Montecristo Sale
The Montecristo Cigar brand was born in La Habana, Cuba in 1935. The story behind the name is very particular. It starts soon after Alonso Menéndez and José “Pepe” García had purchased the Particulares Cigar Factory, where each day a Lector (reader) would read to the Torcedores (cigar makers) as they crafted the cigars: the newspaper in the morning and a novel in the afternoon. The oft requested favorite novel of the Torcedores was Alexandre Dumas’ literary classic, The Count of Monte Cristo. The Torcedores loved the epic tale so much that a new line of cigars was created in its honor named Montecristo, the name of the small Tuscan island where the novels hero, Edmond Dantès, found his mentor’s buried treasure after escaping prison in a sack that was thrown into the sea by guards, subsequently buying the island and becoming the Count. The novel’s influence can still be seen in the logos, with the fleur de lis and crossed swords adorning each cigar label and box.
