El Rey del Mundo
"The King of the World" of cigars.
The El Rey del Mundo brand is a relatively old brand dating back to the XIXᵉ century, well before the Cuban Revolution. However, the beginnings of the brand remain unclear. In fact, there are several competing versions as to when the brand was created. One would have it that the brand was created in 1882 by a certain Antonio Allones, on the back of his 30-year experience in Cuban cigars, who wanted to create a new high-end brand.
The second, does not question the first but goes back a little further in time and says that the beginnings of the brand would actually be older and that the brand would have been founded by a German, Emilio Ohmstedt, who would have created it in 1848 at the same time as the brand Sancho Panza.
Following the death of the latter, in the 1870s, the brand would have been registered and not created by Antonio Allones. This Spaniard, who came to Havana to work in the tobacco industry, had the ambition to create cigars of superior quality and price from the best tobacco leaves of the Vuelta Abajo. To mark the occasion, he decided to name the brand El Rey del Mundo, "The King of the World" in English.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the brand was bought by a company that would later be called Rey del Mundo Cigar Company. This company also owned the brands Rafaël González, Sancho Panza and Don Cándido.
It was not until 1940, when El Rey del Mundo was listed in the register of manufacturers-exporters, that the brand was opened to the world. This registration took place at the same time as that of Rafael González.
By the 1940s and 1950s, El Rey del Mundo cigars had already acquired a solid reputation worldwide. At that time, it was the most expensive cigar in the world. It was thus very popular with high society. This success would continue into the 1960s and 1970s, El Rey del Mundo cigars remained top of the line like Rafaël González. Zino Davidoff praised them in his famous book "The Cigar Connoisseur's Book", published in 1967, stating that these two cigar brands should be present in a cigar collection worthy of the name. The brand has acquired a solid reputation as a brand for the discerning connoisseur. This image continues to this day.
In terms of its vitolario, since 2012 and following the abandonment of the Petit Coronas (Marevas - 42 × 129 mm), the brand now offers only two cigars in regular production: the Choix Suprême, a Hermosos No.4 (48 × 127 mm) and the Demi Tasse, an Entreactos (30 × 100 mm). However, this was not always the case. In fact, before the Cuban Revolution, the brand offered an incredible regular catalog, consisting of no less than 17 different vitolas: the Coronas de Luxe, a Coronas (42 × 142 mm); the Elegantes, a Panetelas Largas (28 × 175 mm); the Epicures, belonging to the Small Panetela family (29 × 130 mm); the Gran Coronas, a Coronas Gordas (46 × 143 mm); the Grandes de España, a Delicados (38 × 192 mm) ; the Isabel, a Carlotas (35 × 143 mm); the Lonsdales, a Cervantes (42 × 165 mm); the Lunch Club, a Franciscanos (40 × 116 mm); the Panetelas Largas (28 × 175 mm); the Petit Lonsdales, a Marevas (42 × 129 mm); the Royal Series No. 2, belonging to the Petit Corona family (42 × 129 mm); the Royal Series No.3, also belonging to the Petit Corona family (40 × 110 mm); the Señoritas, a Laguito No.3 (26 × 115 mm); the Taínos, a Julieta No.2 (47 × 178 mm); the Très Petit Coronas, a Minutos (42 × 110 mm); and finally the Variedades, a Chicos (29 × 106 mm).
If the brand has seen its catalog of regular production drastically restricted, it is not outdone in terms of special productions!
Indeed, thanks to its excellence, both in terms of taste and manufacturing quality, the brand is very frequently chosen by aficionados around the world for regional editions. The brand has had a remarkable presence in the program since 2007 with the release of the Vikingos, a Gordito (50 × 141 mm) produced in Edición Regional Báltico. With no less than 20 regional editions to date, the brand is one of the most important!
