Brand guide
Montecristo cigars
Montecristo is a cigar brand founded in Havana in 1935 that now exists twice: a Cuban line sold by Habanos S.A. and a separate US-market line made in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.
Montecristo started in a Havana factory in 1935
Alonso Menéndez created Montecristo in July 1935, right after he bought the Particulares factory in Havana.
The name is from Alexandre Dumas's novel The Count of Monte Cristo. The US brand site adds that the book was often read aloud to rollers on the factory floor. In July 1936, Menéndez and a partner named García formed Menéndez, García y Cía. The logo, six swords around a fleur-de-lis, dates to 1936; Wikipedia credits its design to John Hunter Morris and Elkan Co., the brand's British distributor.
In 1937 the firm bought the H. Upmann factory and moved Montecristo production there.
Two Montecristos, two owners
Montecristo split in two after the Cuban Revolution: the Cuban state kept the original, and the exiled founders rebuilt a separate brand outside Cuba.
Menéndez and García left Cuba. In 1960 the brand, the factory and its assets were nationalized. The Cuban Montecristo has been made in Cuba ever since and is sold worldwide by Habanos S.A., based in Havana. Wikipedia says it accounts for roughly a quarter of Habanos' worldwide cigar sales.
The non-Cuban Montecristo is a different company's product. The US brand site says Menéndez and García re-established production in the Dominican Republic in the 1960s. Wikipedia dates Altadis production in La Romana, Dominican Republic, to the mid-1970s, for the US market. Either way, the US line today is sold by Altadis U.S.A.
Ownership moved again in 2020. Imperial Brands sold its premium cigar business that October. Cigar Aficionado reported that Gemstone Investment Holding bought the US division, including Altadis U.S.A., and Allied Cigar Corporation bought the rest, including Imperial's 50 percent of Habanos S.A. Both buyers share the same investor consortium, the magazine said.
Where are US-market Montecristos made?
Each non-Cuban line names its country of origin, and the answer is either the Dominican Republic or Nicaragua.
The White Series and Classic Series list the Dominican Republic as their origin. The 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua is a collaboration with AJ Fernandez and Rafael Nodal. Altadis U.S.A. says the 1935 Anniversary Edición Diamante is handmade in Nicaragua by Tabacalera AJ Fernandez, and the Espada Oscuro is an all-Nicaraguan blend made with the Plasencia family.
None of the brand pages opened for this guide name a Dominican factory. Cigar Aficionado's 2020 report describes Tabacalera de Garcia in La Romana as the largest cigar factory in the Dominican Republic, part of the assets Imperial sold.
Montecristo wrappers, as Altadis lists them
The US-market Montecristo lines use Connecticut Shade wrappers grown in Ecuador or listed simply as Connecticut, plus Nicaraguan leaf in the newer lines.
White Series: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade, a Nicaraguan binder, Dominican and Nicaraguan filler. Classic Series: select Connecticut Shade over Dominican binder and filler. Platinum Series flips to a Nicaraguan wrapper over a Dominican binder, with Dominican, Nicaraguan and Peruvian filler. The 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua is Nicaraguan all the way through.
US-market Montecristo lines at a glance
| Line | Wrapper (as stated) | Stated strength or body | Notable sizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Series | Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade | Not published | Rothchilde 5 x 52, No. 2 6 1/8 x 52, Churchill 7 x 54, Magnum 6 x 60 |
| Classic Series | Select Connecticut Shade | Not published | Robusto 5 x 52, No. 2 6 1/8 x 52, Churchill 7 x 54 |
| Platinum Series | Nicaraguan | Medium body | Not listed on the product page |
| 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua | Nicaraguan | Not published | Demi 5 1/2 x 46, No. 2 6 1/8 x 52, Churchill 7 x 52 (soft-pressed) |
The brand site writes ring gauge first, as in "52 x 6 1/8." The table puts length first to match the rest of this site.
The Cuban Montecristo line
The Cuban Montecristo range centers on numbered sizes, with No. 2 and No. 4 the names most people know.
Wikipedia lists sizes added in the 1970s and 1980s: A, Especial No. 1 and No. 2, Joyita and Petit Tubo. Edmundo arrived in 2004. The lighter Open line launched at the 2009 Festival del Habano. The first Gran Reserva, a No. 2, came in 2011. Machine-made cigarillos (Mini, Club, Purito) carry the name too.
Montecristo milestones on both sides
Montecristo's dates split at 1960, with the Cuban and non-Cuban brands running on separate tracks after that.
- 1935: Alonso Menéndez creates the brand in Havana.
- 1936: Menéndez, García y Cía founded; the six-swords logo introduced.
- 1937: Production moves to the H. Upmann factory.
- 1960: The Cuban brand is nationalized.
- Mid-1970s: Altadis production in La Romana starts, per Wikipedia.
- 2004: Edmundo added to the Cuban line.
- 2007: White Series debuts in the US.
- 2009: Cuban Open line launched.
- 2020: Imperial Brands sells Altadis U.S.A. and its Habanos stake; 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua released.
What to know before you buy a Montecristo
The same size name can sit on two different cigars: a Cuban Montecristo No. 2 and a Dominican White Series No. 2 are made by different companies from different tobacco.
Read the band and the box for the country. The US lines listed here run from 5 1/2 x 44 to 6 x 60, and the 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua is soft-pressed; the White and Classic pages don't mark any size as pressed. Altadis U.S.A. doesn't list suggested retail prices on these pages, so no price tier is given. This guide reports ownership only and gives no view on import rules for Cuban cigars.
Montecristo questions, Cuban and not
Are Montecristo cigars Cuban?
Some are. Cuban Montecristos are made in Cuba and sold by Habanos S.A., while the Montecristos made for the US market come from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua under Altadis U.S.A.
Who owns Montecristo?
Two companies use the name. Habanos S.A. handles the Cuban brand, and Altadis U.S.A. sells the non-Cuban brand in the US; Imperial Brands sold Altadis U.S.A. to Gemstone Investment Holding in 2020.
Where is the Montecristo White Series made?
In the Dominican Republic. Montecristo lists the White Series with an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler.
Why is it called Montecristo?
The name comes from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. The US brand site says the novel was often read aloud to cigar rollers.
Where the Montecristo facts come from
- Montecristo (cigar), Wikipedia
- Montecristo White Series, Montecristo (Altadis U.S.A.)
- Montecristo brand page, Altadis U.S.A.
- $1.3 billion deal for Imperial's premium cigar business, Cigar Aficionado
- Imperial completes $1.44 billion sale of premium cigar business, Cigar Aficionado