Don Rolando, a legend in the world of premium cigars operated hand-rolling factories in Havana, the Dominican Republic, Miami and Honduras. Like many exiles from Cuba, Rolando’s cigar making experience can be traced back to well before Cuba’s Revolution, working as a cigar roller for H.Upmann, Partagas and Romeo y Julietta amongst others.

The Cuba Aliados brand was produced in Havana from 1955 until his factory was confiscated by Castro’s government in the early 1960s. At the time, Don Rolando was producing nearly 6 million hand-rolled Cuba Aliados cigars per year. Uprooted and leaving the island in 1970, Rolando went in search of the same fertile soil and growing conditions he experienced in Cuba. The brand followed him through various moves, before choosing Honduras to be his new home in 1990. 

The travels of Reyes and his brand are reflected in the two distinct lines.

A full time offering made by Julio Eiroa in Honduras as well as a special release, produced by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo at his factory in the Dominican Republic. The full time offering will use the original blend that Rolando Reyes perfected nearly 70 years ago. Conversely, using the original blend as his inspiration, Perez-Carrillo crafted a special release for 2022 limited to 10,000 boxes. A new chapter in this brands storied past, this year’s offering is draped in a flawless Sumatra wrapper from Ecuador that has been aged for nearly 5 years.