Dunhill (cigar brand)

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The Dunhill logo

Dunhill cigars were produced in Cuba by Cubatabaco for Alfred Dunhill, Ltd. of London from 1982 to 1991, in various countries afterwards, and are now owned by British American Tobacco.

1 History
2 External links
3 See also

[edit] History

In 1907, Alfred Dunhill opened his first tobacco shop on Duke Street, London. Before the Cuban Revolution, Dunhill had numerous distribution and marketting agreements with several Cuban cigar manufacturer, selling exclusive and hard to find brands such as Don Cándido and Dunhill's own Selección Suprema line, with various sizes from many famous cigar makers such as Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta. Dunhill became famous as the tobacconist of choice for George VI and the prodigious cigar smoker Sir Winston Churchill. A popular legend tells that when the Dunhill store on Jermyn Street was destroyed in the London Blitz, Dunhill employees called Sir Winston at four o' clock at night to assure him his private collection of cigars (which he kept in the store's humidor) had been relocated beforehand to safety.

After the Revolution, Dunhill's unique relationship with Cuban cigars would continue with the communist government's tobacco monopoly, Cubatabaco. Dunhill was given the exclusive rights to three different brands: Don Cándido, its own Don Alfredo, and La Flor del Punto, plus the numerous Selección Suprema sizes produced by the marques that had survived nationalization.

[edit] Don Cándido

Created in 1935 by Cándido Vega Díaz, Don Cándido cigars were meant as a super-premium brother to the El Rey del Mundo brand Vega already owned for distribution exclusively by Dunhill. Produced in the Briones Montoto (formerly Romeo y Julieta) Factory in Havana, these cigars command huge prices at auctions from cigar connoisseurs and collectors.

[edit] Vitolas in the Don Cándido Line

The following list of the Don Cándido marque includes the size in inches and ring gauge with metric in parenthesis. Also, the vitola de galera or factory name of that size is included (if known) along with its popular size name in American cigar vocabulary.

Selección No. 500 - 6 1/2 x 48 (165 x 19.05) Super Hermoso, a large toro
Selección No. 501 - 6 1/2" x 42 (165 x 16.67 mm) Cervantes, a lonsdale
Selección No. 502 - 5 1/8" x 42 (129 x 16.67 mm) Mareva, a petit corona
Selección No. 504 - 5 1/2" x 52 (140 x 20.64 mm) Campana, a belicoso
Selección No. 505 - 3 7/8" x 30 (100 x 11.91 mm) Entreacto, a demi tasse
Selección No. 506 - 5 5/8" x 46 (143 x 18.26 mm) Corona Gorda, a toro
Selección No. 508 - 6 7/8" x 28 (175 x 11.11 mm) Panetela Larga, a long panetela
Lonsdale - 6 1/2" x 42 (165 x 16.67 mm) Cervantes, a lonsdale
Short Coronas - 5 1/8" x 42 (129 x 16.67 mm) Mareva, a petit corona

[edit] Don Alfredo

Created sometime in the 1960's for Dunhill, named after Alfred Dunhill himself, and produced at the José Marti (formerly H. Upmann) Factory.

[edit] Vitolas in the Don Alfredo Line

The following list of the Don Alfredo marque includes the size in inches and ring gauge with metric in parenthesis. Also, the vitola de galera or factory name of that size is included (if known) along with its popular size name in American cigar vocabulary.

Selección No. 51 - 6 1/2" x 42 (165 x 16.67 mm) Cervantes, a lonsdale
Selección No. 52 - 6 1/8" x 52 (156 x 20.64 mm) Pirámide, a pyramid or torpedo
Selección No. 53 - 5 5/8" x 42 (142 x 16.67 mm) Corona, a corona
Selección No. 54 - 5 1/8" x 42 (129 x 16.67 mm) Mareva, a petit corona
Selección No. 55 - 4" x 40 (102 x 15.87 mm) Perla, a tres petit corona
Selección No. 56 - 6 1/8" x 42 (155 x 16.67 mm) Corona Grande, a long corona

[edit] La Flor del Punto

Very little is known about this Dunhill-exclusive brand. Believed to have been introduced sometime in the 1970's and produced in the Partagás Factory.

