Romeo y Julieta Cigars
Romeo y Julieta is one of the most famous Cuban-legacy cigar brands. The brand was created in Cuba in 1875 by Inocencio Alvarez and Manin Garcia. When Winston Churchill visited the Romeo factory in 1946, the company named his favorite cigar size, a 7 by 47 Parejo, the “Churchill.” As a result, nearly every other cigar brand makes a size called a Churchill. Today, Romeo y Julieta cigars are handmade in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Top-selling blends like Romeo y Julieta 1875, Reserva Real, and Vintage form a strong foundation in a portfolio that’s been extremely popular with aficionados for decades. Romeo y Julieta cigars are creamy, smooth, balanced, and well made.
CIGARS
Romeo y Julieta 1875
Price Per Cigar:$5.49 - $11.9322 options availableStrength: Mild-MediumCountry: Dominican RepublicWrapper: Indonesian87 Reviewsread more
Romeo y Julieta 1875 Nicaragua
Price Per Cigar:$7.23 - $11.726 options availableStrength: MediumCountry: NicaraguaWrapper: Nicaraguan7 Reviewsread more
Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real
Price Per Cigar:$8.26 - $11.5212 options availableStrength: MediumCountry: Dominican RepublicWrapper: Ecuador Connecticut37 Reviewsread more
Romeo y Julieta Reserve
Price Per Cigar:$6.62 - $11.428 options availableStrength: Medium-FullCountry: HondurasWrapper: Nicaraguan20 Reviewsread more
Romeo y Julieta Reserve Maduro
Price Per Cigar:$7.41 - $9.902 options availableStrength: MediumCountry: Dominican RepublicWrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf6 Reviewsread more
Romeo y Julieta Romeo
Price Per Cigar:$10.06 - $12.004 options availableStrength: Medium-FullCountry: Dominican RepublicWrapper: Ecuador Habano7 Reviewsread more
Romeo y Julieta San Andres
Price Per Cigar:$5.99 - $10.606 options availableStrength: Medium-FullCountry: NicaraguaWrapper: San Andres17 Reviewsread more
Romeo y Julieta Vintage
Price Per Cigar:$8.88 - $15.8210 options availableStrength: Mild-MediumCountry: Dominican RepublicWrapper: Ecuador Connecticut10 Reviewsread more
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ROMEO Y JULIETA BRAND HISTORY
It is almost an afterthought to many cigar lovers that Romeo y Julieta, the cigar brand, is named for Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. Literature and tobacco have enjoyed a longstanding history for centuries. Momentarily consider the contributions of cigar-loving luminaries like Mark Twain and Ernest Hemingway, among countless others. In the case of Romeo y Julieta (the cigar), however, Shakespeare’s timeless classic receives an enduring homage courtesy of the simple, but shrewd, naming convention selected by Romeo brand founders, Inocencio Alvarez and Manin Gracia, back in roughly 1875 in Cuba where the pair introduced the first Romeo y Julieta cigars.
A strong network of international trade amidst a growing capitalist landscape in the wake of the Industrial Revolution at the turn of the century encouraged the consumption of goods like Cuban cigars on a whole new scale. As a burgeoning number of cigar lovers emerged, their taste for premium Cubans blossomed. Branding was key as the advent of advertising and marketing products to consumers possessed tremendous influence in their purchasing decisions. Sales of the Cuban cigar brand Punch grew exponentially, as cigar lovers readily gravitated toward a brand named for Britain’s renowned, jester-clad Mr. Punch puppet, a popular fixture during the era. Romeo y Julieta’s clever allusion to one of the most famous plays in history would also flourish, thanks to its already iconic name, as well as a fervent new brand owner.
It was in 1903 that Jose ‘Pepin’ Rodriguez Fernandez, head of the Cabañas cigar factory in Havana, acquired the Romeo y Julieta brand. As the brand’s proprietor, it’s safe to compare Rodriguez’s enchantment with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to an obsession. However, he seamlessly translated his obsession into a great deal of exposure and demand for Romeo y Julieta cigars.
Rodriguez frequently hobnobbed with wealthy elites in Europe and America with whom he shared his beloved cigars. An avid horse-racer, he named one of his prized horses, ‘Julieta.’ He opened his own cigar shop in Verona, Italy, the setting for Shakespeare’s illustrious play, in the Hotel Capulet, of all places. He even went so far as to try to purchase the Palazzo Capuleti, the ancestral home of Juliet’s family in Verona. When local authorities denied his ambitions, he simply returned to Cuba where he commissioned the construction of a replica of the Palazzo in Havana. Apparently, Rodriguez enlisted the service of a pair of German Shepherds, aptly named, “Romeo,” and “Juliet,” to guard the place.
