El Rey del Mundo history - The fascinating masterpiece brand of the 19th century

El Rey del Mundo history: the king of the world. The name alone sounds like a confident statement - and this brand was indeed recognised early on as one of the best in the world. From the very beginning, only tobaccos from the Vuelta Abajo were used, and its cigars still exist today. 

A brand with several possible origins

There are different versions of how the El Rey del Mundo story began. One thing is certain: over the decades, many cigar manufacturers have fought over this name, the brand and the cigars - and all of them have continued to do so successfully. 

The Vista of the El Rey del Mundo brand, an image with many details: a king whose chariot is pulled by a horse, an elephant, a dromedary (camel), ??? and a sheep. Of course, the gold medals won are also included.

Version 1: Emilio Ohmstedt and the year 1848

According to the first surviving version, El Rey del Mundo was founded in 1848 by the German Emilio Ohmstedt, together with the Sancho Panza brand. Hardly anything is known about Ohmstedt; apart from an entry in the register, there are no other references. Production took place at Calle Gervasio No. 27. 

Factories where El Rey del Mundo brand cigars were made No. 1/6 (1848-1899): Calle Gervasio No. 27 in Havana's Centro Habana district. Probably a small factory, as was common around 1840/1850.

What happened after the company was founded remains partially unclear. Ohmstedt is said to have died in 1870, after which the Spaniard Antonio Allones took over the brand. Allones, a native of Galicia and brother of Ramón Allones, came to Havana in the middle of the 19th century. 

Some sources assume that the brand initially disappeared after Ohmstedt's death and was only re-registered by Allones in 1882. However, El Rey del Mundo is already mentioned in the „Directory - General and Commercial of the Havana“ of 1873 - an indication that the brand continued to exist. 

Version 2: Antonio Allones as a possible founder

Others, however, claim that Antonio Allones himself founded El Rey del Mundo back in 1848. Today, it is difficult to say which version is correct, but there is no doubt that the brand has existed since 1848, making it one of the oldest Habanos brands still in existence. 

Successful decades under changing owners

El Rey del Mundo remained in the possession of Antonio Allones until 1899. Florentin Mantilla then bought the brand. Production now took place in Calle Belascoain No. 2A - the beautiful factory that was to become Don Pepin's Romeo y Julieta factory from 1905. The brand remained extremely successful under Mantilla. 

Factories where El Rey del Mundo brand cigars were made No.2/6 (1899-1905): Calle Belascoain (today Padre Varela) No.2A, the factory of Florentin Mantilla. From 1905 this house was officially the Romeo y Julieta factory of Don Pepin.

Around 1910, the company Díaz Hermanos y Cía. took over the brand from Cándido Vega Díaz. Production was moved to La Meridiana, the former factory of Pedro Murias. The Díaz brothers produced cigars and cigarettes there without interruption - and with great success. 

This factory was originally the La Meridiana factory, built in 1882 by Pedro Murias. From 1905 until the 1930s, El Rey del Mundo cigars came from this factory.

In the 1930s, the company was renamed to Rey del Mundo Cigar Company. The company's headquarters were now located at Calle Belascoain No. 852 - probably since 1935 - and at this time brands such as Flor de Rafael Gonzalez, Sancho Panza and Don Cándido also belonged to the company. The building later became the Romeo factory and is now home to the H.Upmann manufactory. 

Factories where El Rey del Mundo brand cigars were made No.4/6 (1935-ca.1965): Calle Belascoain No.852, from around 1935 until well after the revolution.

Different times, different preferences

In the 1940s and 1950s, El Rey del Mundo earned an excellent international reputation. It was one of the most expensive cigars in the world. Production continued uninterrupted during and after the revolution. The cigars were produced in the factory on Calle San Carlos No. 816, in what is now the Partagás factory.

Factories where El Rey del Mundo brand cigars were made No.5/6: Calle San Carlos No.816, originally a large warehouse, then El Rey del Mundo factory, now the Partagás factory.

However, the brand lost some of its popularity in the 1980s and 1990s - not because of a lack of quality, but because aficionados increasingly favoured stronger cigars with larger ring sizes. Several formats therefore disappeared from the range. 

Today: A brand for connoisseurs

Nevertheless, El Rey del Mundo still has a loyal fan base today. It has already been selected around 20 times for an Edición Regional - each time exclusively for one country in limited quantities. Today, the cigars are produced in the Sancti Spiritus factory in Cabaiguán in the province of Sancti Spiritus. 

The standard portfolio of the El Rey del Mundo brand currently only includes two cigars: the Choix Supreme and the Demi Tasse. For La Casa del Habano, there are several other exclusive formats.

Here you will find the El Rey del Mundo manufactory

If the live folder does not work, please click here to El Rey del Mundo Manufaktur.

Picture credits

• Claudia Puszkar
• Enzo A. Infante: “Havana Cigars 1817-1960”, Neptune City 1997
• Alexander Groom: “El Habano Moderno”, Helios House Press 2022, ISBN: 978-911683-05-6

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References

• Min Ron Nee:
  • “AN ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF POST-REVOLUTION HAVANA CIGARS” / Hong Kong 2003, ISBN: 978-3980930826

• Orlando Quiroga: “El Habano al rojo vivo”, Havana 2002

• Instituto de Investigaciones del Tabaco Cuba:
  • „The world of Habanos“ / Havana 2013, ISBN: 978-959-7212-08-9

• Adriano Martínez Rius:
  • “Habano the King” / Barcelona 1998, ISBN: 84-930387-1-7

• Adriano Martinez Rius:
  • “The Great Habano Factories” / Barcelona 2005, ISBN: 84-609-4024-1

• Orlando Quiroga:
  • “El Habano al rojo vivo” / Havana 2002

• Enzo A. Infante:
  • “Havana Cigars 1817-1960” / Neptune City 1997

• Eumelio Espino:
  • “El Habano - De la semilla al puro en 539 pasos” / Madrid 2019, ISBN: 978-84-09-07091-6

• Alexander Groom:
  • “El Habano Moderno” / Helios House Press 2022, ISBN: 978-911683-05-6

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