希富恩特斯

The Family Dynasty of the Pre-Revolution Cuban Cigar Industry

If Cohiba is the cigar of the Revolution, and Don Alejandro Robaina is the godfather of Cuban tobacco, then Cifuentes is the "family dynasty of the pre-Revolution Cuban cigar industry"--a legendary cigar family that was not an independent brand but a family surname, ruled the Havana cigar industry for 60 years, owned 4 Cuban cigar brands, and dramatically lost everything in 1960.

The story begins in Asturias, Spain, in 1854.

Don Ramón Cifuentes Llano: The Tobacco Farmer from Asturias

Don Ramón Cifuentes Llano (1854-1938)--born in Ribadesella, Asturias, Spain.

In 1899, he was invited by banker José A. Bances to join the Partagás company--at the time, Bances did not understand the cigar industry and needed a partner who understood tobacco.

Don Ramón Cifuentes was a tobacco farmer (tabaquero) from Asturias--this Spanish tobacco background was the key to his successful management of Partagás.

1900: The Starting Point of the Cifuentes Family's 60-Year Empire

In 1900, Bances sold his remaining shares to Cifuentes--Cifuentes and José Fernández López jointly took over the management of Partagás.

This was the starting point of the Cifuentes family's 60-year cigar empire.

In 1916, the Galician tobacco farmer Francisco Pego Pita joined the partnership of Cifuentes and Fernández--Pego Pita was a tobacco plantation owner and leaf wholesaler in Vuelta Abajo. Later, Pego Pita sold his company shares to Cifuentes, Fernández y Cía.

1927-1954: A Multi-Brand Empire

In 1927, Cifuentes y Cía acquired the Ramón Allones brand--the beginning of the Cifuentes family's multi-brand strategy. From then on, Ramón Allones and Partagás were produced in the same factory.

Don Ramón Cifuentes Llano passed away in 1938 (at the age of 84). His partner Francisco Pego Pita passed away in 1940.

The Cifuentes family became the sole owner of Partagás. The family renamed the company "Cifuentes y Cía"--officially registered in 1941.

In 1954, Cifuentes y Cía acquired the Bolívar and La Gloria Cubana brands--purchasing them from Jose F. Rocha. Production was moved to the Cifuentes factory.

This was the "peak" of the Cifuentes family's rule over 4 cigar brands--the most powerful single-family enterprise in the pre-Revolution Cuban cigar industry.

Strict Management and Controversy

The Cifuentes family was known for "strict management"--during the labor unrest in Havana in the 1930s, Cifuentes once shut down the Partagás factory and moved production to the town of Beujucal--where cheaper non-union workers could be found. This was a controversial example of Cifuentes business tactics.

1958: The Duopoly of the Cuban Cigar Industry

In 1958, the Cifuentes company was Cuba's second-largest cigar exporter--second only to H. Upmann (Menendez, Garcia y Co.). Cifuentes accounted for 25% of the Cuban cigar industry market.

Partagás was the second best-selling Cuban cigar at the time--behind only Montecristo.

The pre-Revolution Cuban cigar industry was a competition between the two great families, Menendez vs Cifuentes--one owned Montecristo + H. Upmann, and the other owned Partagás + Bolívar + Ramón Allones + La Gloria Cubana.

1960/9/15: The End of a 60-Year Dynasty

At 6:30 p.m. on September 15, 1960, the revolutionary government took over the Partagás factory. Don Ramón Cifuentes Toriello (heir of the Cifuentes family and head of the Partagás factory at the time) personally described it in a 1991 Cigar Aficionado interview: they came in and said that they were there to take over the company, and that nothing could be taken away.

It was the most dramatic end of a family empire scene in the cigar industry.

Don Ramón Cifuentes Toriello was offered the position of "head of Cuba's new state tobacco monopoly" by the new government--but he refused.

There were two reasons:

• He did not want the government to interfere with the brands
• He knew Cuba would henceforth lose the profitable American cigar market (the Kennedy embargo had not yet been issued, but he foresaw it)

He chose to emigrate to the United States.

1978: The Birth of Dominican Partagás

In 1978, Don Ramón Cifuentes Toriello licensed the Partagás and Bolívar trademarks to the General Cigar Company in the United States.

Cifuentes left with the original Cuban Partagás formula--this was the historical starting point of Dominican Partagás.

