Saint Luis Rey
An old cigar brand, originally intended for the British market.
Saint Luis Rey is a "pre-revolution" brand officially registered in 1940 under the ownership of a company called Zamora y Guerra.
There are two competing theories about the name.
The first explains that Saint Luis Rey comes from the novel "The Bridge of San Luis Rey", written in 1927 by the American playwright Thornton Wilder. The work, which was very popular at the time, became so famous that it was made into a film and broadcasted in 1944.
The other theory, which is probably more likely, states that the origin of the name is linked to the small town of San Luis, located in the heart of the famous Vuelta Abajo. Thus, "Rey", which means "King" in English, was added to form the full name "King of San Luis". Indeed, the Spanish word "San" and "Saint" are identical.
Although Saint Luis Rey cigars are relatively hard to find today, they are available all over the world. But this has not always been the case.
Originally, Saint Luis Rey cigars were exclusively reserved for the British market. This was according to a contract, signed in the 1940s, between Cubatabco and the importing company N.R. Silverstone Cigar Limited, owned by Michael de Keyser and Nathan Silverstone. From then on, this company held a monopoly on the distribution of Saint Luis Rey cigars in the UK for decades. Not even the Cuban Revolution, which broke out in 1953, would change or cancel this agreement, which was even renewed in 1960.
It was not until 1993 that Cubatabaco decided to no longer restrict the Saint Luis Rey cigars exclusively to the United Kingdom, and delegated their marketing to Hunters & Frankau, the official importer of Habanos in the UK. Until then, Saint Luis Rey was the only Cuban brand that was not distributed in the UK by Hunters and Frankau.
From then on, Saint Luis Rey cigars set out to conquer the world. They were imported into Hong Kong in 1994 by the Pacific Cigar Company, the official importer of Habanos for the Asia-Pacific region.
Saint Luis Rey should not be confused with the San Luis Rey brand. The latter is said to have been created in the 1980s to counter this exclusivity for the UK market. To do so, Cubatabaco started negotiations with Villiger Söhne AG, a German company that gave birth to Fifth Avenue Products Trading, the importer of Habanos in Germany, Austria and Poland.
In order to differentiate the two brands, which are separated by only two letters, a new black and gold cigar band was created for San Luis Rey.
Although part of the vitolario was common to both brands, the quantity of San Luis Rey cigars remained confidential and the brand was officially discontinued in 2000.
Let's go back to the Saint Luis Rey. Although the brand's current catalogue only offers one cigar in regular production, this was not always the case. Indeed, despite low production volumes until the 1980s, the brand's catalogue offered ten different vitolas: the Serie A, a Coronas Gordas (46 x 143 mm); the Coronas (42 x 142 mm); the Petit Coronas, a Marevas (42 x 129 mm); the Lonsdales, a Cervantes (42 x 165 mm); the Entre Palmas, a Parejos (38 x 166 mm) as well as four other cigars using unknown vitolas, the Coronas Inmensas (48 x 167 mm), the Havana Club (42 x 122 mm), the Pyramids No. 1 (52 x 156 mm) and the Serie B (48 x 157 mm).
Least but not last, let’s talk about the Churchills, a Julieta No.2 (47 x 178 mm) which we present you today.
Among the discontinued cigars, one or should we say two have been particularly coveted, the Prominente or Double Coronas, two Prominentes (49 x 194 mm).
The first one, introduced in 1988, was first produced without a trade name, probably following a special request from an importer, before finally being named "Prominente" in reference to its vitola.
It seems that the project to baptize this majestic cigar as a Saint Luis Rey Double Coronas emerged at the end of the 1980s with a view to its future inclusion into the brand's regular catalogue.
Unfortunately, this period also corresponds to one of a crises for the Cuban cigar industry, linked to the cold war. Due to the inherent economic difficulties, the Prominentes vitola was eventually reserved for the more important brands, such as Hoyo de Monterrey, Partagás, Punch and Ramón Allones.
It was not until 2001 that the Prominente reappeared, the Saint Luis Rey Double Coronas, before it was finally abandoned in 2013.
The brand's production has always been low and from the early 2000s onwards, the regular catalogue was gradually reduced to one single cigar, the Saint Luis Rey Regios, a Hermosos No.4 (48 x 127 mm).
Saint Luis Rey cigars have always enjoyed an excellent reputation for their taste, among Habanos lovers. The vitolas carry a rich range of aromas, dominated by spicy and earthy notes. The tobacco leaves come from the Vuelta Abajo and the Semi Vuelta. All of the brand's cigars are handmade, alongside Romeo y Julieta and Rafael González cigars, at the Briones Montoto factory in Havana.
A cigar brand for experienced cigar lovers, Saint Luis Rey enjoys prestige in the eyes of aficionados thanks to its quality and its unique and intense flavors. The success among experienced aficionados has led importers to select the brand for regional editions.
The first region in the world to benefit from this accomplishment was the Asia Pacific region with the 2009 Saint Luis Rey Pacificos Edición Regional Asia Pacifico, a Piramides (52 x 156 mm) and the latest is Costa Rica with the 2020 release of Pura Vida. Between the two, there are four other regional editions, including the very rare Saint Luis Rey Inca Edición Regional Peru, a Petit Robustos (50 x 102 mm) released in only 1,000 cabinets of 50 cigars.
Regular or special production, discontinued or current, Saint Luis Rey cigars have a unique and inimitable "Saint Luis Rey" aroma, as if the cigars were made from tobacco from a unique region.
To find out more about the Saint Luis Rey cigar brand and its history, we would be delighted to welcome you to our walk-in humidor, where you will find exclusive pieces, special productions, but also cigars from more regular production.
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