Regional edition Habanos cigars have become a staple in the humidors of many cigar collectors around the world. We must admit, that some of the releases over the past few years have been redundant, bearing very similar sizes and having only the bands that really differentiate one cigar from the other. However, there are exceptions. At the forefront of these exceptions are many of the Regional editions produced for and distributed by Pacific Cigar Company. The official distributor of Habanos in Asia, and co-owner of the famed La Casa del Habano series of franchises.
The cigar featured in this article is the highly sought after El Rey Del Mundo Taínos, Formosa Regional Edition.
Let’s dig into the details on the cigar and a little history lesson from both sides of the globe.
Size: 47 x 178 mm
Factory Name: Julieta No. 2
Commercially known as the iconic Churchill size.
Produced in 2018 for sale exclusively for the Taiwan market. They are part of a special production of 8,888 numbered boxes. Each box contains 10 cigars.
The cigars look and feel great. The aromas emitting from these leaves tell us they are still a little young. However, this cigar has great ageing potential for 5 to 10 years. It feels comparable to the Hoyo De Monterrey Escogidos that were produced exclusively for the La Casa del Habano franchise.
El Rey Del Mundo has in the past released a cigar, by the same size called the Taínos. They initially hit the market in the 1960s. They came in slide boxes of 25, which were discontinued prior to 2006 , and slide boxes of 50 which were discontinued prior to 2000.
A BRIEF HISTORY ON THE Taínos
At the time before Columbus arrived to Cuba in 1492, the island was divided into several parts occupied by aboriginals. One such area was inhabited by the indigenous people called the Taínos. They were known as a very peaceful people, devoted mostly to the land, and spent most of their time in agriculture, fishing and providing very basic needs for their families. The other aboriginal group were the Siboneyes. (There were 3 main groups in all). They were the more advanced of the groups, focusing already on pottery and building. They were amongst the first to have organized their peoples with leaders and commanders.
Where is FORMOSA (福爾摩沙)
At the time of this writing, the 2018 rendition of the El Rey Del Mundo Taínos is the only cigar produced exclusively for the Formosa region. The Republic of Formosa existed on the island of Taiwan between May 23, 1895 to October 21, 1895. The short period marks the formal cession of Taiwan by the Qing Dynasty of China to the Empire of Japan. Thus, the dates mark when the Republic was proclaimed to the date it was extinguished. Today it is simply part of Taiwan (Republic of China). The original history of the name dates back to 1542, when Portuguese soldiers spotted an unchartered island “Ilha Formosa” (beautiful island).