[edit] Vitolas in the La Flor del Punto Line

The following list of the La Flor del Punto marque includes the size in inches and ring gauge with metric in parenthesis. Also, the vitola de galera or factory name of that size is included (if known) along with its popular size name in American cigar vocabulary.

Selección No. 301 - 6 1/2" x 42 (165 x 16.67 mm) Cervantes, a lonsdale
Selección No. 302 - 5 5/8" x 42 (142 x 16.67 mm) Corona, a corona
Selección No. 303 - 5 1/8" x 42 (129 x 16.67 mm) Mareva, a petit corona
Selección No. 304 - 6 1/4" x 40 (160 x 15.87 mm), a long panetela
Selección No. 305 - 6 1/4" x 42 (160 x 16.67 mm), a lonsdale
Selección No. 307 - 4 3/4" x 26 (121 x 10.32 mm) Carolina, a cigarillo

[edit] Dunhill Exclusive Sizes

The following list of post-Revolution Dunhill exclusive sizes includes the brand, Dunhill numbering, and size in inches and ring gauge with metric in parenthesis. Also, the vitola de galera or factory name of that size is included along with its popular size name in American cigar vocabulary.

El Rey del Mundo Dunhill Selección No. 98 - 5 1/8" x 42 (129 x 16.67 mm) Mareva, a petit corona
H. Upmann Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 11 - 5 1/8" x 42 (129 x 16.67 mm) Petit Corona, a petit corona
H. Upmann Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 13 - 5 1/2" x 40 (140 x 15.87 mm) Crema, a corona
H. Upmann Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 23 - 7" x 33 (178 x 13.10 mm) Ninfa, a long panetela
H. Upmann Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 25 - 5 1/8" x 42 (129 x 16.67 mm) Mareva, a petit corona
H. Upmann Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 30 - 6 1/2" x 42 (165 x 16.67 mm) Cervantes, a lonsdale
Hoyo de Monterrey Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 622 - 5" x 35 (127 x 13.89 mm) Conchita, a small panetela
Montecristo Dunhill Especial - 7 1/2" x 38 (192 x 15.08 mm) Laguito No. 1, a long panetela
Montecristo Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 1 - 6 1/2" x 42 (165 x 16.67 mm) Cervantes, a lonsdale
Montecristo Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 2 - 6 1/8" x 52 (156 x 20.64 mm) Pirámide, a pyramid or torpedo
Montecristo Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 3 - 5 5/8" x 42 (142 x 16.67 mm) Corona, a corona
Montecristo Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 4 - 5 1/8" x 42 (129 x 16.67 mm) Mareva, a petit corona
Montecristo Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 5 - 4" x 40 (102 x 15.87 mm) Perla, a tres petit corona
Montecristo Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 32 - 4" x 40 (102 x 15.87 mm) Perla, a tres petit corona
Montecristo Dunhill Selección Suprema Tubos - 6 1/8" x 42 (155 x 16.67 mm) Corona Grande, a long corona
Partagás Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 151 - 4 7/8" x 34 (125 x 13.49 mm) Placera, a small panetela
Por Larrañaga Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 32 - 5 1/8" x 42 (129 x 16.67 mm) Mareva, a petit corona
Ramón Allones Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 11 - 5 3/8" x 42 (135 x 16.67 mm) Cosaco, a corona
Ramón Allones Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 81 - 6 1/4" x 39 (160 x 15.48 mm) Topper, a long corona
Ramón Allones Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 82 - 5 1/2" x 40 (140 x 15.87 mm) Crema, a corona
Ramón Allones Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 280 - 5 3/8" x 42 (135 x 16.67 mm) Cosaco, a corona
Ramón Allones Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 622 - 5" x 35 (127 x 13.89 mm) Conchita, a small panetela
Romeo y Julieta Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 1 - 6 1/2" x 42 (165 x 16.67 mm) Cervantes, a lonsdale
Romeo y Julieta Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 2 - 5 1/8" x 42 (129 x 16.67 mm) Mareva, a petit corona
Romeo y Julieta Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 3 - 5 5/8" x 42 (142 x 16.67 mm) Corona, a corona
Romeo y Julieta Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 11 - 5 1/8" x 40 (129 x 15.87 mm) Petit Cetro, a petit corona
Romeo y Julieta Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 620 - 7" x 47 (178 x 18.65 mm) Julieta, a churchill

