Named after William Shakespeare’s tragic lovers, the origins of Romeo y Julieta as a Havana date back to 1875.
The brand rose to international fame during the early years of the 20th Century under the direction of Don ‘Pepin’ Rodriguez, a talented promoter who was amongst the first to recognise the power of the cigar band. During his heyday no less than 20,000 different bands were used in the production of cigars.
Winston Churchill became a devotee of the brand and following his visit to Havana in 1946, his name has not only been commemorated on a band, but it has also served to describe the marque’s most famous size – Romeo y Julieta Churchills.
The 21st century has seen the arrival of three similarly named sizes. Short Churchills, a robusto size, were added in 2006. Wide Churchills, which boast a 55 ring gauge, were added in 2010 and in 2012 Petit Churchills joined the group.
Romeo y Julieta’s balanced and aromatic blend of selected filler and binder leaves from the Vuelta Abajo zone make it the classic medium bodied Havana.
Today Romeo y Julieta is as well known around the world as ever and offers one of the widest range of tripa larga, totalmente a mano – long filler, totally handmade – sizes of any Havana brand.