Dutch Masters (cigar)
Dutch Masters is a brand of natural wrapped cigars sold in the United States since 1912. Its distinctive packaging features Rembrandt's 1662 painting The Syndics of the Drapers' Guild (De Staalmeesters). Dutch Masters cigars are currently manufactured and sold by Imperial Brands. They are machine-rolled cigars and come in two varieties: standard cigars and smaller cigarillos. [1][2]
A box of Dutch Masters Palma cigars | |
Inception | 1912 |
---|---|
Available | yes |
Current supplier | Altadis USA (Imperial Tobacco) |
Website | www.dutchmasters.com |
G.H. Johnson Cigar Company was the original producer of the Dutch Masters cigar brand. Dutch Masters became a mainstay of the Consolidated Cigar Corporation, which merged the G.H. Johnson Cigar Company and six others in 1921. The Consolidated Cigar Corp. later became part of Altadis, formed in 1999 by a merger of the French and Spanish state tobacco monopolies.[3] Through its history the Dutch Masters cigar brand has become one of the most popular and profitable cigar brands in America.
Dutch Masters became well known in the late 1950s and early 1960s for its sponsorship of various television projects of comedian Ernie Kovacs. (Kovacs, a well known cigar smoker, never smoked Dutch Masters off camera, sticking almost exclusively to Havana cigars.) He was appreciative of Dutch Masters' allowing him nearly complete creative freedom in the production of their sponsored shows and commercials. His silent Dutch Masters commercials have become classics in their own right.
In 2015, Dutch Masters sponsored Wrap Parties hosted by Cipha Sounds and Drewski, The MVMT.
Varieties
- Belvedere
- Cameroon Elite
- Corona De Luxe
- 227 Benedict
- Corona Grape
- Corona Maduro
- Corona Sports
- Corona Strawberry
- Corona Vanilla
- Creme de Menthe
- Honey Sports
- Honey Sports Cigarillos
- Vanilla Sports
- Panetela
- Perfecto
- President
- Cigarillos - Chocolate
- Cigarillos - Cognac
- Cigarillos - Grape
- Cigarillos - Green
- Cigarillos - White Grape
- Cigarillos - Strawberry
- Cigarillos - Vanilla
- Cigarillos - Sweet
- Cigarillos - Wine
- Cigarillos - Red Berry
- Cigarillos - Honeycomb
- Cigarillos - Bluedream fusion
- Palma
- Palma Chocolate
- Palma Cognac
- Tube Cigarillos Cognac
- Tube Cigarillos Grape
- Tube Cigarillos Vanilla
- Tube Cigarillos Vanilla Sport
- White Grape
References
- Only available in the US "Altadis Buys Control of JR Cigars" by David Savona, October 10, 2003 Archived April 10, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- "Merger To Create World's Largest Cigar Company" by David Savona, October 6, 1999
- "Altadis S.A.," FundingUniverse.com/ Retrieved February 19, 2011.