Andy's Musings : Cuban Cigar insights.

[El Presidente]

These formed part of the BR emails through the auction week.  Andy Ryan's work is exceptional as always and worth repeating here for those that do not get the BR emails. 

 

898 Packaging The 898, or 8-9-8 packaging. A wooden box with curved sides and three layers of cigars in an 8-9-8 configuration.  One of my favourite packaging styles (after 50 cabs!) for cigars. In this style of box, there is little excess space left over, yet the cigars are not box pressed.  25 years ago there were quite a few regular production cigars in this packaging style. Partagas 898 Varnished, Dalia (43 X 170mm) also 343 format for a box of 10 cigars Partagas 898 Unvarnished, Coronas Grandes (42 X 155mm) Ramon Allones 898 Varnished, Dalia (43 X 170mm) Ramon Allones Unvarnished, Corona (42 X 142mm)  La Gloria Cubana Medaille d’Or No. 1, Delicados Extra (36 X 185mm) La Gloria Cubana Medaille d’Or No. 2, Dalia (43 X 170mm) La Gloria Cubana Medaille d’Or No. 3, Panetelas Largas (28 X 175mm) La Gloria Cubana Medaille d’Or No. 4, Palmita (32 X 152mm) Sadly, now just the Partagas 898 Varnished and the La Gloria Cubana Medaille d’Or No.4 remain, with very limited supplies of each on shelves globally for the past few years. We have four boxes in 898 packaging listed in our current event, including a (now very rare) box of Ramon Allones 898 Varnished.  La Gloria Cubana Medaille d'Or No.2 (1998), Click Here Ramón Allones 8-9-8 Cabinet Selection Varnished (2002), Click Here Partagás 8-9-8 (2008), Click Here Ramón Allones 8-9-8 Edición Regional Alemania (2014), Click Here    Cohiba  Created in 1966 as a secure supply of cigars for Fidel Castro himself, then made available to the general public in 1982, now easily the most famous Cuban cigar brand.  Between Limited Editions, Reservas, Gran Reservas, new regular productions, new lines in the range, there has been a new Cohiba release nearly every year since 2000.  To be honest, we have rarely had a bad one. They are regarded by many cigar connoisseurs as the pinnacle of Cuban cigar production since the Revolution. It is hard to disagree, for a “special occasion cigar” what is a better regular production option than a Cohiba Lancero? We have 12 different boxes of Cohiba listed as part of our current event. Something for most budgets and preferred sizes. Including two boxes of Lanceros, 2008 and 1998, for a special occasion and an extra special occasion! Cohiba Cohiba 1966 Edición Limitada (10) (2011), Click Here Cohiba Double Coronas Edición Limitada (25) (2003), Click Here Cohiba Pirámides Edición Limitada (10) (2006), Click Here Cohiba Reserva Selección (30) (2002), Click Here Cohiba Robustos Reserva Cosecha (20) (2019), Click Here Cohiba Sublimes Edición Limitada (25) (2004), Click Here Cohiba Lanceros (25) (1998), Click Here Cohiba BHK 54 (10) (2010), Click Here Cohiba BHK 56 (10) (2012), Click Here Cohiba Espléndidos (25) (2009), Click Here Cohiba Lanceros (25) (2008), Click Here Cohiba Siglo VI Partial Box (6/15) (2002), Click Here  Trinidad   There have been many stories over the years regarding the creation of this brand. We know it was officially created in 1969, rolled at El Laguito, the home of Cohiba until at least 1998. What we do know is that the brand is taking some time (20 years?) to begin to “settle down”. There is no denying that the Fundadores is great cigar in a beautiful size. The Coloniales and the Reyes have their following and are both very nice. Then there was the Robusto T and the Robusto Extra. The Robusto T lasted 3 years (2009 - 2012) before discontinuation, the Robusto Extra, 8 years (2004 - 2012). Some of the shortest-lived cigars ever. And they each had a following. Both great cigars. New Trinidad vitolas (Vigia, La Trova, Media Luna, Esmeralda, Topes, etc.) have been released in the last 2 - 5 years and we’re still not entirely sure where the brand is going to end up being positioned. Given its history, we can be quite sure that Habanos will aim to keep it a “premium” brand. We have four Trinidad items listed as part of our current event. A limited edition jar of Trinidad Robusto Extra, released in Spain in 2013 with aged Trinidad Robusto Extras, one year after the vitola was officially discontinued. It is no surprise that this jar has long been the most sought after of the Spanish Colección Vintage jar releases. Plus a box each of the Limited Edition Trinidad Ingenios, Robusto T and Robusto Extra. Some great cigars there.      Trinidad Ingenios Edición Limitada (12) (2007), Click Here Trinidad Robustos Extra Colección Vintage Jar Spanish Release (15) (2013),  Click   Here Trinidad Robustos Extra (12) (2006), Click Here Trinidad Robustos T (24) (2009), Click Here    Jars    Traditionally one of the rarest packaging types. There are still ceramic jars and glass jars being made in the Habanos line up and being made by some Habanos distributors for local markets. Strangely enough, though the volumes may be smaller, there are probably more releases coming out in jars in the last 10 years than there were in the 1960s and 70s.  There were the legendary ceramic jars of the 1920s, then there were more ceramic jars made in the 1950s. Some in Talavera in Spain.

