The Montecristo belong to the alto category, i.e. considered one of the five best habanos brands according to Habanos, the state-owned company that controls the distribution, quality and export of Cuban cigars. Montecristos are manufactured in La Romana (Dominican Republic) and distributed by Altadis SA, a division of Imperial Tobacco. The Montecristo brand was created in Havana in 1935 by Alonso Ménendez, a Spanish businessman established in Cuba since 1930, following his acquisition of the Particulares cigar factory, which produced the Particulares and Byron brands. In 1937, the Ménendez family bought the H. Upmann factory, which took over the production of Montecristo cigars. The commercial choice was to develop a range, then limited to five modules, numbered 1 to 5, of high quality. The range quickly found a large export audience, notably in the United States and the United Kingdom, where it was distributed by Dunhill. During the Second World War, the brand's biggest market was in the United States, until the blockade imposed after Fidel Castro came to power in Havana. In 1969, the brand expanded its range with several new modules (Especiales No. 1 and No. 2 and Joyitas), which were offered in addition to the classic cigars. The range was further extended in 1971 (modules A and B), and again in the early 2000s (Edmundo and Petit Edmundo). The Montecristo No. 4 is considered the benchmark Cuban cigar, the world's best-selling, within a brand that accounts for a fifth of the global market. The cigar's name derives from the practice of public reading, which took place in Cuban cigar factories in the 19th century to entertain the cigar-making workers. According to writer Alberto Manguel, Cuban cigar makers who immigrated to Key West, Florida, named the cigar after the famous novel by French writer Alexandre Dumas : "The texts chosen for these readings, with the prior agreement of the workers (...), included political tracts and stories, as well as novels and collections of modern and classical poetry. There were favorites: Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo, for example, became so popular that a group of workers wrote to the author shortly before his death in 1870, asking for permission to name one of their cigars after his hero. Dumas agreed. The Montecristo brand includes 13 modules, not counting limited series (such as Montecristo C or D). Classic or historic range: Newer modules :Les Cigares Monstecristo Linea Edmundo
Description
Brand history
The range
Travel humidor containing 10 cigars.
