Altadis U.S.A. Adding Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua

To celebrate the 85th anniversary of the Montecristo brand, Altadis U.S.A. will once again turn to AJ Fernandez to make a new line for the storied brand.

The Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua will begin shipping to stores near the end of November. The cigars are Nicaraguan puros with a soft box press.

It will be offered in four sizes.

• Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua Demi (5 1/2 x 46) — $10.40 (Box of 20, $208)
• Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua Toro (6 x 54) — $15.95 (Box of 10, $159.50)
• Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua No. 2 (6 1/8 x 52) — $16.43 (Box of 10, $164.30)
• Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua Churchill (7 x 52) — $17.50 (Box of 10, $175)

While AJ Fernandez has made a variety of cigars for Altadis U.S.A., including a handful of Montecristo lines, these cigars are notable because they are coming from the company’s second factory, the San Lotano Factory in Ocotál, Nicaragua, best known as the factory where most of Erik Espinosa’s brands are currently made.

Altadis U.S.A. owns the trademark for Montecristo in the U.S. Habanos S.A. sells the brand in all other markets. While both companies produced specifically branded 80th anniversary cigars, Habanos S.A. has announced a new Montecristo for 2020, but not one that specifically references the 85th anniversary.

Update (Oct. 9, 2020) — Altadis issued a press release and images today, as well as corrected an error about the Demi vitola in its previous announcement. It had been announced as measuring 5 1/4 inches long, but is actually 5 1/2 inches long. It has been corrected above.