What do you know about Montecristo cigars?

We have all heard about Montecristo cigars, one of the most famous and valued brands in the world, an obligatory reference for every smoker for many decades. But there are some other cool things around this brand that you probably don't know about. Here we will tell you.

Let's start with the name. It comes from the famous novel "The Count of Monte Cristo", by the Frenchman Alexandre Dumas. One version tells that in the tobacco shops there was always a reader who read stories to the leaf twisters and, as the reading of the well-known novel caused such an impact on the workers, the factory owners, in homage to them and Dumas, decided thus naming the brand they created in 1935.

Another version that we found says that the origins of the brand had more to do with commercial issues, because what the Cuban tobacco firm Menendez y Garcia was looking for was to penetrate the North American and English market with a new Habano. Menéndez and García, the owners, were two Spaniards who years ago had established themselves in Cuba as tobacco manufacturers and had partnered with the intention of enhancing their skills and knowledge.

The logotype. It was also inspired by the Dumas novel and its design was the responsibility of John Hunter Morris and Elkan Co. LTD, the British distributor of the brand. It consists of a triangle with six crossed swords around a fleur-de-lis.

The prestige. Since its birth in 1935, Montecristo began to multiply its international prestige, becoming a reference for the strength and flavor of Habanos and, over the years, one of the most requested and sold Cuban cigars internationally. It has always been considered a powerful and strong brand, of great strength, with a great aroma and a spicy flavor that makes them unique.

There is a Cuban and a non-Cuban version. Like almost all Cuban manufacturers, Menéndez and García were forced to leave Cuba after Fidel Castro came to power. After a brief visit to the Canary Islands, in 1969 they installed the factory in the Dominican Republic and began to produce their cigars without being able to use their brands. But in 1975, after several years of litigation that took place in the United States against an importer of Cuban Habanos (Menéndez vs. Faber, Coe and Gregg), they obtained the right to commercialize the brands that they used to manufacture in Cuba.

The decision allowed Menéndez and García to sell their Montecristo cigars in the United States and also set a legal precedent for the rest of the Cuban expatriates whose brands had been confiscated by the Castro regime.

The vitolario. With a natural or mature brown layer, tending rather towards dark colors, almost the entire Montecristo vitolario is a tribute to the strong, robust, brave and uncompromising cigar. Although the historic Montecristo range was made up only of the vitolas numbered from 1 to 5, it was progressively completed to incorporate an offer that covers all the tastes of the most demanding smokers.

The great variety of sub-brands. Montecristo has at least 15 sub-brands manufactured in Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. Non-Cuban Montecristos consist of at least a dozen versions, ranging from the mild Montecristo White to the strong Montecristo AJ Fernandez Monte.

The current factory. After going through several processes of purchase and merger of different companies, the Montecristo sold in the United States are manufactured by Altadis USA, in its Tabacalera de García factory, located in La Romana, Dominican Republic. The Tabacalera de García, established in 1969, is considered the largest premium cigar factory in the world.

In our store you can buy some of the collections of this famous brand, which maintains its excellence and quality as always. We invite you to try any of the 7 products in the Montecristo White Cigars Series.