Romeo y Julieta is a Cuban cigar brand founded in 1875 by Inocencio Álvarez and José "Manín" García, and named after Shakespeare's famous tragedy Romeo and Juliet. The brand is currently produced under two legally distinct ownership lines: the Cuban version by Habanos S.A., and a non-Cuban version produced in the Dominican Republic by Altadis (a subsidiary of Imperial Brands).

The History of Romeo y Julieta

Álvarez and García were Asturian Spanish immigrants who established the brand at Calle San Rafael 87 in Havana. Álvarez had previously worked at the H. Upmann factory, eventually rising to a director position before leaving to start his own company.

The brand's name has its roots in a long-standing Cuban factory tradition. Lectores would read aloud to torcedores (cigar rollers) as they worked, and Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was a popular choice. Several other Havana brands took their names from classic literature in the same way, Montecristo, for instance, comes from Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo.

In the late 1800s the brand won numerous awards at international tasting exhibitions, the gold medals visible on the Romeo y Julieta logo today reference these wins, including Antwerp 1885, Brussels 1888 and 1889, Paris 1889 and 1900, and Liège 1907.

In 1903, the brand was acquired by José "Pepín" Rodríguez Fernández, the former head of the Cabañas factory in Havana, through his firm Rodríguez, Argüelles y Cía. Rodríguez was a well-travelled and energetic promoter. He raced a horse named Julieta in events across Europe and the Americas, opened a Romeo y Julieta shop in Verona (the Italian city in which Shakespeare set the play), and at one point produced as many as 20,000 different personalised cigar bands for individual customers. Under his direction, the brand became one of the largest premium cigar producers in Cuba, by the 1910s the Belascoaín factory employed over 1,000 people and produced approximately 20 million cigars per year.

After Rodríguez's death in 1954 and the nationalisation of the Cuban tobacco industry following the 1959 revolution, the brand was retained by the Cuban state and continues to be produced under Habanos S.A. Romeo y Julieta is today classified by Habanos S.A. as a "global" brand, one of its highest-volume international marcas, and offers the widest range of totalmente a mano, tripa larga (totally hand-made, long-filler) sizes of any Habano brand.

Sir Winston Churchill and the Romeo y Julieta Churchill

The brand's most famous devotee was Sir Winston Churchill. Churchill visited Havana in 1946 and toured the Romeo y Julieta factory. To commemorate the visit, the factory renamed its existing 7-inch by 47 ring gauge vitola, previously called the Clemenceau, factory-named Julieta No. 2, the Churchill. The Churchill remains the brand's flagship vitola today, and the Churchills line has since expanded to include the Short Churchill (added 2006), Wide Churchill (added 2010), and Petit Churchill (added 2012).

Where Romeo y Julieta Cigars Are Made

The Cuban Romeo y Julieta is produced in Havana under Habanos S.A. The brand uses a balanced blend of filler and binder leaves from the Vuelta Abajo region in Pinar del Río province, the same region that supplies tobacco to most of the major Cuban brands. The brand's factory is currently located at the former Carlos Baliño facility in the Marianao neighbourhood of Havana, having moved there in 2015 from its previous home on Belascoaín.

The Romeo y Julieta Range

The Romeo y Julieta range is one of the broadest in the Habanos S.A. portfolio. The classical line includes the Churchill, Wide Churchill, Short Churchill, Petit Churchill, Belicoso, Cazadores, Coronas, Petit Coronas, and the Exhibición series. Premium tier additions include the Línea de Oro, launched in recent years as the first dedicated premium-linea within the brand. The brand also issues regular Edición Limitada and Reserva releases, including the Wide Churchills Gran Reserva Cosecha 2009.

Romeo y Julieta at CigarBox

Browse the wider range of Cuban Cigars, or explore Nicaraguan Cigars and Dominican Cigars at CigarBox. You can also see all of our brands on the Cigars By Brand hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the cigar called Romeo y Julieta?

Romeo y Julieta is the Spanish name for Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet. The brand was named in 1875 by founders Inocencio Álvarez and Manín García, drawing on a Cuban factory tradition where lectores would read literary works aloud to torcedores as they rolled cigars. Shakespeare's play was a popular choice, and the name stuck.

What is the most famous Romeo y Julieta cigar?

The Churchill,a 7-inch by 47 ring gauge vitola, is the brand's most famous size and its flagship product. It was renamed in 1946 to commemorate Sir Winston Churchill's visit to the Havana factory. The Churchill format has since expanded to include the Short Churchill, Wide Churchill, and Petit Churchill.

Are Romeo y Julieta cigars Cuban?

The original Romeo y Julieta is a Cuban brand, founded in Havana in 1875 and currently produced by Habanos S.A. A second, legally distinct Romeo y Julieta is produced in the Dominican Republic by Altadis for the US and other markets where Cuban cigars cannot be sold. When stock is available, CigarBox only keeps the Cuban version.