 

 

Pictured: Pe-Revolution Partagas and Ramon Allones jars, taken in a friend’s house in Playa, Havana, Cuba in 2013. As the Spanish town of Jabugo is known for its ham and Ubrique is known for its leather workshops (if you have a “Made in Spain” leather cigar case, there’s a 99% chance it was made in Ubrique), the town of Talavera, about 90km southwest of Madrid, still has a number of workshops and cooperatives producing ceramics and pottery and has the royal warrant from the Spanish queen for ceramic production, thus the official name of the town, “Talavera de la Reina” We have five listings of jars as part of our current auction, some rare ones there. An original year of release H. Upmann Noellas jar and a Partagas Serie P No. 1 jar. One of the most beautiful jars made in the last 20 years. Also, the first regional edition for Cuba, the La Gloria Cubana Deliciosos.  Then there’s the beautiful and rare Bolivar Distinguidos Regional Edition for China, 2011 Partagás Serie P No.1 Ceramic Jar (2009), Click Here Trinidad Robustos Extra Colección Vintage Jar Spanish Release (2013), Click Here Bolívar Distinguidos Edición Regional China (2011), Click Here H. Upmann Noellas LCDH Exclusivo Glass Jar (2009), Click Here La Gloria Cubana Deliciosos Edición Regional Cuba (2009), Click Here    Pre-embargo Cigars     Pre-Embargo (February 1962) or pre Revolution (1959) cigars can be notoriously difficult to date and find information. So much of the information has been lost to history. Min Ron Nee’s extraordinary work, “An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars” is a huge compilation of post-revolution cigars. In that book, discussing post-revolution Cuban cigars, there are fewer than 50 brands included. Very few would argue with that number. That is the number of brands produced in Cuba since 1959. At Bond Roberts, in our database, which is continually growing, we have a list of over 4,000 pre-revolution Cuban cigar brands from about 1800 until 1959. These were brands under which, at one time or another, cigars were rolled in Cuba. Our database does not yet include US made “Clear Havanas” or cigars rolled in other countries with Cuban tobacco. For the vast majority of these listings, we still have very little information. Many inclusions are brands that were renamed over the years with sometimes very similar names, for various reasons, eg. change of ownership or inheritance of a brand. In our current event, we have two boxes of Pre-Embargo Cuban cigars listed for sale. The first pre-embargo Cuban cigars listed on Bond Roberts.      Sol Grandezas (25) (1930s-40s)   Here is an extraordinary box, listed by a very well-known cigar blogger, collector and connoisseur. This was a gift of a dress box of 25 cigars from the creator of “An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars”, Min Ron Nee. From data we have compiled, the Sol brand was created around 1840 and below is the list of owners of the brand from 1840 until 1959.   Behrens & Co. Behrens y Companía. Carlos Behrens. F. Behrens. Faldo y Companía. Marcelino Borges. Martínez y Companía Faedo y Companía. Empresa Cubana del Tabaco   Obviously, the first four owners of the brand were various iterations of the Behrens family and family members. Martínez y Companía consolidated quite a few brands including Troya before the revolution. Finally, the Sol brand ended up under the umbrella of Empresa Cubana del Tabaco, the state body created by the Revolution (precursor of Cubatabaco and Habanos S. A.), under which all brands were consolidated after the Revolution. The Grandezas have a size approximately 37 X 145mm and are cellophane wrapped. These are beautiful cigars with an extraordinary provenance and history. The cigars look to be in perfect condition. The box was originally sold in Spain, with a Spanish tax stamp and the “Deposito de Tabacos Elaborados Santader” stamp on the bottom, the warehouse in Santander into which all finished tobacco products landed into Spain until the 1970s. The box is signed “Dear Nino, …. M.R. Nee .. 26 Apr 2015” This is a rare box and a piece of history. Sol Grandezas (25) (1930s-40s), Click Here     Hoyo de Monterrey Conquistadores (50) (1961),  The Hoyo de Monterrey brand is well known. Well known for its lighter bodied, soft and floral cigars. Some recent editions are creating a lot of stir, the Hoyo de San Juan and Hoyo de Rio Seco, with their very aromatic seco component and, Habanos tells us, the first “single finca” cigars produced since around the time of the Revolution, that is, all tobacco in the cigar comes from a single farm. The Hoyo de Monterrey brand was founded in 1865 by José Gener who had already had success with his La Escepción brand and named the new brand after his Hoyo de Monterrey plantation that he had bought in San Juan y Martinez in 1860. Then, and now, producing some of the best tobacco in the world. Hoyo de Monterrey, “Hole of Monterrey”, the name possibly comes from the fact that the farm is in a sheltered depression at the north-east edge of the town San Juan y Martinez in Pinar del Rio. Another explanation for name “Hoyo de Monterrey”, the word “hoyo” is sometimes applied to pools of water created by slow meanders of a river, a little like “swimming holes”. This could make sense, secure access to water for selected irrigation essential to the production of tobacco. The picture below shows an aerial shot of what is left of the Hoyo de Monterrey plantation in San Juan y Martinez. Even though it has been dammed about 5 km upstream to the northwest, the San Juan y Martinez river can be seen at the north and east edges of the farm, with a slow bend at the northeast corner of the farm.