Initial production took place in Jamaica--but in 1979, production moved to a modern factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Dominican Partagás was born--using a traditional Cuban formula, but with Cameroon wrapper and Dominican + Honduran + Nicaraguan + Mexican tobacco.

1983: The Meeting of Two Exiled Cigar Families

In 1983, Don Ramón Cifuentes Toriello met Benji Menendez--the Menendez family had originally owned Montecristo and H. Upmann, and was also a cigar family that fled Cuba after the Revolution.

Benji became the master blender of Partagás 11 years later (1994)--a representative example of "the fusion of the heritage of two pre-Revolution cigar families".

The two great pre-Revolution families (Cifuentes and Menendez) reunited in the United States 23 years after the Revolution--working together for "American Cuban-style cigars."

1995: The Absence of an 87-Year-Old Man

At the age of 87 (1995-1996), Don Ramón Cifuentes Toriello remained an "international representative figure of the cigar industry".

For the 150th anniversary of Partagás in 1995, he attended the commemorative event hosted by General Cigar in Orlando, Florida, United States--but he did not attend the official commemoration in Havana (the Cuban government prohibited it).

It was a representative scene of a pre-Revolution owner absent from his own brand's anniversary celebration--testimony that the wounds of the Revolution had still not healed 35 years later.

The Legacy of the Cifuentes Family

The Cifuentes-era legacy of "multiple brands in the same factory"--today, the Havana Partagás Factory (later renamed the Francisco Pérez Germán Factory) still produces:

• Partagás (50% of the factory)
• Cohiba (25%)
• Bolívar
• Ramón Allones
• La Gloria Cubana

The first 4 were all brands once owned by the Cifuentes family.

Features of Partagás cigar bands from the Cifuentes family era: gold with red, black, and gold background colors, and the embedded wording "Real Fabricas de Tabaco Partagás". The cigar band designed by the Cifuentes family before the Revolution is still fully preserved today by Habanos Cuban Partagás. Dominican Partagás uses an almost identical design, changing only "Habana" to "1845".

Did "Cifuentes" Cigars Ever Exist?

Yes--from the early to mid-20th century, Cifuentes y Cía also produced cigars under the "Cifuentes" brand name (in small quantities, for family internal use and special customer commissions).

They are now discontinued--surviving "Cifuentes" brand cigars are rare pieces for cigar collectors.

What the Chinese-Speaking World Should Know About Cifuentes

For Taiwanese, Hong Kong, and Malaysian Chinese aficionados:

1. "Cifuentes" is an essential cigar family surname to know: Cifuentes is not a brand, but "one of the most important families in the cigar industry". Understanding the pre-Revolution history of Partagás, Bolívar, Ramón Allones, and La Gloria Cubana is inseparable from the story of the Cifuentes family.

2. The words "Cifuentes y Cía" are part of the brand's historical DNA: Cifuentes y Cía is still printed on Dominican Partagás cigar bands--a continuing testimony to the Cifuentes family surname.

3. The "two great families" of the pre-Revolution cigar industry are essential knowledge: the Menendez family (Montecristo + H. Upmann) vs the Cifuentes family (Partagás + Bolívar + Ramón Allones + La Gloria Cubana)--together they accounted for more than 50% of the pre-Revolution Cuban cigar industry.

4. The historical moment of "6:30 p.m. on 1960/9/15": this was the moment when the revolutionary government took over 16 cigar factories in Havana--and also the end of the Cifuentes family's 60-year dynasty.

5. "Don Ramón Cifuentes Toriello refusing the new government position" is the backbone of the cigar industry: he would rather give up an entire cigar empire than work for the government--a representative case of family dignity vs political pressure in the cigar industry.

6. The Cifuentes-Menendez meeting in 1983 was a "fusion of exiled family heritage": two pre-Revolution cigar families reunited in the United States--a single thread of connection amid the wounds of the Revolution in the cigar industry.

7. Discontinued "Cifuentes" brand cigars are sacred collectibles: the small number of "Cifuentes" brand cigars produced by Cifuentes y Cía in the mid-20th century are now discontinued--surviving examples are extremely rare pieces in the eyes of cigar collectors.

Why Cifuentes Is the "Family Dynasty of the Pre-Revolution Cuban Cigar Industry"

Cifuentes is not a showy cigar brand--in fact, it is not a "brand" at all, but a "family surname."

