Montecristo
Cigars

One of the most famous cigar brands to ever exist, Montecristo Cigars are built on a dedication to top-quality craftsmanship, unrivalled blending prowess, and using only the finest tobaccos around the world. However, the Montecristo legacy is far more than just a brand with rich history, it was fundamental in shaping the landscape of the premium cigar industry as we know it today.

Montecristo Cigars was founded by the famous Alonzo Menendez and his business partner Jose “Pepin” Manuel Garcia after they purchased the legendary Particulares cigar factory in Havana, Cuba. Looking to create a new brand made at their newly purchased facility, Menendez and Garcia took inspiration from an unexpected source.

The workers at Particulares were especially fond of the 1845 novel The Count of Monte Cristo written by Alexandre Dumas. A story of hope, justice, and an ascent from rags to riches, Montecristo would serve as the perfect name for Menendez’s new brand.

Montecristo Cigars would go on to become an exceptionally popular brand throughout Cuba and the world with its flagship No. 2 size, allowing Menendez and Garcia to procure the H. Upmann factory just a few years after Montecristo’s founding. However, turmoil would strike it and the rest of the Cuban cigar industry in 1959 with the completion of Castro’s communist revolution.

Menendez fled Cuba in 1960 with his family, including his son Benjamin “Benji” Menendez. Benji, yearning to return to making cigars, began making the famous Montecruz brand during the 1960s. Montecruz caught on quick throughout the 1960s, spreading widely throughout the United States, but Menendez would not be satisfied until he could once again produce his beloved Montecristo brand.

In 1972, Menendez won a landmark case that allowed him to use his family’s Montecristo trademark in the United States. This momentous decision not only allowed Menendez to use the Montecristo mark, but it also allowed any Cuban expat to use the cigar brands that were stolen from them by the Cuban government.

Perhaps the most popular brand with aficionados of any palate preference is the Montecristo White Series. Since its release in 2007, this blend has had a constant presence in humidors across the country. Its blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan long fillers, Nicaraguan binder, and Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper deliver a rich medium-bodied medley of coffee, leather, baking spices, cocoa, and cream.

To enjoy the smoothness and luxury of Montecristo with a bolder, richer profile, Montecristo Platinum Series cigars will be right at home in your collection. You can expect a medium-full bodied bevy of spices, earth, chocolate, leather, cream, and a sweet finish with each puff.

For a modern expression of Montecristo with a Cuban twist, you are certain to enjoy the Montecristo Crafted by AJ Fernandez. Full-bodied notes of peppery spice, nuts, earth, and creamy tobacco sweetness will coat your palate in a symphony of flavor.

With well over a dozen top-shelf blends, we put together this Monecristo buying guide to help you pick the Montecristo cigar right for you. But whichever blend from Montecristo Cigars you pick, make sure to place your order right here with JR Cigar.