[edit] Dunhill Cigars

Beginning in 1977, Dunhill and Cubatabaco began discussing the possibility of producing a cigar brand bearing the name of Dunhill. An agreement was finally reached in 1982 and Dunhill cigars hit stores in 1984, starting with the Dunhill stores of ten countries and eventually expanding to thirty. The ultimate downfall of the Dunhill brand was that it was out to compete with the other high-end private label, Davidoff. Seeing as how both brands were being produced by Cubatabaco, the Cuban tobacco monopoly wanted to make profits from both and had no wish to participate in the market competition between the two tobacconists. Unhappy with Cubatabaco's unwillingness, when the original contract expired in 1991 Dunhill chose not to renew, having already begun scoping possible new locations in the Canary Islands, Dominican Republic, and Honduras for cigar production. Eventually, Dunhill would give up making cigars altogether and sold the rights to put its name on tobacco products to British American Tobacco.

Today, the original Dunhill Cuban cigars have become prized items for connoisseurs and collectors and demand high prices at auctions and from vintage merchants.

[edit] Vitolas in the Cuban Dunhill Line

The following list of the Dunhill marque includes the size in inches and ring gauge with metric in parenthesis. Also, the vitola de galera or factory name of that size is included (if known) along with its popular size name in American cigar vocabulary. Of note, there are several sizes listed that most likely existed only on paper and were never produced in Dunhill's short history as a Cuban cigar.

Hand-Made Vitolas

Atado - 6 7/8" x 28 (175 x 11.11 mm) Panetela Larga, a long panetela
Cabinetta - 4 7/8" x 50 (124 x 19.84 mm) Robusto, a robusto or rothschild
Estupendos - 7" x 47 (178 x 18.65 mm) Julieta, a churchill
Havana Club - 9 1/4" x 47 (235 x 18.65 mm) Gran Corona, a presidente
Malecon - 6 1/2" x 42 (165 x 16.67 mm) Cervantes, a lonsdale
Mojito - 5 5/8" x 42 (142 x 16.67 mm) Corona, a corona
Tubo - 6 1/8" x 42 (155 x 16.67 mm) Corona Grande, a long corona
Veradero - 5 1/8" x 42 (129 x 16.67 mm) Mareva, a petit corona

Sizes Never Produced

Abajo - 6 1/8" x 52 (156 x 20.64 mm) Pirámide, a pyramid or torpedo
Chico Minor - 4 1/8" x 29 (106 x 11.51 mm) Chico, a cigarillo
Chicola Minor - 4 1/8" x 29 (106 x 11.51 mm) Chico, a cigarillo
Chico - 4 1/8" x 29 (106 x 11.51 mm) Chico, a cigarillo
Demi Tasse - 3 7/8" x 30 (100 x 11.91 mm) Entreacto, a demi tasse
Princess - 4 7/8" x 34 (125 x 13.49 mm) Placera, a small panetela
Suprema - 4 1/2" x 40 (116 x 15.87 mm) Franciscano, a tres petit corona

The outside of a Dunhill cabinet	The cedar divider inside a Dunhill cabinet	A cabinet box of Dunhill Cabinettas	Dunhill Estupendos
A cabinet box of Dunhill Atados	Dunhill Havana Club	A box of Dunhill Mojitos