The Cuban cigar brand Saint Luis Rey was founded in 1940 in Havana by the company Zamora y Guerra. Its factory is located at 180 Calle Maximo Gómez in Havana. There are two theories about the choice of the brand name. For some, it is inspired by the book "The Bridge of King St. Louis" by Thornton Niven Wilder. For others, it is a tribute to the city of San Luis located near the tobacco producing region of Vuelta Abajo. This second hypothesis is much more plausible. The Saint Luis Rey should not be confused with the San Luis Rey. The latter were machine-made cigarillos produced in Germany by the company Villiger Söhne.

Exclusivity of the sale
Originally, Saint Luis Rey cigars were intended to be sold exclusively in the British Habanos market through the importing company N.R. Silverstone Cigar Limited owned by Michael de Keyser and Nathan Silverstone. This importer held a monopoly on the distribution of Saint Luis Rey cigars in the UK for decades. The Cuban revolution that broke out in 1953 did not alter or cancel this exclusive contract, which was renewed in 1960. In 1993, Cubatabaco, the Cuban state-owned company in charge of managing the Cuban cigar, decided not to limit the marketing of Saint Luis Rey cigars in the United Kingdom. The brand's creations are sold all over the world. Cubatabacco entrusts Hunters and Frankaula with the distribution of Habanos on the British market. Saint Luis Rey is integrated into the catalog of the new importer only in 2003. Today, Saint Luis Rey Habanos are sold all over the world. However, these cigars are quite difficult to find.

Manufacture and specificities
Cigars Saint Luis Rey enjoy an excellent reputation among Habanos lovers because of their taste. The vitolas carry a rich range of copious aromas, dominated by spicy and earthy notes. The tobacco leaves come from the Vuelta Abajo and Semi Vuelta. All cigars are long filler and are handmade in the factory Romeo y Julieta. Each wrapper has either a maduro (dark brown) or a maduro (extremely dark brown) color. It is smooth and slightly shiny. The strength of the Saint Luis Rey Habanos is in the medium-high range. The premium cigars of this brand are much more accessible to experienced smokers. Famous fans of Saint Luis Rey include singer Frank Sinatra and actor James Coburn. It is recommended to smoke slowly these puros, especially its corpulent vitolas Saint Luis Rey Regios (module robusto - calibre 48), Saint Luis Rey Double Corona (calibre 49) as well as Saint Luis Rey Serie A (module corona gorda - calibre 46).