n 1903 Pepin Rodriguez Fernandez, bought the "Romeo y Julieta" factory. Pepin worked hard to promote his enterprise and succeeded largely. After the Cuban embargo, the brand disappeared from the American market. Benjamin Menendez took over the task of making and promoting the Dominican version, currently made at Tabacalera de Garcia by Altadis. Romeo y Julieta is today the best selling premium brand in the US. It has been rated 92 by Cigar Aficionado.