01.10.2021
The name “Bock” in the field of cigars is inextricably linked to the band used in around 99% of all cigars worldwide. The German cigar artisan Gustav (Spanish: Gustavo) Bock, who had emigrated to Cuba, developed the paper cigar band as early as 1854. On the one hand, this distinguished his cigars from the competition with a unique selling proposition. On the other hand, it protected the delicate hands of smoking ladies and the white gloves of high society.
The Bock “invention” ultimately prevailed worldwide, even though a type of cigar band made from tiny silk scarves had existed as early as the 18th century, such as the one used by Catherine the Great.
Apart from his “invention,” Gustav Bock’s actions and entrepreneurship put him way ahead of his time even at that time.
Folk memory states that in 1895 he founded the Bock y Compañia in Cuba. Backed by British capital, he acquired the cigar factories La Estrella, La Espanola, and La Intimidad. The Cuban War of Independence (1895-1898) caused many Cuban cigar factories to face economic difficulties. Thus, four more factories were incorporated into the “small” Cuban cigar empire with the English capital and Gustav Bock at the helm.
With the death of Gustav Bock Müller (his full name) in 1910, the Bock brand was forgotten. In 1998, the brand experienced a brilliant revival when VILLIGER SÖHNE GmbH reintroduced the handmade cigars in Europe.
It was the decisive moment when one of the largest tobacco traders in the USA facilitated the meeting of the VILLIGER owner and a Cuban exile. His name was: Matias Maragoto, who had founded a small but reputable cigar factory in the Dominican Republic’s capital. Heinrich Villiger and Matias Maragoto quickly agreed to work together in the future.
As the trademark rights for “Bock y Compañia” were up for grabs, the VILLIGER company acquired it. Subsequently, the first “Bock” cigars were soon hand-rolled in Santo Domingo.
The launch range also included the legendary “Bock Y Compañia A”! Using a well-packaged single box in the Lonsdale format, it had a length of 235 mm, a ring gauge of 47 mm, and an approximate smoking time of 90 minutes.
Nowadays, every well-stocked specialist retailer offers the Bock cigar brand. The different formats offer something for almost every taste, a slim Panetela, a Corona, and a Churchill. For easy transport, VILLIGER also offers the Churchill and Corona in an aluminum tube.
The Robusto is the cigar of the month. Measuring 127 mm in length and 19.8 mm in diameter, it offers interested smokers of medium-bodied, aromatic cigars an exquisite smoke at a fair price of €5.80 each.
The Bock Robusto uses a delicate and elegant Ecuadorian wrapper and an Indonesian binder. The cigar boasts a well-balanced filler, which combines the finest tobacco blend from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, thus offering an ideal spectrum of flavors.
The Bock Robusto is also offered in an elegant pack of 5 for on the go. Those who want to fill up their humidor will go for the box of 20. The look of these representative boxes combines a subtle beige with a vivid blue.
Around 168 years after Gustav Bock Müller invented the cigar band, VILLIGER’s Bock brand ensures that this name will live on for cigar posterity.