 

 

Pictured. An aerial shot of what is left of the Hoyo de Monterrey plantation, at the NE edge of the town San Juan y Martinez in Pinar del Rio province in Cuba. The San Juan y Martinez river can be seen at the North and East edge of the farm.

 

 

Pictured. The entrance to the Hoyo de Monterrey farm in 2013. Tobacco is still grown there. From José Gener up until today, here is the list of owners of the Hoyo de Monterrey brand in Cuba.   José Gener Viuda de José Gener Torres Gener Hermanos Torres Gener Hermanos S. A. Herederos de José Gener F. Palicio y Companía Fernandez, Palicio y Companía Empresa Cubana del Tabaco Habanos S. A.   Obviously the first few are iterations of the Gener family. Viuda (widow) de José Gener. Eventually ending up under the umbrella of Empresa Cubana del Tabaco and then Habanos S.A. Regarding the Hoyo de Monterrey Conquistadores, unfortunately we cannot really find very much information. The box does look beautiful, from the images of the box and the cigars, they have obviously been very well stored over the years. The buyer of this box will be in for a huge treat. As you can see from the bottom of the box, it has the familiar curved (“squiggled”) pencil mark.

 

 

Pictured. Hoyo de Monterrey Conquistadores At Bond Roberts We have been gathering information on the meaning and origin of this pencil mark, often seen on boxes from the 1930s up until the 1960s. Here are some other examples we have pictured.

 

h

 

More on this to come in future after we have verified some information. What we can say for now, is that the Hoyo de Monterrey Conquistadores we have listed, also has the term “Maduro” stamped on the bottom of the box, signifying that the wrappers on the cigars contained were on the darker end of the colour spectrum for cigar wrappers. As we said, we hope to uncover more information on these markings. Hoyo de Monterrey Conquistadores (50) (1961), Again, all listings for the current event can be viewed here. https://www.bondroberts.com/search

[argrovesjd]

On 7/6/2021 at 7:12 PM, El Presidente said:

These formed part of the BR emails through the auction week.  Andy Ryan's work is exceptional as always and worth repeating here for those that do not get the BR emails. 

