Montecristo is one of the best brands of Cuban cigars according to popular cigar reviews. In Cuba, the brand is made by Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company. The Montecristo brand was created by Alonso Menendez in 1935 after he purchased the Particulares Factory. Altadis U.S.A. manufactures the brand in the U.S., Honduras, and the Dominican Republic, where it has been making Montecristos since 1918. Inspiration for the brand name came from the novel, The Count of Monte Cristo, authored by Alexandre Dumas. Reportedly, cigar rollers within the factory liked this novel read to them while they were working. British distributor John Hunter Morris and Elkan Co. Ltd, developed the famous brand logo, a triangle comprised of six swords that surround a fleur-de-lis. In 1937, production of Montecristos was moved to … Read entire article »