Topper 1894 Celebrates 130 Years Of History
Chris Topper always knew his cigar company was old. He’s the fourth generation of Toppers to run his cigar company, and its tagline, “Topper tops ‘em all, since 1896,” has long been emblematic of the brand, best known for machine-made cigars crafted with dark, broadleaf wrappers. But now, he’s discovered some documents revealing that the company founded by B.P. Topper is even older, making him believe his company is America’s oldest family-owned cigar company.
“I was thrilled to discover a letter penned by my great-grandfather,” says Topper, the president of Topper Cigar. The 1921 letter showed that Topper was founded in 1894, instead of 1896.
To commemorate the fact that his company is even older than before (and this year celebrating a 130-year anniversary) Topper is unveiling a new, handmade smoke called Topper 1894. It’s rolled by De Los Reyes in the Dominican Republic, made with a mixture of American and Dominican tobaccos, and comes in three sizes: a robusto measuring 5 by 50, a corona that’s 6 by 44 and a toro measuring 6 by 54.
Prices have yet to be revealed. The cigar will be at the PCA show, and shipments are expected to commence in May.
Toppers were originally made by hand (cigarmaking machines didn’t exist in the 1800s) but switched entirely to machines in the 1960s. Around 10 years ago, Topper got back into the handmade business, and ever since the company has sold a combination of machine-made and handmade cigars.
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