which the Spanish-French firm Altadis has a share.