Fonseca (cigar brand)
Encyclopedia
Fonseca is the name of two brands of premium cigar
, one produced on the island of Cuba
for Habanos SA
, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in the Dominican Republic
for MATASA
.
in 1892, registering the brand bearing his name in 1907. Fonseca and his wife Teresa Boetticher de Fonseca immigrated to New York and by 1903, Fonseca was operating a factory at 169 Front Street. He became an American citizen in 1895 and by 1905 the registry of cigar factories lists F.E. Fonseca & Co. in a new location: 129 Duane Street (court documents specify 148-150-152 Duane Street, in Tribeca). In New York, at his home at 48 West 73rd St., he and Teresa raised four children-—three of whom he named Francisco! Fonseca made frequent trips to Cuba, where he supervised “F.E. Fonseca. Fábrica de Tabacos y Cigarros”. His business stationary reflects his double loyalty, depicting both the Statue of Liberty and the Morro, Havana.
Fonseca cigars quickly became a success and Don Francisco was responsible for innovative practices such as wrapping his cigars in fine Japan
ese tissue paper
(as they still are today) and packaging cigars in tin
tubes (today's tubes are usually made with aluminum). His wife Doña Teresa continued the business after Don Francisco's premature death in Havana of a heart attack in 1929, and merged the brand with T. Castañeda and G. Montero to form the firm of Castañeda, Montero, Fonseca SA.
Production continued uninterrupted after the revolution
and the cigars are still produced at the Lázaro Pena Factory in Havana. As a cigar brand, Fonseca is relatively mild by most aficionados' standards, sells for cheaper than most other Cuban cigar brands, and is marketed mostly in Spain
and Canada
, where the brand is particularly popular.
Spanish poet Federico García Lorca mentions the “blond head of Fonseca” (la rubia cabeza de Fonseca), along with “the pink of Romeo y Julieta” in his poem “Son de negros en Cuba” (Poet in New York).
Hand-Made Vitolas
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
, one produced on the island of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
for Habanos SA
Habanos SA
Habanos S.A. is the arm of the Cuban state tobacco company, Cubatabaco, that controls the promotion, distribution, and export of Cuban cigars and other tobacco products worldwide. The word habanos means literally from Havana, and is the word used in the Spanish-speaking world for Havana cigars...
, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
for MATASA
MATASA
Manufactura de Tabacos S.A., known by the acronym MATASA, is a family-owned factory based in the Dominican Republic that specializes in the manufacture of premium cigars. It is best known brand is the Fonseca line of cigars. Its current president and owner is Manuel "Manolo" Quesada, Jr.-Quesada...
.
History
Don Francisco E. Fonseca was born in 1869 or 1870 (the documents differ) in Manzanillo, Cuba, and established a factory and his own cigar brand in HavanaHavana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
in 1892, registering the brand bearing his name in 1907. Fonseca and his wife Teresa Boetticher de Fonseca immigrated to New York and by 1903, Fonseca was operating a factory at 169 Front Street. He became an American citizen in 1895 and by 1905 the registry of cigar factories lists F.E. Fonseca & Co. in a new location: 129 Duane Street (court documents specify 148-150-152 Duane Street, in Tribeca). In New York, at his home at 48 West 73rd St., he and Teresa raised four children-—three of whom he named Francisco! Fonseca made frequent trips to Cuba, where he supervised “F.E. Fonseca. Fábrica de Tabacos y Cigarros”. His business stationary reflects his double loyalty, depicting both the Statue of Liberty and the Morro, Havana.
Fonseca cigars quickly became a success and Don Francisco was responsible for innovative practices such as wrapping his cigars in fine Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese tissue paper
Tissue paper
Tissue paper is a lightweight paper or, light crêpe paper. Tissue can be made both from virgin and recycled paper pulp.-Properties:Key properties are: strength, absorbency, basis weight, thickness , brightness, stretch, appearance and comfort....
(as they still are today) and packaging cigars in tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
tubes (today's tubes are usually made with aluminum). His wife Doña Teresa continued the business after Don Francisco's premature death in Havana of a heart attack in 1929, and merged the brand with T. Castañeda and G. Montero to form the firm of Castañeda, Montero, Fonseca SA.
Production continued uninterrupted after the revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
and the cigars are still produced at the Lázaro Pena Factory in Havana. As a cigar brand, Fonseca is relatively mild by most aficionados' standards, sells for cheaper than most other Cuban cigar brands, and is marketed mostly in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where the brand is particularly popular.
Spanish poet Federico García Lorca mentions the “blond head of Fonseca” (la rubia cabeza de Fonseca), along with “the pink of Romeo y Julieta” in his poem “Son de negros en Cuba” (Poet in New York).
Vitolas in the Fonseca Line
The following list of vitolas de salida (commercial vitolas) within the Fonseca marque lists their size and ring gauge in Imperial (and Metric), their vitolas de galera (factory vitolas), and their common name in American cigar slang.Hand-Made Vitolas
- Cosaco - 5 3/8" x 42 (137 x 16.67 mm), Cosaco, a corona
- Delicia - 4 7/8" x 40 (124 x 15.88 mm), Standard, a petit corona
- No. 1 - 6 3/8" x 44 (162 x 17.46 mm), Cazador, a lonsdale
- KDT Cadete - 4 1/2" x 36 (114 x 14.29 mm), Cadete, a short panetela