Saint Luis Rey (cigar)

The brand's name is believed to be a reference to either the town of San Luis, Pinar del Río or the popular 1927 novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey by American author Thornton Wilder.^[2] The brand was first registered by Zamora y Guerra Co., who were based in Havana.^[3] In 1940, the name Saint Luis Rey was registered by two English tobacco importers, Nathan Silverstone and Michael De Keyser.^[4][5]

The Saint Luis Rey factory and its assets were nationalized by the Cuban government on September 15, 1960.^[6] From 1960 until 1992, the brand was marketed exclusively in the UK market by NR Silverstone Cigar Ltd.^[7] In 1993, Habanos S.A. began exporting the brand worldwide.^{[citation needed]}

In the US, the Saint Luis Rey trademark was registered by Altadis. In 2008, Altadis was acquired by Imperial Tobacco.^{[citation needed]}

Saint Luis Rey cigars are produced at the Briones Montoto factory in Havana, where Romeo y Julieta cigars are also produced.^[8] All Cuban-production Saint Luis Rey cigars are made with leaves sourced from the Vuelta Abajo region.^[2]

The brand is known for the Lonsdale size, which was a favorite of Frank Sinatra.^{[9][verification needed]}