Juan Lopez

Juan Lopez

JUAN LOPEZ

The beginning years of Juan Lopez are a bit murky. Yet, the Cuban brand has made a huge name for itself on the worldwide platform.  With fans all across the globe, it is quite an enticing cigar.
Juan Lopez Diaz expanded his business into the cigar industry in 1876. Forty-two years later Juan’s heirs sold the rights of the company to Sociedad Del Peso y Cia. After the Cuban revolution,
the tobacco industry was nationalized and Juan Lopez cigars were placed under the ownership of the government, they decided to continue production of the brand along with 24 others.
Cuban Juan Lopez cigars are full-bodied and fit perfectly in the traditional aficionado’s humidors. The brand is still hecho a mano, which translates to made by hand. They use long filler tobacco from the prestigious Vuelta Abajo region.  
The brand logo features the home of a tobacco farmer and a tobacco plantation. There are several medals and an imperial crown. The coins and emblem signify the brand supplied the cigars to the Spanish royal court.
Habanos S.A. classifies the brand as a local brand with a minor market share. Despite its classification, the brand has a huge global market. Since 2016, there have been several limited regional releases to places such as Canada, France, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the Asian Pacific.
Several Cuban brands evolved into non-Cuban brands by being brought out of Cuba after the revolution. In 1975, Hollo-Rohr, a Los Angeles based premium cigar and pipe distributor, registered the Juan Lopez brand in the United States, alongside Romeo y Julieta and Gispert.
The Spanish tobacco giant Tabacalera S.A. bought the Hollo-Rohr business. In 1999, Tabacalera S.A. merged with the French tobacco monopoly, SEITA, to become Altadis S.A. The USA branch of Altadis is now responsible for the production of Juan Lopez, as well as Romeo y Julieta and Gispert.
Under Altadis, Juan Lopez was discontinued for a few years. In 2013, the brand was relaunched alongside the Montecristo spin-off, Monte. The cigar was reblended to be a Nicaraguan Puro.
The production for Altadis is under Nicaraguan American Tobacco S.A., also known as NATSA. The cigar is bold and full-bodied; any aficionado would fall in love with it. Cigar Aficionado gave it a 90 rating, meaning it is considered an outstanding cigar.
James Suckling, an American wine and cigar critic, discovered firsthand the injuries a cigar can cause with a Cuban Juan Lopez. He dropped the last bit of his cigar and then it landed on the inside of his elbow and branded him. This can happen to anyone and it’s important to keep in mind the furiousness smoking a cigar entails.
Despite facing some hardship the Juan Lopez brands live on. Take an adventurous journey with Juan Lopez you won’t regret it and you might learn something along the way.
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