Montecristo

Year of foundation: 1935
Tobacco Country: Cuba
Tobacco Procedence: Vuelta Abajo (Pinar del Rio)
Factory: H. Upmann

Inspired by the famous novel The Count of Montecristo written by Alexandre Dumas, reportedly very popular among the torcedores in Cuba, who would listen the lector reading the tribulation of Edmond Dantes aka The Count of Montecristo, while rolling the cigars in the factory. Therefore, the brand uses many references from the book, such as the six swords surrounding a fleur-de-lis, or the name of some popular vitolas such as the Edmundos series.
Montecristo was established in 1935 by Alonso Menéndez and with the help from British marketing expert Albert Dunhill, it quickly became one of the most sold brand in the world, still accounting for up to 25% of total Habanos SA’s worldwide cigar sales: simply the best-selling Cuban brand. There is also a Dominican Montecristo cigar brand that was started after the Cuban revolution. However, the original brand is Cuban Montecristo that is mentioned here.
The best selling cigars are the Montecristo No.2, the Montecristo No.4 and the Montecristo Edmundo series. The strength is relatively medium across the board, and Montecristo’s rolling quality is simply the benchmark for any Cuban cigar.