Montecristo Linea Edmundo

Montecristo belongs to the alto category, considered one of the top five habanos brands by Habanos, the state-owned company that controls the distribution, quality and export of Cuban cigars.

Montecristos are manufactured in La Romana (Dominican Republic) and distributed by Altadis SA, a division of Imperial Tobacco.

The Montecristo brand was created in Havana in 1935 by Alonso Ménendez, a Spanish businessman established in Cuba since 1930, following his acquisition of the Particulares cigar factory, which produced the Particulares and Byron brands.

En 1937, la famille Ménendez rachète la fabrique H. Upmann qui se chargera de la production des cigares Montecristo. Le choix commercial consiste à développer une gamme, alors limitée à cinq modules, numérotés de 1 à 5, de grande qualité. Celle-ci trouve d'ailleurs très vite un public assez large à l'exportation, notamment aux États-Unis et au Royaume-Uni, où elle est distribuée par Dunhill.

During the Second World War, the brand's biggest market was in the United States, until the blockade imposed after Fidel Castro came to power in Havana.

In 1969, the brand expanded its range with several new modules (Especiales No. 1 and No. 2 and Joyitas), which were offered in addition to the classic cigars. The range was further extended in 1971 (modules A and B), and again in the early 2000s (Edmundo and Petit Edmundo).

Montecristo No. 4 is considered the world's best-selling Cuban cigar, with a brand that accounts for a fifth of the global market.

The cigar's name derives from the practice of public reading, which took place in Cuban cigar factories in the 19th century to entertain the cigar-making workers. According to writer Alberto Manguel, Cuban cigar makers who immigrated to Key West, Florida, named the cigar after the famous novel by French writer Alexandre Dumas :

« Les textes qui faisaient l’objet de ces lectures, choisis en fonction de l’accord préalable des ouvriers (…) comprenaient des tracts et des récits politiques aussi bien que des romans et des recueils de poésie moderne et classique. Il y avait des favoris : Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, d’Alexandre Dumas, par exemple, devint si populaire qu’un groupe d’ouvriers écrivit à l’auteur peu avant sa mort en 1870 pour lui demander l’autorisation de donner le nom de son héros à l’un de leurs cigares. Dumas y consentit. »

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, aka 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)