Sancho Panza is a cigar brand in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

dating from 1848, and still produced there by Habanos S.A., the Cuban state-owned tobacco company.

History

Named for the squire to

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...

' 1605 novel of the same name, the name "Sancho Panza" was first used for a Havana cigar in 1848, when the ''marca'' of "Sancho Panza" was registered by Don Emilio Ohmsted. The original factory was located at 48 Angeles St. in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. Sometime during the 1880s, the brand was acquired by Ramon Allones and in 1940 was purchased by the Rey Del Mundo Cigar Co.

The Sancho Panza factory ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

and its assets were nationalized by the Cuban government on September 15, 1960.

Products

Today, Sancho Panza cigars in Cuba are handmade from long-filler tobacco from the

Vuelta Abajo Vuelta Abajo (or Vueltabajo, literally: The lower roundtrip) is a geographic region in the Pinar del Río Province of Cuba. It lies in the extreme western part of the island, bordered on the north by the Sierra de los Órganos mountains.

region of Cuba. The brand is known for the larger sizes in its range, including the enormous ''Sanchos'' and the ''Belicosos''. In most sizes, Sancho Panza cigars are considered to be medium-bodied for Cuban cigars, and have been described as having a distinctive, somewhat salty taste.Bati, Anwer, ''The Cigar Companion'', Philadelphia, PA: Running Press (1993), , p. 216

Non-Cuban production

In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, the Sancho Panza trademark was registered in 1981 by Villazon & Company, and the trademark was later acquired by the

General Cigar Company General Cigar Company is the largest manufacturer of premium cigars in the world. It is a subsidiary of Scandinavian Tobacco Group with North American headquarters located in Richmond, Virginia. Company history In 1961 General Cigar, which was ...

. General Cigar markets a line of Honduran cigars with the Sancho Panza brand name incorporating a Honduran or Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and binder.

References

{{reflist Cigar brands Cuban brands Habanos S.A. brands