Rodriguez’s relentless dedication played out in his cigar brand’s wild popularity, as well. He would often customize cigar bands for his clientele, making tens of thousands of vanity labels at one point. The allure certainly registered with consumers and helped to catapult Romeo y Julieta into a global bestseller.
Although Romeo y Julieta was well-known for making a number of cigars in figured shapes like Perfectos and Torpedos during the earlier years, one of the most common and iconic cigar formats ever rolled owes its distinction to the Romeo brand – and, one exceptionally prominent cigar smoker: Winston Churchill. After a visit to Cuba in 1946, Sir Winston Churchill began his special love affair with a particular Romeo y Julieta cigar, 7 inches in length with a 47-ring gauge, a size that we now universally recognize as the ‘Churchill.’ The Churchill format is made by nearly every brand today, Cuban and non-Cuban. The shape delivers a gentle concentration of flavor that resonates for an extended period of time, typically just over an hour. Churchills are often a first choice for cigar lovers on the golf course, particularly in a milder blend, like numerous cigars in the Dominican portfolio of Romeo y Julieta.
Whether you enjoy access to modern-day Romeo y Julieta Cubans sold overseas or not, you can certainly get acquainted with the brand’s prestigious pedigree in a number cigars produced under the Altadis U.S.A. umbrella, the parent company of the Romeo y Julieta brand that is manufactured outside of Cuba (primarily in the Dominican Republic). Like many famous Cuban cigars, alternative blends were developed in Central American nations in the years following the Cuban Trade Embargo in 1960. Non-Cuban Romeos are widely distributed in nearly every premium cigar shop in the U.S., as well as in Europe and many other countries.
ROMEO Y JULIETA BRAND OVERVIEW
For many cigar lovers, both experienced and novice, Romeo y Julieta easily harbors as much appeal as Macanudo, another widely distributed, traditionally mild cigar. Romeo y Julieta is available in nearly every premium cigar shop and offers a number of great cigars at affordable prices. The brand was rated a ‘Top 10 Bestseller’ by Cigar Aficionado as recent as 2017.
Romeo y Julieta 1875 and Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real are perhaps the most prominent Dominican-crafted blends the brand produces. A mild to medium-bodied profile of toasted nuts, coffee beans and spices is furnished courtesy of a caramel-hued Indonesian wrapper over a balanced core of Dominican long-filler tobaccos in Romeo y Juliet 1875. With prices that start under $5, the blend has been an anchor in the brand’s portfolio for decades, and readily pays allegiance to the year the company was founded.
Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real displays a surprising complexity and creaminess with an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper around a medium-bodied interior of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos. Cedar, cashews, and white pepper notes accompany a touch of sweetness that many new cigar smokers find approachable, flavorful, and impressive.
Romeo y Julieta Reserve edges the brand’s strength up a notch in a medium to full-bodied smoke handcrafted in Honduras from Honduran and Nicaraguan long-fillers beneath a rich Nicaraguan wrapper leaf. Earthy flavors of black pepper and wood are available in a handful of classic shapes. A Maduro version is also available in the Reserve line, which is handmade in the Dominican Republic from a medium-bodied recipe of Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Peruvian tobaccos beneath a succulent Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper.
The classic brand has also experimented with trendier releases in recent years with the likes of Romeo y Julieta Romeo, which entertains a new and bolder presentation of band and box logos. The blend also displays a heartier profile with a Cuban-seed wrapper leaf grown in Ecuador and a savory core of Dominican tobaccos that deliver notes of leather, chocolate and spice.
A number of conventional Romeo fans praise Romeo y Julieta Vintage, as well. The mild to medium-bodied blend reveals the brand’s classic nutty and smooth flavors with iconic consistency. An Ecuador Connecticut wrapper embraces a well-aged concoction of Dominican long fillers that are perfectly constructed.
Whether you’re a seasoned connoisseur who’s already smoked every brand under the sun, or you’re just beginning a new cigar journey, you’re guaranteed to come across something from Romeo y Julieta that will exceed your expectations for taste, and especially value. Indulge in the modern reinvention of a reputable Cuban-legacy brand today.
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