Montecristo is a cigar brand founded in Havana in 1935; the non-Cuban range sold in the US comes from Altadis U.S.A., and its 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua is made by A.J. Fernandez at his San Lotano factory in Ocotal, Nicaragua. The three cigars we list run from mild to medium-to-full body. Montecristo Classic is a mild Dominican cigar in a Connecticut Shade wrapper with typical notes of cocoa, cream and light spice. Montecristo White Series is medium-bodied, pairing an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper with a Nicaraguan binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers, and usually shows cream and cedar. Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua, made entirely from Nicaraguan tobacco, is a medium-to-full smoke with earthy cedar and spice. Start with the Classic for a mellow cigar, then try the White Series for more flavor or the 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua for more body.

Montecristo Cigars

Montecristo is one of the most iconic cigar brands in history, founded in 1935 in Havana, Cuba, by Alonso Menéndez and named after Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo—a favorite among the lectores who read aloud to torcedores in Cuban cigar factories. The non-Cuban Montecristo range is offered by Altadis U.S.A., with cigars produced in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. The extensive lineup includes the Montecristo Classic and White Series in silky Connecticut Shade wrappers with typically creamy notes; the Platinum Series in a San Andrés Cubano wrapper; the bold Monte by Montecristo with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper; the strong, all-Nicaraguan Espada made by Plasencia; and the commemorative 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua. The range spans mild to full-bodied blends; compare the individual cigar’s wrapper, blend and body description.