For approximately 100 years, the Spanish Crown did not allow the manufacturing of cigars except for the Sevilla Royal Factory in Spain. Cuba, which was under Spanish rule at the time, could only grow the tobacco and ship it to Spain. In fact, from early 1700s to 1800s, the rolling of cigars by any other country was forbidden by Spanish decree. This led to the rapid growth of Bandoleros, a group of risk-taking cigar makers and sellers who dared to defy the Spaniards and undermine their monopoly. The Bandolero Adventureros cigar is dedicated to these outlaw merchants. The cigar offers a hearty full-bodied smoking experience and is comprised of an Ecuadorian Colorado maduro wrapper cloaking a Peruvian binder and filler leaves from Nicaragua and Peru.

The Clandestinos is a premium cigar that is part of the Bandolero brand. During the 19th Century, the Spanish crown had a monopoly on tobacco production and the making of cigars and other tobacco products. This control allowed them to charge exorbitant prices for cigars, which gave rise to bootleggers referred to as Bandoleros. These bootleggers had cigars made in countries not under Spanish rule and sell them at a much lower cost, which eventually undermined the monarchy’s monopoly. The Clandestinos cigar is composed of a light-brown Ecuadorian wrapper placed over a binder of undisclosed origin and a Peruvian filler. It is a full-bodied stick that offers up a complexity of flavors. Expertly hand crafted in Costa Rica, the Bandolero Clandestinos is the creation of Nelson Alfonso, a Cuban graphic designer who is recognized in the cigar industry for doing the artwork and packaging for the Cohiba Behike brand. Alfonso is also the founder of Selected Tobacco.

Created by Nelson Alfonso as part of his Bandolero brand, the Traficantes is a premium cigar line that features a natural Ecuadorian wrapper blended with a binder of undisclosed origin and a Nicaraguan filler. Once lit, this awesome blend provides a rich complexity of flavors and a potent but balanced smoking experience. The brand tells the story of the Bandoleros (or bootleggers) who undermined the Spanish monarchy’s monopoly on tobacco and tobacco products during the 19th Century. The Bandoleros produced cigars in other countries and then sold them at a much lower cost than the Spanish crown would allow. The Bandolero Traficantes cigars are handmade in Costa Rica. Nelson Alfonso is the founder of Selected Tobacco. A Cuban graphic designer, Alfonso is recognized in the cigar industry for doing the artwork and packaging for the Cohiba Behike brand.