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ROMEO Y JULIETA CIGAR HISTORY
Founded in 1873, the Romeo y Julieta cigar brand once printed over 2,000 cigar bands! The Romeos cigars are one of the most well-known and popular of all of the Cuban cigar brands. Over 40 cigar shapes and sizes are produced under the Romeo y Julieta cigar brand, some of which are considered the very best cigars in their size range. Romeo y Julieta cigars have won gold medals worldwide for both Cuban cigar taste and Cuban cigar quality. With so many different sizes and so much pressure on Cuban cigar production due to worldwide demand, it is especially impressive that the entire cigar brand of Romeo y Julieta continues to be appreciated as one of absolutely top quality Cuban cigars.
Of particular repute are the Churchill sizes. As always, a large box (25 or 50) of untubed Cuban cigars (there are many tubed versions) is an excellent choice, although Romeo y Julieta tubed cigars are also among the best available. The Romeo y Julieta cigar brand is also credited with introducing the "Churchill" shaped Cuban cigar, in honor of the British Prime Minister. British lore claims that when Prime Minister Churchill would meet with foreign heads of state, he would insert a straightened paperclip through the length of his Cuban cigar. As his cigar ash would grow longer and longer but not fall, it is said that Churchill would unnerve his often-hostile guests, allowing him to gain an upper hand during delicate negotiations.
In 1875, the enterprise of Inocencio álvarez and Manín García created this cigar brand whose reputation as a handcrafted jewel in the art of good cigar smoking would make it one of the leaders on the international Cuban cigar market. It is said that due to its name (related to a love story) Romeo y Julieta has become one of the most famous cigar brands in the world.
Romeo y Julieta brand has been awarded with several golden medals in different Universal Exhibitions as Antwerp (1885), Paris (1889 and 1900) and Brussels (1897). In 1897, the Romeo y Julieta brand was bought by the Association Rodríguez- Argüelles & Co.; three years later, in 1903, the Association dissolved and the Cuban cigar enterprise Romeo y Julieta Cigar Factory was created.
The owner José Fernández Rodríguez, a Spanish emigrant in Cuba, increased the productivity of his employees through a system of incentives, which permitted to increase the cigar's production and the cigar's quality. He also introduced cigar bands or personalized vitolas to some of his most selected clients.
He had printed more than 2,000 different vitolas at one time and also used publicity tricks as to name his own racing horse after the name of the cigar brand, and took it to the most important races in Europe. On the other hand, he also opened a shop in the hotel Capulet in Verona, the city where Shakespeare's the drama, Romeo and Juliet, took place. Under the command of Fernández, the factory moved to O'Reilly Street where it is located still.
The Romeo and Juliet cigar brand offers vitolas from medium to strong strength, with good combustion and brown color of the cigar wrapper. Romeo y Julieta uses tobacco from Vuelta Abajo (Pinar del Rio). This Cuban cigar brand is commercialized in Spain, France, Benlux, Hong Kong, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Africa, Middle East, Canada, East Europe, Swiss and Great Britain.