Montecristo Cigars

I found an interesting passage from this book written by Charles Del Todesco……………..Toward the end of the nineteenth century a rich Spaniard  living in New York brought over from Spain his nephew,, Benjamin Menendez Garcia, to set him up in business..Hired by Cullman, the head of Phillip Morris and General Cigar, Benjamin Menendez was sent to Cuba and, with his brother Felix, took over the direction of the Pierra Company, which he refounded as Menendez y Cia around 1913……. At the time, this thriving enterprise was not yet involved in cigar manufacturing strictly speaking, but the two brothers were successful in producing cigarettes and trading in cooking oil….In 1923, thanks to the arrival of Benjamin and Felix’s uncle, Alonso Menendez, a renouned master cigar maker, Pepe Garcia, the company tossed it’s hat into the cigar-smoke ring ( as it were ) and turned to cigar manufacturing, initially courting Cuban consumers…. Menendez y Cia next bought out a brand that enjoyed a solid reputation , Particulares, and in 1935 launched a new brand for sale abroad, the Montecristo.