Everything Began with the »Gilbert de Montsalvat«
Everything began with the »Gilbert de Montsalvat«, which Swiss creator Raymondo Bernasconi originally designed just for himself. Due to its unexpected success, however, the series fortunately became available not only to a select circle of Ray’s friends, but also gained great popularity among aficionados worldwide.
Gilbert de Montsalvat, the namesake of these cigars, is a fictional character from the novel The Pope of Geneva by author Thomas Brunnschweiler. Raymondo was so fascinated by the hero of the story that he created a tribute to him, allowing the legends and myths surrounding Montsalvat to live on.
The beautiful cigar bands feature a silhouette—not of Montsalvat, but of Raymondo himself, who is rarely seen without his trademark, the iconic hat.
Series
Limited Editions
Accessoires
The premium longfillers of his series are crafted entirely by hand in small, renowned factories in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. And since Raymondo happens to be Swiss, we cannot resist drawing a comparison to the precision of Swiss watchmaking.
Raymondo is not only a meticulous producer, networker, world traveler, and gourmet, but also the owner of his own specialty shop in Basel — a great advantage when it comes to recognizing trends and customer preferences, and translating them into his cigars.
