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Ramon Allones (cigar brand)
Encyclopedia
Ramón Allones is the name of two premium cigar
brands, one produced on the island of Cuba
for Habanos SA
, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and other produced in Honduras
for General Cigar Company
, now a subsidiary of Swedish Match
.
fame) in 1845 and is supposedly the first cigar brand to have utilized colorful lithographs for box art, the first brand to utilize bands on cigars, and the first to package cigars in the "8-9-8" style (though there are several rival claimants as to who first made box art and bands).
The brand went through numerous ownership changes before it was finally bought by the Cifuentes family and production was moved to the famous Partagás
Factory, where Ramón Allones cigars are still made to this day.
After the Revolution, production continued uninterrupted and Ramón Allones has consistently stayed popular with cigar aficionados through the decades. In the opinions of many, it shares many similarities with its cousin Partagás as far as body, sizes, and packaging. It has always been produced in smaller quantities than Partagás, possibly to ensure higher quality and raised demand for the brand.
Since 2001, when Altadis
bought a controlling share of Habanos SA, the Ramón Allones marque has seen the majority of its manufactured sizes discontinued, including the much-beloved Coronas and even the 8-9-8 size it helped pioneer. Of the sizes available now, the Specially Selected, Gigantes, and Small Club Coronas are still incredibly popular among aficionados.
Since 2005, Ramón Allones has been a popular choice with many importers for the Edición Regional series of local market special sizes. The Belicoso vitola released for the UK market may have been a prototype for the regional edition program, as it appeared first, being imported only to the UK, and without any additional bands or special packaging.
Hand-Made Vitolas
Edición Regional Releases
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...
brands, 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 other produced in Honduras
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...
for General Cigar Company
General Cigar Company
General Cigar Company is one of the largest manufacturers of cigars in the world. It has been owned by Swedish Match since 2005.-Company history:...
, now a subsidiary of Swedish Match
Swedish Match
Swedish Match is a Swedish company based in Stockholm that makes snus, tobacco, cigars , Red Man Chewing Tobacco, dipping tobacco, matches and lighters. It was founded as Svenska Tändsticksaktiebolaget by Ivar Kreuger in 1917 in Jönköping...
.
History
The brand was created by brothers Ramón and Antonio Allones (no relation to the Antonio Allones of El Rey del MundoEl Rey del Mundo (cigar brand)
El Rey del Mundo is the name of two premium cigar brands, one produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and other produced in Honduras by the Villazon family...
fame) in 1845 and is supposedly the first cigar brand to have utilized colorful lithographs for box art, the first brand to utilize bands on cigars, and the first to package cigars in the "8-9-8" style (though there are several rival claimants as to who first made box art and bands).
The brand went through numerous ownership changes before it was finally bought by the Cifuentes family and production was moved to the famous Partagás
Partagas (cigar brand)
Partagás is among the oldest extant brands of cigars, established in Havana in 1845. The name is used today by two independent and competing entities, 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 the...
Factory, where Ramón Allones cigars are still made to this day.
After the Revolution, production continued uninterrupted and Ramón Allones has consistently stayed popular with cigar aficionados through the decades. In the opinions of many, it shares many similarities with its cousin Partagás as far as body, sizes, and packaging. It has always been produced in smaller quantities than Partagás, possibly to ensure higher quality and raised demand for the brand.
Since 2001, when Altadis
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...
bought a controlling share of Habanos SA, the Ramón Allones marque has seen the majority of its manufactured sizes discontinued, including the much-beloved Coronas and even the 8-9-8 size it helped pioneer. Of the sizes available now, the Specially Selected, Gigantes, and Small Club Coronas are still incredibly popular among aficionados.
Since 2005, Ramón Allones has been a popular choice with many importers for the Edición Regional series of local market special sizes. The Belicoso vitola released for the UK market may have been a prototype for the regional edition program, as it appeared first, being imported only to the UK, and without any additional bands or special packaging.
Vitolas in the Ramón Allones Line
The following list of vitolas de salida (commercial vitolas) within the Ramón Allones 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
- Gigante - 7" × 49 (194 × 19.45 mm), Prominente, a double corona
- Small Club Corona - 4" × 42 (111 × 16.67 mm), Minuto, a petit corona
- Specially Selected - 4" × 50 (124 × 19.84 mm), Robusto, a robusto
Edición Regional Releases
- Selección Suprema (Italy 2005) - 5" × 46 (143 × 18.26 mm) Corona Gorda, a toro
- Eminencia (Switzerland 2005, 2007) - 5" × 44 (143 × 17.46 mm), Francisco, a corona
- Belicoso (UK 2005) - 5" × 52 (140 × 20.64 mm) Campana, a belicoso
- Estupendo (Asia Pacific 2006, 2007) - 7" × 47 (178 × 18.65 mm), Julieta No. 2, a churchill
- Gran Robusto (Benelux 2007, 2008) - 6" × 50 (155 × 19.84 mm) Doble, a double robusto
- Especial de Allones (France 2008) - 5" × 52 (140 × 20.64 mm) Campana, a belicoso
- Phoenicios (Lebanon 2008, 2009) - 6" × 54 (164 × 21.43 mm) Sublime, a double robusto
- Grande (Spain 2008) - 7" × 49 (184 × 19.45 mm) Paco, a churchill
- Celestial Fino (Asia Pacific 2009) - 5" × 46 (137 × 18.26 mm) Británica, a perfecto
- Petit Únicos (Canada 2009) - 5" × 50 (127 × 19.84 mm) Petit Pirámide, a petit pyramid
- Beritus (Lebanon 2009) - 5" × 52 (135 × 20.64 mm) Edmundo, a robusto extra
Footnotes
- Min Ron Nee with Adriano Martinez Ruis, An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars. Hong Kong: Interpro Business Corp., 2003.
- http://cubancigarwebsite.com/brand.aspx?brand=Ram|on_Allones