Quintero

A small brand with international success, offering cigars with an authentic flavour.

The history of the small Cuban cigar brand Quintero began in 1924 with Agustín Quintero who, together with his brother, set up a factory in Cienfuegos, a town on the southern coast of Cuba. In fact, the full name of the brand is "Quintero y Hno" (Quintero and brother).

The city of Cienfuegos, nicknamed "the pearl of southern Cuba", is known for its buildings from the colonial era. Its classical facades and sleek columns give it an atmosphere reminiscent of 19th century France, from which it was inspired. Indeed, the city was founded in 1819 by a French emigrant, Louis de Clouet de Piettre.

Quintero is one of the few Habanos brands, along with Vegueros for example, that was not established in Havana.

Things changed in the 1940s, when the brand opened up to the world. Quintero y Hno was listed in the register of exporting manufacturers under the ownership of Agustín Quintero y Cía, which allowed the brand to grow, leading the two brothers to invest in a larger factory, this time in Havana.

Agustín Quintero was a true tobacco expert. His ability to select leaves from the Vuelta Abajo to produce robust blends with a raw, earthy tobacco taste quickly won over Spanish aficionados, who were particularly fond of this kind of flavour.

Thus, by the end of the 1950s, Quintero had become a major export brand with Spain as its main market, where the brand enjoyed real popularity. At that time, it was one of the best-selling brands, alongside José L. Piedra and Juan López.

This international success allowed the brand to maintain its production during the Cuban Revolution of 1960, when the Cuban government nationalised the cigar industry. However, Quintero, which until then had mainly produced its cigars in the "Totalmente a mano" tradition, was repositioned as a brand that mainly produced its cigars by machine, "Mecanizado".

The mechanisation of cigar production began in Cuba in the 1950s or so and made it possible to produce larger quantities and, above all, to lower the cost price compared to handmade cigars.

Thus, most of the brand's handmade cigars, such as Quintero Churchills (Cervantes - 42 × 165 mm), Quintero Coronas (42 × 142 mm), Quintero Coronas Selectas (Coronas - 42 × 142 mm), Quintero Medias Coronas and Medias Coronas Selectas (Londres - 40 × 126 mm), Quintero Conchas No.1 (38 × 113 mm) and Quintero Miramars (40 × 146 mm), were abandoned in favour of machine-made cigars.

Other Quintero cigars have survived, however, and have been adapted to this new manufacturing process: the Quintero Nacionales, a Nacionales (40 × 140 mm); the Quintero Brevas, a Nacionales Mano (40 × 140 mm) and another Brevas, this time measuring 42 × 138 mm.

The Quintero cigars originally produced by machine remained unchanged during this period: the Quintero Panetelas, a Vegueritos Mano (37 × 127 mm); the Puritos, a Chicos (29 × 106 mm) and the Londres, a Standard Mano (40 × 123 mm).

For many years, Quintero was the only Cuban brand of machine-made cigars to be marketed outside Cuba.

Subsequently, from the end of the 1970s until 2002, as was also the case for many other Habano brands, Quintero's vitalorio was further reworked and reduced.

Indeed, 2002 marked the beginning of a new era for Habanos aimed at promoting Cuban cigars as premium products. As a result, Habanos decided to abandon machine-made cigars in favour of hand-rolled cigars. Thus, since 2006, no cigar in the Habanos catalogue is still machine-made.

The Quintero catalogue now only offers cigars made "Totalmente a Mano con Tripa Corta" (Short Filler) with leaves from the Vuelta Abajo and the Semi Vuelta. This rolling technique involves the use of pieces of tobacco leaf to make up the filler, rather than whole leaves as is the case for cigars "con Tripa Larga" (long filler). The wrapper, on the other hand, is affixed by hand in the traditional way.

Despite all these changes in terms of production and vitolario, one cigar, which entered production at the beginning of the brand and has been entirely hand-rolled ever since, is still in production today: the Londres Extra, a Standard (40 × 123 mm). Others, such as the Brevas, a Nacionales (40 × 140 mm), a vitola exclusive to the brand, and the Panetelas, a Vegueritos (37 × 127 mm) have survived by adapting to the brand's different production methods.

These cigars have since been joined by new ones, adapting to new consumer trends: the Favoritos, a Conchas No.2 (50 × 115 mm), a vitola exclusive to the brand introduced in 2012; the Petit Quintero, a Petit Cazadores (43 × 105 mm) introduced in 2014 and finally, the Tubulares, a Brevas JLP (42 × 133 mm) introduced in 2016.

Despite this catalogue update, the Quintero brand has remained consistent in strength and flavour unlike other brands considered the strongest, such as Bolívar and Partagás, which have seen their flavours become rounder in recent years. The Quintero blend remains unchanged, not caring about the change in the dominant taste of the market, moving towards lighter cigars.

This has allowed the brand, despite the total absence of special productions, Edición Regional, Edición Limitada or even commemorative humidors, to maintain its popularity among Spanish aficionados in particular.

Indeed, Quintero cigars have always been characterised by a raw and robust tobacco taste. The earthy taste is even more pronounced than that of Bolívar and Partagás cigars. In addition, Quintero cigars are characterised by strong herbal aromas that are not found in Bolívar and Partagás cigars. This combination of earth and grass immerses us in the "countryside", the smell of the native land.

When they are young, Quintero cigars are rather bitter and tannic, a characteristic that does not suit everyone, but which the Spanish and Cubans like.

The Quintero brand is now considered by Habanos as a volume brand producing low-priced cigars in large quantities.

Indeed, despite the fact that the brand now only offers hand-rolled cigars, its affordability compared to other Habanos premium brands is to be commended. Quintero is thus an interesting brand for aficionados who want to taste the true flavour of a rustic Habano, with a medium to strong strength.

To learn more about Quintero cigars and the history of the brand, we would be delighted to welcome you in our walk-in humidor, where you will find exclusive pieces from the history of the brand, but also the cigars in regular production.

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