The Montecristo name comes from a novel. In the cigar factories of 1930s Havana, a lector would read aloud to the rollers as they worked, and Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo was a favorite. When Alonso MenĂ©ndez created the brand in 1935, he borrowed its title. Its logo, six swords around a fleur-de-lis, has barely changed since.
After the MenĂ©ndez family left Cuba, the Montecristo sold in the United States settled in the Dominican Republic, where Altadis makes it at the Tabacalera de GarcĂa. The Classic wears a golden Connecticut-shade wrapper, the White Series is creamy and mild, and the No. 2 keeps the famous torpedo silhouette alive. For many smokers, Montecristo cigars are the first brand that comes to mind, and a fair yardstick for premium quality.