G.H. Johnson Cigar Company was the original producer of the Dutch Masters cigar brand. The brand became a mainstay of the
Consolidated Cigar Corporation, which merged the G.H. Johnson Cigar Company and six others in 1921. The Consolidated Cigar Corp. later became part of
Altadis, formed in 1999 by a merger of the French and Spanish state tobacco monopolies. Through its history the Dutch Masters cigar brand has become one of the most popular and profitable cigar brands in America. Dutch Masters became well known in the late 1950s and early 1960s for its sponsorship of television comedian
Ernie Kovacs. He was appreciative of Dutch Masters' allowing him nearly complete creative freedom in the production of their sponsored shows and commercials. Kovacs smoked cigars, but never smoked Dutch Masters off camera, preferring Havana cigars. ==Varieties==