Romeo y Julieta

Romeo y Julieta gave the cigar world its most famous shape. The Churchill, a 7-inch by 47 ring gauge classic, is named for Sir Winston Churchill, the brand’s most devoted admirer, who once visited its Havana factory. It was founded there in 1875 by Inocencio Álvarez and Manín García, taking its name from the Shakespeare play. After the Cuban revolution, the version sold in the United States moved to the Dominican Republic, where Altadis makes it today at the Tabacalera de García in La Romana. Its flagship 1875 line wears a smooth Indonesian shade wrapper over Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco, easygoing and approachable, while the Reserva Real and the AJ Fernandez-blended Romeo add more body. Approachable and consistent, Romeo y Julieta cigars are a fine place to begin and a brand smokers return to for years.