Montecristo

Benjamín Menéndez García, the company's founder, deserves a great deal of credit for his entrepreneurial spirit. After studying at an American university, Benjamín was recruited by General Cigar. In Havana, where he joined his brother Félix, he joined the Parra company, taking control in 1913 and renaming it Menéndez y Cía.

It was in 1923, thanks to Uncle Alonso who joined them, bringing a cigar-maker, "Pepe" García, in his trunks, that the company was born. Montecristo's adventure can begin.

Determined to conquer export markets, the Menéndez y García partners acquired the Particulares cigar factory in 1935, and that same year decided to found a brand whose credo would be luxurious sobriety in presentation and impeccable manufacturing. This was to be Montecristo. There are several versions as to the origin of the name, but it is certain that the English and the Hunters company worked hard to convince the Cubans of the excellence of such a patronymic. In 1937, Alonso Menéndez acquired the H. Upmann and transferred all Montecristo production there.

The success of this label was dazzling. In 1955, the Bishop of Havana even came to bless the factory headquarters! The Alfred Dunhill company, which distributes Montecristo in the United States and Great Britain, created its own range in the 1940s under the name Montecristo Dunhill Seleccion Suprema. This line lasted until 1982. In 1969, the Joyitas and Especial were added to the five modules Nos. 1 to 5 that had existed since 1935. Three years later, in 1971, the legendary Montecristo A was born. Montecristo, one of the major brands in the Cuban catalog, is particularly popular in Havana.

The Montecristo brand comprises 13 modules, not counting limited series (such as the Montecristo C or D).

Classic or historic range:

• No. 1 (Lonsdale, Ø 1.7 cm, L 16.5 cm)
• No. 2 (Torpedos, Ø 2.1 cm, L 15.6 cm)
• No. 3 (Corona, Ø 1.7 cm, L 14.2 cm)
• No. 4 (Small Corona, Ø 1.7 cm, L 12.9 cm)
• No. 5 (Media Corona, Ø 1.6 cm, L 10.2 cm)

Newer modules :

• Especial, known as Especial No. 1, (Laguito, Ø 1.5 cm, L 19.2 cm)
• Especial No. 2 (Laguito, Ø 1.5 cm, L 15.2 cm)
• Cabinet 1, montecristo A (Gran Corona, Ø 1.9 cm, L 23.5 cm)
• Joyitas (Ø 1.0 cm, L 11.5 cm)
• Edmundo (Ø 2.1 cm, L 13.5 cm)
• Small Edmundo (Ø 2.1 cm, L 11.0 cm)
• Tubos, sold in metal tube (Corona grande, Ø 1.7 cm, L 13.5 cm)
• Petit Tubos, sold in metal tube (Mareva, Ø 1.7 cm, L 12.9 cm)