La Escepción Selectos Reales: The Final Chapter of a Lost Havana
If you follow Cuban regional edition cigars, few names carry quite the same mystique as La Escepción. Discontinued in 1989 and absent from the regular Habanos catalogue ever since, it has returned only three times - each one an Edición Regional made exclusively for Italy. The latest, and final, of these is the La Escepción Selectos Reales, and it is already one of the most talked-about releases of the year.
In this guide, we'll explain where La Escepción came from, how the trilogy came about, what makes the Selectos Reales special, and what to consider before adding a cabinet to your humidor.
The History of La Escepción
La Escepción was founded in the mid-19th century by José Gener, the Spanish-born tobacco grower best remembered today as the man behind Hoyo de Monterrey, which he established in 1865. The two marcas were long regarded as sister brands - but where Hoyo built its name on elegance and finesse, La Escepción earned a reputation as one of the richer, stronger Havanas of its era.
By the 1980s the brand had dwindled to just a handful of vitolas, and in 1989 Habanos quietly retired it. For more than two decades, La Escepción existed only in old cabinets and collectors' memories.
The La Escepción Trilogy
That changed in 2011, when Diadema S.p.A. - the official Habanos distributor for Italy - persuaded Habanos S.A. to bring the name back as an Italian Regional Edition. What followed became known as the La Escepción Trilogy:
- Selectos Finos (2011) - a slender 165mm x 38 ring gauge, marking Diadema's 20th anniversary. Just 2,000 boxes of 25 were made, and it is still widely ranked among the finest Regional Editions ever released.
- Don José (2015) - a 127mm x 48 robusto-style cigar named in honour of the brand's founder, limited to 4,000 boxes of 25.
- Selectos Reales (2025 release) - the closing chapter, created to celebrate 25 years of Diadema.
What makes this so unusual is that La Escepción is not an active Habanos brand. Almost every Regional Edition is built on a marca you can buy in regular production - a Juan López, a Por Larrañaga, a Saint Luis Rey. La Escepción exists only through these Italian releases, which is a large part of why each one is treated as an event.
The Selectos Reales at a Glance
- Vitola: Belicoso (known in the Cuban factories as Campana)
- Size: 140mm (5 1/2") x 52 ring gauge - the same tapered shape as the celebrated Bolívar Belicosos Finos
- Origin: Totally hand made in Cuba
- Market: Edición Regional Italia, commemorating Diadema S.p.A.'s 25th anniversary
- Packaging: Numbered cabinets of 50
- Production: 4,000 cabinets
- Bands: Three rather than the usual two - the La Escepción band, the red and silver Edición Regional Italia band, and a commemorative band for Diadema's 25th anniversary
Why Collectors Are Chasing the Selectos Reales
For serious collectors, the Selectos Reales ticks almost every box:
- It completes a set. As the third and final chapter of the trilogy, it is the piece that finishes a La Escepción collection - and the earlier two are already very difficult to find.
- It's a brand you can't otherwise buy. With no regular production behind it, there is no standard La Escepción line to fall back on once this release is gone.
- It carries a story. A revived 19th-century marca, a founder's legacy, a distributor's silver jubilee and a three-band dress make this one of the most distinctive Regional Editions in years.
- It's built to age. The 50-cigar cabinet format and robust belicoso size make it a natural candidate for long-term cellaring.
As always, buy only from a trusted retailer to guarantee provenance, and ask how the cigars have been stored - correct humidity matters enormously for a cigar you may keep for years.
Explore More Regional Editions
If the Selectos Reales has caught your eye, our Regional Editions collection includes other Italian exclusives such as the Saint Luis Rey La Cuna Edición Regional Italy 2021, alongside sought-after releases from across Europe and Asia. For the bigger picture, read our guides to Cuban Regional Edition cigars and Edición Limitada.