During the 18th and 19th century, Spain’s ruling monarchy did not allow the production of cigars in their Caribbean and American colonies. The colonists were allowed to grow the tobacco, but the cigars had to be manufactured in Spain. This decree gave Spain complete dominion over the cigar industry, and it allowed them to sell the cigars at exorbitantly high prices. To circumvent the monarchy’s monopoly, the “Bandolero” was born. A Bandolero was a bootlegger who bought the tobacco and had the cigars made in other countries then sold them at much lower prices. The operation was completely illegal in the eyes of the Spanish government, and the bootleggers who got caught paid a stiff penalty. To honor these brave bootleggers, the Bandolero cigar was created by Nelson Alfonso, a Cuban artist who worked on the design and packaging for Cohiba Behike. He is also known for creating the Atabey cigar. The Bandolero is a full-bodied and flavorful cigar that is hand crafted in Costa Rica. At Neptune Cigars, you can purchase your Bandolero cigars, legally of course.