During his playing days in Puerto Rico, cigar icon and jazz musician Avo Uvezian said that he would purchase a few local cigars each night and place them on top of the piano for anyone who wanted to smoke. Eventually, these cigars became a hit with his fans, and in 1987, Uvezian met Davidoff's Hendrik "Henke" Kelner. The pair worked to create a special cigar for the musician, which was released the following year, with many offshoot lines following the success of the original.