 

898 Packaging The 898, or 8-9-8 packaging. A wooden box with curved sides and three layers of cigars in an 8-9-8 configuration.  One of my favourite packaging styles (after 50 cabs!) for cigars. In this style of box, there is little excess space left over, yet the cigars are not box pressed.  25 years ago there were quite a few regular production cigars in this packaging style. Partagas 898 Varnished, Dalia (43 X 170mm) also 343 format for a box of 10 cigars Partagas 898 Unvarnished, Coronas Grandes (42 X 155mm) Ramon Allones 898 Varnished, Dalia (43 X 170mm) Ramon Allones Unvarnished, Corona (42 X 142mm)  La Gloria Cubana Medaille d’Or No. 1, Delicados Extra (36 X 185mm) La Gloria Cubana Medaille d’Or No. 2, Dalia (43 X 170mm) La Gloria Cubana Medaille d’Or No. 3, Panetelas Largas (28 X 175mm) La Gloria Cubana Medaille d’Or No. 4, Palmita (32 X 152mm) Sadly, now just the Partagas 898 Varnished and the La Gloria Cubana Medaille d’Or No.4 remain, with very limited supplies of each on shelves globally for the past few years. We have four boxes in 898 packaging listed in our current event, including a (now very rare) box of Ramon Allones 898 Varnished.  La Gloria Cubana Medaille d'Or No.2 (1998), Click Here Ramón Allones 8-9-8 Cabinet Selection Varnished (2002), Click Here Partagás 8-9-8 (2008), Click Here Ramón Allones 8-9-8 Edición Regional Alemania (2014), Click Here    Cohiba  Created in 1966 as a secure supply of cigars for Fidel Castro himself, then made available to the general public in 1982, now easily the most famous Cuban cigar brand.  Between Limited Editions, Reservas, Gran Reservas, new regular productions, new lines in the range, there has been a new Cohiba release nearly every year since 2000.  To be honest, we have rarely had a bad one. They are regarded by many cigar connoisseurs as the pinnacle of Cuban cigar production since the Revolution. It is hard to disagree, for a “special occasion cigar” what is a better regular production option than a Cohiba Lancero? We have 12 different boxes of Cohiba listed as part of our current event. Something for most budgets and preferred sizes. Including two boxes of Lanceros, 2008 and 1998, for a special occasion and an extra special occasion! Cohiba Cohiba 1966 Edición Limitada (10) (2011), Click Here Cohiba Double Coronas Edición Limitada (25) (2003), Click Here Cohiba Pirámides Edición Limitada (10) (2006), Click Here Cohiba Reserva Selección (30) (2002), Click Here Cohiba Robustos Reserva Cosecha (20) (2019), Click Here Cohiba Sublimes Edición Limitada (25) (2004), Click Here Cohiba Lanceros (25) (1998), Click Here Cohiba BHK 54 (10) (2010), Click Here Cohiba BHK 56 (10) (2012), Click Here Cohiba Espléndidos (25) (2009), Click Here Cohiba Lanceros (25) (2008), Click Here Cohiba Siglo VI Partial Box (6/15) (2002), Click Here  Trinidad   There have been many stories over the years regarding the creation of this brand. We know it was officially created in 1969, rolled at El Laguito, the home of Cohiba until at least 1998. What we do know is that the brand is taking some time (20 years?) to begin to “settle down”. There is no denying that the Fundadores is great cigar in a beautiful size. The Coloniales and the Reyes have their following and are both very nice. Then there was the Robusto T and the Robusto Extra. The Robusto T lasted 3 years (2009 - 2012) before discontinuation, the Robusto Extra, 8 years (2004 - 2012). Some of the shortest-lived cigars ever. And they each had a following. Both great cigars. New Trinidad vitolas (Vigia, La Trova, Media Luna, Esmeralda, Topes, etc.) have been released in the last 2 - 5 years and we’re still not entirely sure where the brand is going to end up being positioned. Given its history, we can be quite sure that Habanos will aim to keep it a “premium” brand. We have four Trinidad items listed as part of our current event. A limited edition jar of Trinidad Robusto Extra, released in Spain in 2013 with aged Trinidad Robusto Extras, one year after the vitola was officially discontinued. It is no surprise that this jar has long been the most sought after of the Spanish Colección Vintage jar releases. Plus a box each of the Limited Edition Trinidad Ingenios, Robusto T and Robusto Extra. Some great cigars there.      Trinidad Ingenios Edición Limitada (12) (2007), Click Here Trinidad Robustos Extra Colección Vintage Jar Spanish Release (15) (2013),  Click   Here Trinidad Robustos Extra (12) (2006), Click Here Trinidad Robustos T (24) (2009), Click Here    Jars    Traditionally one of the rarest packaging types. There are still ceramic jars and glass jars being made in the Habanos line up and being made by some Habanos distributors for local markets. Strangely enough, though the volumes may be smaller, there are probably more releases coming out in jars in the last 10 years than there were in the 1960s and 70s.  There were the legendary ceramic jars of the 1920s, then there were more ceramic jars made in the 1950s. Some in Talavera in Spain.

