Romeo y Julieta

Romeo y Julieta is a brand regarded around the world by cigar aficionados as one of the finest cigars ever created.

The brand was founded in Cuba in 1875 by two men, Inocencio Alvarez and Manin Garcia. They decided to name it after the tragic tragedy by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet. It didn’t take long for their brand to become popular with the locals and even to this day new Cuban cigar smokers enjoy their cigars. The brand found new beginnings when it was bought by refined businessman Jose Rodriguez Fernandez in 1903.

Jose Rodriguez Fernandez enjoyed travelling around the world but especially Europe, where the culture and citizens are well respected. Jose would actively promote his brand while entertaining his acquaintances he had met. He even entered his horse into many popular races, and the name of his horse?... Julieta.

All of this was his marketing campaign to help bring the brand to new heights and is now seen as one of the first choices for a true aficionado. This was further reinforced when they were to be discovered as former Prime Minister, Winston Churchill's favourite cigar. This endorsement from a well known historical figure has certainly done no harm to the Romeo y Julieta brand and has elevated it. As a mark of respect for this, a signature cigar size was named after him, the Churchill range is front and centre of the Romeo y Julieta brand and was created with the essence and the luxury smoker in mind. 

As with all Cuban brands, Romeo y Julieta was affected by the Cuban revolution which nationalised all of the cigar industry. This saw the brand flee to the Dominican Republic, however, Cuba still holds the rights to the Cuban variety of Romeo y Julieta and to this day it is still one of the biggest names in Cuban tobacco.

Click here to view our range of Romeo y Julieta cigars

Written by Oliver Partington