Gilbert De Montsalvat

Gilbert de Montsalvat was born in Burgundy in 1920. In 1932, he left his native region for the capital, Paris. In 1937, G. de Montsalvat left soon-to-be-occupied France for London, where he met Freud, with whom he forged friendly ties. In London, he studied history and English literature. He began his professional career working for the French government in England. He returned to France to work in the family business for several years.

He left France in 1955 for Cuba, where he undertook extensive research into tobacco, becoming known as the Minister of Tobacco. He returned to Europe for a few years, settling in Geneva between his various travels. During a stay in Cuba, he compiled the great cigar encyclopedia, which enabled him to meet Che and a certain Fidel Castro. He left Cuba for Connecticut in the USA. There, he learned and developed the art of the famous Connecticut Shade, the wrapper from the Connecticut Shade River Valley, where tobacco grows under canvas shelters. From 1965 to 1974, Montsalvat "Kunst des Rauchens" toured Asia and South America. He deepened his knowledge of tobacco and its culture, and began writing his book on the art of smoking. After a short stay in Paris, he returned to Geneva in 1987, where he built a magnificent villa with a large humidor housing one of the world's most magnificent collections of cigars.

In 1987, he was awarded Cuba's Solidarity Prize for his social and cultural development work. He fell seriously ill in 1998 and retired to St. Gallen in Switzerland, where he now lives and is writing his memoirs.

Gilbert de Montsalvat cigars are the work of two key figures in the cigar world, Thomas Brunnschweiler and Raymond Bernasconi of the famous Royal Cigar Company. These Puros are made mainly from Nicaraguan tobacco, while the wrapper comes from Connecticut in the USA. Puros are available in 5 modules: Magnum, Short Belicoso, Robusto, Corona and Perla. A magnificent porcelain jar containing 20 Coronas is also available. You can taste the entire range in the tasting box, which includes a sample of each module.

The cigar is available in two lines and two special editions.

The main lines are:

• Gilbert de Montsalvat Classic
• Gilbert de Montsalvat Revolution Style
• Gilbert de Montsalvat anniversary
• Gilbert de Montsalvat Treasure
• Gilbert de Montsalvat Lounge Edition
• Gilbert de Montsalvat Signature

The special editions are:

• Gilbert de Montsalvat 10 years anniversary (no longer available)
• Gilbert de Montsalvat Dominican Style
• Gilbert de Montsalvat Cuban Style