Quintero (cigar brand)
Encyclopedia
Quintero 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 from Nicaragua
n and Honduran
tobacco for the Franco-Spanish tobacco monopoly Altadis SA
.
, Cuba in 1924, the same year that Agustín Quintero built his cigar factory. By the 1940s, Quintero was a major export brand and sold especially well in the Spanish
market. Production continued through the Revolution
, but beginning in 1970s and through the 1990s, the Quintero line would gradually shrink from a handmade marca to currently only consisting of six machine-made and/or hand-finished sizes. Despite this, Quintero has retained its popularity with Spanish cigar smokers and has the distinction of being the only Cuban machine-made brand to be globally marketed by Habanos SA. However the Habanos S.A. official website states that Quinteros are now "Totalamente a mano" or totally hand made.
Quintero also produces three machine-made cigarillo
s: the Mini, the Club, and the Purito.
In recent years, Altadis has used the name "Quintero" for use on a line of Nicaraguan-Honduran blend cigars for the American market.
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 from Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
n and Honduran
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
tobacco for the Franco-Spanish tobacco monopoly Altadis SA
Altadis
Altadis is a multinational purveyor and manufacturer of cigarettes, tobacco and cigars. Altadis was formed via a 1999 merger between Tabacalera, the former Spanish tobacco monopoly and SEITA, the former French tobacco monopoly...
.
History
The brand is believed to have been founded as Quintero y Hermanos in CienfuegosCienfuegos
Cienfuegos is a city on the southern coast of Cuba, capital of Cienfuegos Province. It is located about from Havana, and has a population of 150,000. The city is dubbed La Perla del Sur...
, Cuba in 1924, the same year that Agustín Quintero built his cigar factory. By the 1940s, Quintero was a major export brand and sold especially well in the Spanish
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...
market. Production continued through 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...
, but beginning in 1970s and through the 1990s, the Quintero line would gradually shrink from a handmade marca to currently only consisting of six machine-made and/or hand-finished sizes. Despite this, Quintero has retained its popularity with Spanish cigar smokers and has the distinction of being the only Cuban machine-made brand to be globally marketed by Habanos SA. However the Habanos S.A. official website states that Quinteros are now "Totalamente a mano" or totally hand made.
Quintero also produces three machine-made cigarillo
Cigarillo
A cigarillo is a short, narrow cigar. Unlike cigarettes, cigarillos are wrapped not in paper but in whole-leaf tobacco. Cigarillos can be found for purchase alone or in packs, and are often made without filters...
s: the Mini, the Club, and the Purito.
In recent years, Altadis has used the name "Quintero" for use on a line of Nicaraguan-Honduran blend cigars for the American market.
Vitolas in the Quintero Line
The following list of vitolas de salida (commercial vitolas) within the Quintero 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
- Breva - 5" × 41 (140 × 16.27 mm), Nacional, a corona
- Londres Extra - 4" × 40 (124 × 15.88 mm), Standard, a petit corona
- Nacional - 5" × 41 (140 × 16.27 mm), Nacional, a corona
- Panetela - 5" × 36 (127 × 14.29 mm), Veguerito, a short panetela