Montecristo Pilotico by Pepe Mendez

Montecristo is one of the most hallowed and recognized names in the world of premium cigars. The brand was created in Cuba in 1935, and the name for the brand was inspired by the Alexandre Dumas novel “The Count of Monte Cristo.” Legend has it this was a popular choice for the lectors in the factory to read to the torcedores on the factory floor. When the Cuban government nationalized the brand in 1960, the brand’s owners fled Cuba and eventually recreated the brand in the Dominican Republic for the American market. They skirted international trademark law by creating the brand for the US, as we still do not recognize Cuban trademarks here. This new Montecristo brand quickly established itself with US Consumers as a top tier cigar and continues to dominate the market today through a wealth of marks bearing the Montecristo name.

One of the brand’s caretakers is Siegfried Mendez, and his grandfather (Jose “Pepe” Mendez) brought his prized Pilotico seeds from Cuba and was the 1st to plant it in the El Cibao region of the Dominican Republic. When Siegfried Mendez was given the chance to blend a new Montecristo, he knew he wanted to utilize some of his grandfather’s prized Pilotico tobacco and create the Montecristo Pilotico Pepe Mendez Toro in his honor. Mendez began his task by growing, harvesting, fermenting, and aging his Pilotico tobaccos in the Navarette region of the Dominican Republic. He knew exactly what other components to use to bring out the exceptional flavor of the Pilotico. Beginning with Politico and some additional Nicaraguan tobaccos for the filler, Mendez added a Pilotico binder leaf to the blend. He painstakingly selected a medium-brown colored Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper to cap off the blend. The result is a stunningly smooth medium body cigar that features flavors of nuts, oaky woods, and leather with hints of a raisin sweetness in the profile. With its slow burn and wonderful flavors, there’s no doubt that this cigar is worthy of the Montecristo name.