Box of 10 Montecristo Espada cigars Guard size (a long Robusto) 6 inches x 50 gauge
Purchased from Fox Cigars in April 2023, special promotional price of US$110.80
Additional information on dual branding for brands originally made in Cuba:
Montecristo is newer than many traditional Cuban brands – the first Montecristo was rolled in Havana, Cuba in 1935. The brand became extremely popular over the next two decades, with the Cuban-made Montecristo No. 4 ranked in the top few cigar labels for worldwide sales.
In 1960, the Menendez family fled from Cuba after the Castro regime seized control of the company’s assets. (Many dual brands originated this way including H. Upmann, Romeo and Julieta, and Partagas) The family, who was penniless after arriving in the Dominican Republic, gathered investors and started making and selling cigars in the US market under the Montecristo name in 1962 after the start of the US Cuban cigar embargo. Their operation was soon acquired by General Cigar, now known as Altadis.
The Montecristo Espada was the first of a “new generation” of cigars. Rafael Nodal was assigned the task of leading a team to develop Montecristo cigars to match more modern tastes (Montecristo was primarily known for producing milder cigars). His Grupa de Maestro team developed the Espada, a medium-full cigar that has been very well accepted in the market.