 

 

Pictured: Pe-Revolution Partagas and Ramon Allones jars, taken in a friend’s house in Playa, Havana, Cuba in 2013. As the Spanish town of Jabugo is known for its ham and Ubrique is known for its leather workshops (if you have a “Made in Spain” leather cigar case, there’s a 99% chance it was made in Ubrique), the town of Talavera, about 90km southwest of Madrid, still has a number of workshops and cooperatives producing ceramics and pottery and has the royal warrant from the Spanish queen for ceramic production, thus the official name of the town, “Talavera de la Reina” We have five listings of jars as part of our current auction, some rare ones there. An original year of release H. Upmann Noellas jar and a Partagas Serie P No. 1 jar. One of the most beautiful jars made in the last 20 years. Also, the first regional edition for Cuba, the La Gloria Cubana Deliciosos.  Then there’s the beautiful and rare Bolivar Distinguidos Regional Edition for China, 2011 Partagás Serie P No.1 Ceramic Jar (2009), Click Here Trinidad Robustos Extra Colección Vintage Jar Spanish Release (2013), Click Here Bolívar Distinguidos Edición Regional China (2011), Click Here H. Upmann Noellas LCDH Exclusivo Glass Jar (2009), Click Here La Gloria Cubana Deliciosos Edición Regional Cuba (2009), Click Here    Pre-embargo Cigars     Pre-Embargo (February 1962) or pre Revolution (1959) cigars can be notoriously difficult to date and find information. So much of the information has been lost to history. Min Ron Nee’s extraordinary work, “An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars” is a huge compilation of post-revolution cigars. In that book, discussing post-revolution Cuban cigars, there are fewer than 50 brands included. Very few would argue with that number. That is the number of brands produced in Cuba since 1959. At Bond Roberts, in our database, which is continually growing, we have a list of over 4,000 pre-revolution Cuban cigar brands from about 1800 until 1959. These were brands under which, at one time or another, cigars were rolled in Cuba. Our database does not yet include US made “Clear Havanas” or cigars rolled in other countries with Cuban tobacco. For the vast majority of these listings, we still have very little information. Many inclusions are brands that were renamed over the years with sometimes very similar names, for various reasons, eg. change of ownership or inheritance of a brand. In our current event, we have two boxes of Pre-Embargo Cuban cigars listed for sale. The first pre-embargo Cuban cigars listed on Bond Roberts.      Sol Grandezas (25) (1930s-40s)   Here is an extraordinary box, listed by a very well-known cigar blogger, collector and connoisseur. This was a gift of a dress box of 25 cigars from the creator of “An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars”, Min Ron Nee. From data we have compiled, the Sol brand was created around 1840 and below is the list of owners of the brand from 1840 until 1959.   Behrens & Co. Behrens y Companía. Carlos Behrens. F. Behrens. Faldo y Companía. Marcelino Borges. Martínez y Companía Faedo y Companía. Empresa Cubana del Tabaco   Obviously, the first four owners of the brand were various iterations of the Behrens family and family members. Martínez y Companía consolidated quite a few brands including Troya before the revolution. Finally, the Sol brand ended up under the umbrella of Empresa Cubana del Tabaco, the state body created by the Revolution (precursor of Cubatabaco and Habanos S. A.), under which all brands were consolidated after the Revolution. The Grandezas have a size approximately 37 X 145mm and are cellophane wrapped. These are beautiful cigars with an extraordinary provenance and history. The cigars look to be in perfect condition. The box was originally sold in Spain, with a Spanish tax stamp and the “Deposito de Tabacos Elaborados Santader” stamp on the bottom, the warehouse in Santander into which all finished tobacco products landed into Spain until the 1970s. The box is signed “Dear Nino, …. M.R. Nee .. 26 Apr 2015” This is a rare box and a piece of history. Sol Grandezas (25) (1930s-40s), Click Here     Hoyo de Monterrey Conquistadores (50) (1961),  The Hoyo de Monterrey brand is well known. Well known for its lighter bodied, soft and floral cigars. Some recent editions are creating a lot of stir, the Hoyo de San Juan and Hoyo de Rio Seco, with their very aromatic seco component and, Habanos tells us, the first “single finca” cigars produced since around the time of the Revolution, that is, all tobacco in the cigar comes from a single farm. The Hoyo de Monterrey brand was founded in 1865 by José Gener who had already had success with his La Escepción brand and named the new brand after his Hoyo de Monterrey plantation that he had bought in San Juan y Martinez in 1860. Then, and now, producing some of the best tobacco in the world. Hoyo de Monterrey, “Hole of Monterrey”, the name possibly comes from the fact that the farm is in a sheltered depression at the north-east edge of the town San Juan y Martinez in Pinar del Rio. Another explanation for name “Hoyo de Monterrey”, the word “hoyo” is sometimes applied to pools of water created by slow meanders of a river, a little like “swimming holes”. This could make sense, secure access to water for selected irrigation essential to the production of tobacco. The picture below shows an aerial shot of what is left of the Hoyo de Monterrey plantation in San Juan y Martinez. Even though it has been dammed about 5 km upstream to the northwest, the San Juan y Martinez river can be seen at the north and east edges of the farm, with a slow bend at the northeast corner of the farm.

