It was a magical evening for Montecristo fans in Madrid this weekend. Hundreds filed into the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas—a bullfighting arena and concert venue—eager to try the new Montecristo Elba Edición Limitada 2025. The Cuban cigar celebrates 90 years of the Montecristo brand, and the gala was orchestrated by Spanish Habanos distributor Tabacalera S.L.U. and local enthusiast group Club Pasión Habanos.
The Montecristo Elba was first announced at the Habanos Festival earlier this year, and the cigar is named for the famed isle of Elba referenced in the classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas. It measures 5 3/4 inches by 54 ring gauge, a format called Encantos in Cuban cigar factories. The bands are heavily gilded, similar to those found on the Montecristo Línea 1935 series. A foot band denotes the brand’s 90th anniversary.
On Saturday night, more than 400 guests were among the first in the world to try the new Elba. Like other premiere parties, the Elbas were presented in “premier packs” and each cigar was fitted with a special “Premier” band, indicating that these particular cigars are part of the debut rollout in Spain (Habanos uses the spelling “premier,” which is defined as first in rank, rather than “premiere,” which means the first release of a product.) Every box contained two cigars. Habanos has held premiere parties like this in the past, most notably for the Trinidad Cabildos and Cohiba 55 Aniversario.
Spain will be the first country to sell the Montecristo Elba Edición Limitada 2025 cigars. They will be offered in five-count boxes and released next month with a suggested retail price of 600 euros per box (about $700) or 120 euros per cigar, which works out to around $140. Only 10,000 of these five-packs are being circulated. After the five-count boxes have been on the market for a while, the Elbas will be sold in standard 20-count boxes. There is no specific word as to when each region around the world will receive their respective allotments.
For a rating of the Montecristo Elba Edición Limitada 2025, see a future issue of Cigar Insider.