Brand guide
Romeo y Julieta cigars
Romeo y Julieta is a cigar brand founded in Cuba in 1875 that is now made twice: in Cuba by Habanos S.A., and in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua for the US market by Altadis U.S.A.
Two partners and a Shakespeare title, 1875
Inocencio Alvarez and Manin García established Romeo y Julieta in 1875 and named it for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
It won awards early. Wikipedia says the brand collected numerous prizes at tasting exhibitions between 1885 and 1900.
Pepin Rodríguez made the brand famous
José "Pepin" Rodríguez Fernández, former head of the Cabañas factory in Havana, bought Romeo y Julieta in 1903 through his firm, Rodríguez, Argüelles y Cía.
He sold it hard, across Europe and the Americas. He raced a horse named Julieta. At its peak, the factory printed as many as 2,000 personalized bands for individual customers, and Wikipedia says more than a thousand figurado shapes are believed to have been in production. Rodríguez died in 1954 at 88.
Why is the Churchill size named after Churchill?
The Churchill size is named for Sir Winston Churchill, Romeo y Julieta's most famous customer, and Wikipedia gives the original as 7 inches by a 47 ring.
The name stuck far beyond one brand. Today "Churchill" is a standard size on cigar lists from many makers. The US-market Romeo y Julieta Churchills listed by Altadis U.S.A. run 7 x 50. Compare it with other classic sizes in the size explorer.
One name, two owners since the revolution
Romeo y Julieta split after the Cuban Revolution: Cuba nationalized the original brand, and a separate non-Cuban Romeo y Julieta moved to La Romana in the Dominican Republic.
In Cuba, the nationalized brand is still produced and sold worldwide by Habanos S.A. Outside Cuba, Wikipedia says Dominican production for the American market continues under Altadis U.S.A. The Altadis site dates the brand to 1875 and calls Churchill "perhaps the brand's most illustrious enthusiast," so both owners claim the same history.
Ownership changed in 2020. Imperial Brands sold its premium cigar business in two deals. Cigar Aficionado reported that Gemstone Investment Holding took the US division, including Altadis U.S.A., while Allied Cigar Corporation took the rest, including Imperial's 50 percent of Habanos S.A. Cigar Aficionado named Romeo y Julieta among the non-Cuban brands of Tabacalera USA, the company that makes and markets them.
Where is US-market Romeo y Julieta made?
The core non-Cuban lines come from the Dominican Republic, and Reserva Real Nicaragua comes from Estelí.
Reserva Real and 1875 list the Dominican Republic as their origin. So does the 150th Anniversary, which wears a Sumatra Ecuador wrapper, a Mexican San Andrés binder, and filler from Peru, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. Reserva Real Nicaragua is a Nicaraguan puro blended by Rafael Nodal and AJ Fernandez and handcrafted at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez in Estelí.
Other factories have rolled for the brand too. Cigar Aficionado's profile of Nestor Andrés Plasencia says his Plasencia factories make several Romeo y Julieta versions.
US-market Romeo y Julieta lines
| Line | Wrapper (as Altadis lists it) | Stated strength | Notable sizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1875 | Indonesian TBN | Not published in words | Bully 5 x 50, Churchill 7 x 50, Belicoso 6 1/8 x 52, Exhibicion #1 8 1/2 x 52 |
| Reserva Real | Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade | Not published | Robusto 5 x 52, No. 2 6 1/8 x 52 (box-pressed belicoso), Churchill 7 x 50 |
| Reserva Real Nicaragua | Nicaraguan | Not published | Robusto 5 x 50, Toro 6 x 54, Churchill 7 x 50 |
| 150th Anniversary | Sumatra Ecuador | Not published | Not listed on the brand page |
Altadis also lists Reserva Real Nicaragua Midnight Twist, which it calls medium-full, plus Reserve, Vintage, 1875 Nicaragua, 1875 Connecticut Nicaragua, 1875 Reserve Maduro and ROMEO by Romeo y Julieta.
Cuban Romeo y Julieta releases
The Cuban Romeo y Julieta line includes the Churchill, Corona, Petit Corona and numbered Romeo sizes, plus limited editions.
Wikipedia lists Edición Limitada releases from 2000 to 2009, from Exhibición No. 2 in 2000 to the Duke in 2009. It does not name the Cuban factory, so it isn't named here either.
Romeo y Julieta milestones
Romeo y Julieta's timeline covers 150 years, two owners and one famous size name.
- 1875: Brand established by Inocencio Alvarez and Manin García.
- 1885 to 1900: Prizes at tasting exhibitions.
- 1903: Pepin Rodríguez Fernández buys the brand.
- 1954: Rodríguez dies at 88.
- After 1959: Cuban brand nationalized; non-Cuban production moves to La Romana.
- 2000 to 2009: Cuban Edición Limitada releases.
- 2020: Imperial Brands sells Altadis U.S.A. and its Habanos stake.
- 150 years on: Altadis U.S.A. lists a 150th Anniversary cigar, made in the Dominican Republic.
What to know before you buy a Romeo y Julieta
US-market Romeo y Julieta sizes run from a 7 x 36 Porto Real to an 8 1/2 x 52 Exhibicion #1, with tubes and glass tubes in the mix.
The Reserva Real No. 2 is the one size Altadis marks as box-pressed. The rest are listed without a shape note. Check the band for country: a Cuban Churchill and a Dominican 1875 Churchill share a name, not a maker or a leaf. Altadis U.S.A. doesn't list suggested retail prices on these pages, so no price tier is given. This guide reports ownership only and gives no view on import rules for Cuban cigars.
Romeo y Julieta questions people ask
Is Romeo y Julieta a Cuban cigar?
There are two. Habanos S.A. makes and sells the Cuban Romeo y Julieta, and Altadis U.S.A. sells a separate Romeo y Julieta made in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua for the US market.
Why is a Churchill cigar called a Churchill?
Romeo y Julieta named its flagship size after Sir Winston Churchill, the brand's most famous fan. Wikipedia gives the Cuban Churchill as 7 inches by 47 ring.
Where is Romeo y Julieta 1875 made?
In the Dominican Republic. Altadis U.S.A. lists the 1875 with an Indonesian TBN wrapper over Dominican binder and filler.
Who owns Romeo y Julieta?
The Cuban brand is produced by Habanos S.A. The US brand is sold by Altadis U.S.A., which Imperial Brands sold to Gemstone Investment Holding in 2020.
Where the Romeo y Julieta facts come from
- Romeo y Julieta (cigar), Wikipedia
- Romeo y Julieta brand page, Altadis U.S.A.
- Romeo y Julieta 1875, Altadis U.S.A.
- Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua, Altadis U.S.A.
- Imperial completes $1.44 billion sale of premium cigar business, Cigar Aficionado