 

 

Pictured. An aerial shot of what is left of the Hoyo de Monterrey plantation, at the NE edge of the town San Juan y Martinez in Pinar del Rio province in Cuba. The San Juan y Martinez river can be seen at the North and East edge of the farm.

 

 

Pictured. The entrance to the Hoyo de Monterrey farm in 2013. Tobacco is still grown there. From José Gener up until today, here is the list of owners of the Hoyo de Monterrey brand in Cuba.   José Gener Viuda de José Gener Torres Gener Hermanos Torres Gener Hermanos S. A. Herederos de José Gener F. Palicio y Companía Fernandez, Palicio y Companía Empresa Cubana del Tabaco Habanos S. A.   Obviously the first few are iterations of the Gener family. Viuda (widow) de José Gener. Eventually ending up under the umbrella of Empresa Cubana del Tabaco and then Habanos S.A. Regarding the Hoyo de Monterrey Conquistadores, unfortunately we cannot really find very much information. The box does look beautiful, from the images of the box and the cigars, they have obviously been very well stored over the years. The buyer of this box will be in for a huge treat. As you can see from the bottom of the box, it has the familiar curved (“squiggled”) pencil mark.

 

 

Pictured. Hoyo de Monterrey Conquistadores At Bond Roberts We have been gathering information on the meaning and origin of this pencil mark, often seen on boxes from the 1930s up until the 1960s. Here are some other examples we have pictured.

 

h

 

More on this to come in future after we have verified some information. What we can say for now, is that the Hoyo de Monterrey Conquistadores we have listed, also has the term “Maduro” stamped on the bottom of the box, signifying that the wrappers on the cigars contained were on the darker end of the colour spectrum for cigar wrappers. As we said, we hope to uncover more information on these markings. Hoyo de Monterrey Conquistadores (50) (1961), Again, all listings for the current event can be viewed here. https://www.bondroberts.com/search

I have a box of HdM Perfectos from the mid-40's that has this pencil mark as well.  Maybe a quality control mark?

[El Presidente]

There are very few people in the cigar world today with his depth of knowledge. 

 

...you wouldn't know it looking at him come 3 am in Havana