10 Fun Facts About Montecristo Cigars

ByDaniel Martin
Montecristo Cigars (1)-2bf633ba

Montecristo is the most famous and bestselling brand of cigars in the world. How much do you really know about this business, though? Here are ten fun facts about Montecristo cigars to bolster your knowledge and impress your fellow cigar smokers at your next gathering.

  1. Montecristo Cigars was forged as a brand in 1935 when Alonzo Menendez and Pepe Garcia acquired Havana’s Particulares Factory. These two cigar enthusiasts wanted to create a unique and successful smoke unlike anything on the market, and the Montecristo recipe was born.
  2. People read the novel The Count of Monte Cristo to cigarette rollers at the factory while they worked, which is why this brand has such a distinctive name. Be careful of a cigar labelled Monto Cristo (two words), though – this is a sure sign of a forgery.
  3. Montecristo cigars have a distinctive logo, comprising six swords surrounding a fleur-de-lis. This logo was designed by the British distributor of Monto Cristo cigars, John Hunter Morris and Elkan Co. Ltd. This company still imports Montecristo cigars to the UK. However, it has since been renamed Hunters & Frankau Ltd.
  4. The Montecristo No.4 is the world’s bestselling cigar. This petit corona has a ring gauge of 42 and a length of 5 1/8 inches. Cigar enthusiasts love this celebrated smoke’s flavour, aroma and reasonable price.
  5. Formed in 1843, H. Upmann was firmly established as a direct rival to Montecristo. Perhaps that is why Alonzo Menendez and Pepe Garcia purchased the H. Upmann factory just a year into their ownership of Montecristo cigars, using the machinery to create both cigar brands (and double the profits of their business empire.)
  6. Like many private business owners, Alonzo Menendez and Pepe Garcia lost control of Montecristo Cigars during the Cuban revolution. The factory was nationalised, and its two founders fled the country in 1960, having lost their wealth and assets. In 1970, the son of Menendez began production of Montecruz cigars in the Canary Islands using the same ingredients as Montecristo cigars.
  7. This led to a court case in 1972, Menendez v. Faber, Coe and Gregg. Menendez represented the right for manufacturers like Montecristo cigars to make smokes overseas and market them as Cuban cigars. As importers of Cuban cigars, Faber, Coe and Gregg opposed this. The judge ruled in favour of Menendez.
  8. While Montecristo cigars can now be produced outside Cuba, they remain popular and common in the brand’s home nation. Cuba alone produces fifteen different types of Montecristo cigars, made with collectors and casual smokers alike in mind.
  9. Montecristo Cigars is the only Cuban brand that still produces a giant, A-sized smoke. The Montecristo A measures 9 1/4 inches in length and has a 47 ring gauge. It can take over two hours to finish this cigar. 
  10. If you ever hear of a Montecristo B, measuring 5 3/8 inches with a ring gauge of 42, snap it up if it’s genuine. This long-discontinued Montecristo cigar is a real collector’s item and will raise thousands at auction.