Cuban Brands Mentioned in Print
A National Cigar Museum Exhibit
© Tony Hyman
The purpose of this exhibit is to highlight Cuban brands mentioned in the literature, especially before World War Two.
These lists will be under continual development.
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S.S. Pierce 1886 catalog
Pierce’s was a high end gourmet food, wine and tobacco store in business
for 150 years (starting in 1831) with 9 outlets in the Boston area.
1887 broadside
A look at what an important New York City maker and wholesaler imported in 1887.
Broadside not in the National Cigar Museum collection.
1877 British publication listing “the best Cuban cigars”
Brands 1875 (Fairholt)
Emperors
Kings
Queens
Dukes
Patrons
Mexicans Recompenzas
Cavallos
Fragrancias
Isabellas
Prensados
Gems
Medianas
La Primeras
Garantizados Imperials
Regalias
Claro Ferias
Estrellas
Britannias
Alberts
Esculapias
Woodvilles
Panetellas
Toimecos
Cacadores [sic]
Planters
Cubas
Bengals
Pilots
Gondolas
Favorites
Albonias
Elections
Wellingtons
Crusaders
Alhambras
Silvas
Manillas
Principes
Trabucas
Royals
Purezas
Riondas
Yaras
*Cabañas
*Dos Amigos
*El Dorados
*El Dorados
*Figaros
*Ingenuidads
*Integridads
*La Esparteros
*La Esperanzas
*La Famas
*La Fidelidads
*La flor de Canana
*La Lealtads
*La Martinez
*La Normas
*La Presidents
*La Unions
*Larranagas
*Lopez
*Lord Byrons
*Pedro Acostas
*Pellons
*Trinidads
F.W. Fairholt’s Tobacco: Its History and Associations is one of the better known tobacco related books of the 1870’s. On page 220 of his chapter titled “Tobacco-Pipes, Cigars, Etc.” he enumerated a list of cigar brands “published by an importer and manufacturer in the city of London.”
Alas, neither Fairholt nor his anonymous manufacturer seems to know the difference between a brand name and a frontmark, a marca and a vitola, as the two appear intermixed. It’s possible this is the result of certain brands becoming commonly known by their most popular size and shape, but that’s dubious.
I’ve taken a stab at sorting them, marking brand names I recognize with an *, leaving what I believe to be frontmarks unmarked. Sorry, no guarantees.
Missing are many well known brands including Partagas, Bock’s El Aguila del Oro and Upmann.
Española,
Henry Clay,
H.Upmann,
Jose Morales,
La Carolina,
La Intimidad,
Larranaga,
Partagas,
Paz de China,
Ramon Allones, V. Arango,
Villar y Villar,
A. Murias y Cia.,
Cabañas,
Cabarga y Cia.,
Caliope,
Confederacion Suiza,
El Gaucho,
1896 “Price List of Havana Cigars” in TOBACCO magazine
Each brand is followed by the number of frontmarks for which a price was quoted. Of the 550 brands and frontmarks for which wholesale prices were quoted, 94 cost from 6.4¢ to 9.8¢ each. 383 cost from 10¢ to 19.9¢, 63 sold from 20¢ to 29.9¢ each. 9 sold for between 30¢ and 38¢ each in lots of 1000. Only the La Rosa de Santiago Sobrano @ 47¢ each sold for more.
La Africana [15]
Alexander II [5]
Flor de Alma [5]
American Jockey Club [11]
La Antiquidad [7]
Belinda [1]
Flor de Benito [2]
Benito Suarez [6]
El Blason [3]
Cabañas y Carvajal [27]
La Carolina [17]
C.G. 7 C. [3]
L. Carvajal [2]
Commercial [1]
El Condor [1]
Corona [4]
Cruz Roja [10]
La Flor de Cuba [4]
Flor Cubana [8]
La Devesa [2]
La Diligencia [2]
Eden [18]
Escepcion [3]
La Esfera [10]
Española [8]
Fausto [4]
Figaro [3]
Flor de Las Flores [1]
Flor de Garbalosa [4]
Manuel Garcia [34]
Golden Eagle (Bock) [22]
Henry Clay [48]
La Hija de Vuelta Abajo [4]
Hoyo de Monterey [3]
India Cubana [8]
La Intimidad [17]
Jefferson [4]
Lafayette [9]
La Lectura [8]
Legitimidad [4]
Lord Beaconsfield [2]
Luis Marx [2]
Lo Mejor [1]
Flor de Pedro Murias [11]
Moro Muza [1]
La Nueva [6]
Nuevo Mundo [6]
Oro Española [12]
Punch [1]
El Pianen [4]
El Rey del Mundo [8]
La Rosa Aromatico [1]
La Rosa de Santiago [37]
La Reserva [1]
Flor de Rivero [6]
Shrine [8]
Sol [8]
Tacon [2]
Flor de Trespalacios [7]
H. Upmann [31]
La Vencedora [6]
Walter Scott [20]
La Vuelta [12]
Washington [7]
Yxora [3]