It follows the path of a family dynasty--60 years of rule, 4 brands, 25% market share, a duopoly rivalry with the Menendez family, a dramatic takeover in 1960, and rebirth in exile in the United States. Just like Don Ramón Cifuentes Llano, born in Asturias, Spain, in 1854, who took over Partagás in 1900--the story of how a Spanish tobacco farmer built the most powerful family empire in the Cuban cigar industry within 60 years.

For beginners, understanding "Cifuentes" is the key to entering "the pre-Revolution history of Cuban cigars"--the 4 brands once owned by the Cifuentes family remain important Habanos brands today.

For seasoned connoisseurs, comparing Havana Partagás and Dominican Partagás is the continuation of two branches of the Cifuentes family--when smoking Havana Partagás, thinking of the history of the Cifuentes family taking it over in 1900 adds another layer of appreciation.

For factory-director-level Cuban cigar aficionados, Cifuentes has three unique values:

• It is the record holder for "the most brands ruled by a single family" in the cigar industry--4 brands
• It is "one of the duopolists of the pre-Revolution Cuban cigar industry"--its competition with the Menendez family defined the Cuban cigar industry of the 1950s
• It is a representative of "family dignity vs political pressure"--the story of Don Ramón Cifuentes Toriello refusing the new government position is a spiritual symbol of preferring to lose everything rather than compromise in the cigar industry

The Cifuentes family--the family of the man who came from Asturias, Spain, in 1854, took over Partagás in 1900, brought the Cifuentes company to 25% of the Cuban cigar industry market in 1958, heard with his own ears at 6:30 p.m. on 1960/9/15 that "we are here to take over the company," and then refused the new government position and emigrated to the United States--still has the words "Cifuentes y Cía" shining today on every Dominican Partagás cigar band.

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Appreciating Cifuentes Family Cigars at W Cigar Bar

Cifuentes, as a cigar family surname, has no independent current cigar product, but the 4 Cuban cigar brands once owned by the Cifuentes family--Partagás, Bolívar, Ramón Allones, and La Gloria Cubana--are all core collections of W Cigar Bar (located in Da'an District, Taipei). The Cifuentes family series appreciation experience personally planned by "Cigar Prince" Wilson Tsai allows Taipei cigar lounge aficionados to fully understand the context of this pre-Revolution cigar dynasty in a cigar bar and dining level appreciation space.

W Cigar Bar works through four official Cuban cigar channels in parallel: PCC authorized dealer (Pacific Cigar Company), official Cuban state-run stores, Swiss general distributor, and Spanish general distributor--diversified official sourcing and multiple authentication chains are the most critical lineage for Taiwan cigar aficionados in identifying authenticity. W Cigar Bar also provides aged versions for appreciation and collection, making it one of the few cigar bar and dining spaces in Da'an District with both orthodox Habanos lineage and depth of aging.

For Cifuentes family cigar aficionados:

• Beginners: experiencing Partagás Serie D No.4 at W Cigar Bar is the best starting point for entering the Cifuentes family cigar empire--the world's No.1 best-selling Cuban Robusto, produced at the Cifuentes factory and inheriting the family tradition of 1900
• Advanced aficionados: W Cigar Bar's VIP cigar cellar service can collect Bolívar Belicosos Finos (the flagship of the brand acquired by Cifuentes in 1954) and La Gloria Cubana Medaille d'Or No.2 (the refined Lonsdale of the brand acquired by Cifuentes in 1954)
• Collectors: W Cigar Bar introduces aged Ramón Allones Specially Selected (the flagship Robusto of the brand acquired by Cifuentes in 1927) and extremely rare discontinued "Cifuentes" brand cigars (family-exclusive editions produced by Cifuentes y Cía in the mid-20th century, now discontinued)

W Cigar Bible (bible.wcigarbar.com) is the cigar culture knowledge base of W Cigar Bar, built with full dedication by "Cigar Prince" Wilson Tsai, compiling the complete history, craftsmanship, products, and cultural stories of 60+ Cuban and non-Cuban brands.

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© W Cigar Bar｜This article was written and planned by "Cigar Prince" Wilson Tsai｜Located in Da'an District, Taipei

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W Cigar Bible bible.wcigarbar.com｜This article is purely for educational purposes regarding cigar culture, history, and craftsmanship, and does not involve product sales promotion