"Cigars are no longer just for the seasoned smoker.      They have become a staple in society for rookies and veterans alike,        representing an air of character, class and pleasure. Whether it's a          satisfying smoke after dinner, during a round of golf, or out at the          bar for drinks, cigars are the perfect complement to your lifestyle        because that is exactly what defines cigar smoking:      -- your lifestyle. Welcome to the good life!"
CURRENT BOLIVAR CIGARS
SPECIAL REALEASED CIGARS
DISCONTINUED CIGARS
BOLIVAR CIGARS
BOLIVAR CIGARS

Year of Foundation: 1901

Tobacco Country: Cuba

Tobacco Procedence: Vuelta Abajo (Pinar del Rio)

Cigar Factory: Partagas


The Bolivar cigar brand was founded (possibly in Great Britain) by José F. Rocha around 1901 or 1902, though the brand was not registered in Havana (Cuba) until 1921, under the ownership of Rocha's firm, J.F. Rocha y Cia.

During this time, the Bolívar cigar brand produced the world's smallest cigar, the Bolivar Delgado, measuring a mere 1 7/8 inches with a 20 ring gauge, and even had the honor of having a miniature box of its cigars featured in the royal nursery's dollhouse at Windsor Castle.

The Bolivar brand was bought in 1954 by Cifuentes y Cia after Rocha's death and production was moved to the famous Partágas Factory in Havana, Cuba (today known as the Francisco Pérez Germán factory), where many of its cigar sizes are still produced today. During this time, under Cifuente's direction, Bolívar gained popularity in the world Cuban cigar market and became a major export cigar brand.

After tobacco was nationalized following the Cuban Revolution, the Cifuentes family fled to the Dominican Republic, where the patron of the family, Ramón Cifuentes, still produces Partágas and Bolívar cigars for General Cigar Company and the US market.

Recently, the Dominican Bolívar brand was reblended to better match the strength of the Cuban-made brand.

The Cuban Bolívar has a reputation among cigar aficionados of being one of the strongest and most full-bodied cigars, with its Coronas Junior, Petit Coronas, and Belicosos Finos being famous examples of the marque.

In 2002, when Altadis bought a controlling share in the Cuban government-owned cigar distributor, Habanos SA, a number of changes in Cuban cigar production were instituted. One of these changes was the decision to gradually turn the various brands of Cuban cigars to either all-handmade or all-machine-made lines.

Bolívar, which has historically produced a variety of handmade and machine-made or machine-finished cigars, had several of its cigar vitolas cut from production, with only one remaining, the cigarillo-sized Chicos. It remains to be seen if this size will eventually cease to be produced as well.

In 2005, Wolters in Cologne, Germany, had a few thousand boxes of Bolívar Gold Medals produced by Habanos S.A exclusively for their shop. These Cuban cigars are an older, discontinued Bolívar size in the Cervantes (lonsdale) format, wrapped in gold foil on one half with a special Bolívar band in the middle and come packaged in boxes of ten cigars. The Gold Medal has since become a regular production cigar again.

The Bolívar brand has also been chosen several times for special sizes in regional releases.