A short history of the different regional editions of the brand over the years:
2008: El Rey del Mundo Torpedos Edición Regional Italia (Campanas - 52 × 140 mm)
2009: El Rey del Mundo Petit Compañia Edición Regional Francia (Small Pirámides - 50 × 127 mm) 2009: El Rey del Mundo Epochal Choice Edición Regional Reino Unido (Small Edmundo - 52 × 110 mm)
2009: El Rey del Mundo Balthasar Edición Regional Báltico (Dobles - 50 × 155 mm)
2010: El Rey del Mundo Elegantes Edición Regional Suiza (Gordito - 50 × 141 mm)
2011: El Rey del Mundo NL No.1 Edición Regional Países Bajos (Mágicos - 52 × 115 mm)
2012: El Rey del Mundo Aniversario Edición Regional Asia Pacifico (Geniales - 54 × 150 mm)
2013: El Rey del Mundo Infantes Edición Regional Cuba (Robustos - 50 × 124 mm)
2015: El Rey del Mundo Petit Robustos Edición Regional España (Petit Robustos - 50 × 102 mm)
2016: El Rey del Mundo King's Choice Edición Regional Belux (Montesco - 55 × 130 mm)
2017: El Rey del Mundo W.I.H. 20 Years Edición Regional Líbano (Geniales - 54 × 150 mm)
2017: El Rey del Mundo Kon Tiki 1973 Edición Regional Los Andes (109 - 50 × 184 mm)
2018: El Rey del Mundo Petit Cayo Edición Regional Andorra (Petit Edmundo - 52 × 110 mm)
2018: El Rey del Mundo La Reina Edición Regional Gran Bretaña (Laguito No.1 - 38 × 192 mm)
2018: El Rey del Mundo Taínos Edición Regional Formosa (Julieta No.2 - 47 × 178 mm)
2020: El Rey del Mundo L'Epoque Edición Regional Francia (Sublimes - 54 × 164 mm)
2020: El Rey del Mundo Grand Marshall Edición Regional Balkani (Genios - 52 × 140 mm)
2020: El Rey del Mundo Serie BN2 Brasil Edición Regional Brasil (Edmundo - 52 × 135 mm)
2021: El Rey del Mundo Templários Edición Regional Portugal (Magnum 54 - 54 × 120 mm)
In addition to these numerous regional editions, the brand has also produced two special humidors.
The first, released in 2004 and produced in only 220 pieces, was released late in the year to celebrate the brand's 120th anniversary. Called El Rey del Mundo 120 Aniversario Humidor, it contains 25 Pirámides (Piramides - 52 × 156 mm), a brand new vitola, and 25 Taínos (Julieta No.2 - 47 x 178 mm), a vitola from the brand's regular catalog, which was discontinued two years after the humidor's release, in 2006.
The second one, which we present today, was released in 2017 as part of the 170th anniversary of the brand. Named Império and produced in 450 pieces, it holds 50 Rodolfo (54 x 180 mm).
Interestingly, each of these two humidors features a different brand creation date. The first refers to the first version mentioned in the introduction of this article and the second to the second version.
In 2022, with the arrival of the El Rey del Mundo Royal Series, a Dobles (50 × 155 mm), the brand joined the relatively closed circle of brands producing cigars exclusively for La Casa del Habano, the franchise network of Habanos S.A.
Since the brand's inception, El Rey del Mundo cigars have enjoyed an excellent reputation among discerning aficionados. Delicate palates agree that these are exceptional cigars, with a light taste and subtle, almost sweet aromas, ultimately difficult to describe but easily recognizable. El Rey del Mundo is one of the few Habanos brands to offer a unique and inimitable aromatic profile.
The remarkable aromas delivered by the brand's vintage cigars attest to their quality of manufacture and their ability to age.
El Rey del Mundo cigars are currently produced alongside Romeo y Julieta and Saint Luis Rey cigars at the Briones Montoto factory, located in Havana. The latter are rolled "Totalmente a Mano con Tripa Larga" with tobacco leaves from the Vuelta Abajo region.
To learn more about El Rey del Mundo cigars and the history of the brand, we would be delighted to welcome you in our walk-in humidor, where you will find exclusive pieces from the history of the brand, special productions, but also cigars in standard production.
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