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El Rey de los Habanos is a brand of premium hand-rolled cigars created and owned by José "Pepin" Garcia.
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History
The El Rey de los Habanos is the first brand of premium cigars to be created by José "Pepin" Garcia after his arrival in the United States and is manufactured at the El Rey de los Habanos factory in Little Havana, Miami, Florida. It was released to national distribution in 2005.
In 2014, after the brand went on a 6 year hiatus, Pepin Garcia reblended the cigar for Greensboro, North Carolina's The Pipe and Pint, the now exclusive distributor of the brand. The following is the press release which details the return of the brand and re-blend:
Cigar News: El Rey de Los Habanos Returns and Heading to The Pipe and Pint in Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro, NC (August 27, 2014) – The Pipe and Pint, the Triad’s oldest tobacconist, boutique cigar, and specialty goods retailer, located in the heart of beautiful Greensboro, NC is proud to announce the return of Don Pepin Garcia’s El Rey de los Habanos line. The El Rey de los Habanos has been re-blended, and Pipe and Pint will now be the exclusive home and distributor of this iconic line. The national release event for the cigar will be on September 20th, 2014, at The Pipe and Pint, with Don Pepin Garcia in attendance.
Originally released in 2005, El Rey de los Habanos was the first national release by Don Pepin Garcia after arriving in the United States. It is named for the famed factory located on Calle Ocho in Little Havana, Miami Florida, where Pepin first started manufacturing cigars for the Garcia and Tatuaje portfolios.
The new El Rey de los Habanos features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler that come exclusively from the Garcia’s own family farms, mostly located in Esteli. All of leaf being used for this cigar goes through a special process of fermentation, sorting, and quality control in the factory to yield the unique flavors and aromas that were sought out for this blend.
While smoking the newly re-blended El Rey de los Habanos in Miami with Pepin earlier this year, he told owner, Larry Christopher, "This cigar is my answer to the all of the people who say I can't blend a milder cigar with full flavor.”
El Rey de los Habanos will be available in five sizes: Corona (5 1/2 x 44); Robusto (5 x 50); Toro (6 x 50); Churchill (7 x 50); and Torpedo (6 1/8 x 52).
Description
It is medium to full-bodied, with a creamy, rich taste. It is a Nicagraguan puro, being constructed entirely of tobacco from Nicaragua. The wrapper is a Corojo Rosado Claro.
The current range consists of four vitolas. It was originally offered in bundles of 25 uncellophaned cigars, but in early 2007, the packaging was changed to semi-varnished slide-top boxes of 23 and the band was re-designed.
Its red band has led to it being called the "Don Pepin Red Label."