Montecristo marked its 90th year in Madrid on 25 October with the world premiere of Elba, Edición Limitada 2025, hosted by Tabacalera, Club Pasión Habanos, and Habanos S.A. at Las Ventas.

Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas is Madrid’s emblematic bullring, a red brick monument in the Neo Mudejar style with ceramic detail, arched galleries, and a broad circular arena. Opened in 1931, it has staged everything from concerts to tennis, although it is best known as the cathedral of Spanish bullfighting. The building’s ring is covered with carefully graded sand and encircled by tiered seating and arcades, which gave the night an impressive sense of scale.

The Cigar

Elba is a new Edición Limitada for 2025 in the vitola de galera Encantos. It measures 5 ¾ inch in length with a 54 ring gauge. The blend is positioned as medium to full in body and, uses extra aged Vuelta Abajo tobaccos selected for richness and balance. The name nods to the island in The Count of Monte Cristo, a neat literary tie back to the brand’s origin story. As with all Habanos Limited Editions, the tobaccos are aged a minimum of two years.

A quick note on Montecristo for context. The brand was established in Havana in 1935. The name was inspired by readings of Dumas for torcedores, and the triangular fleur motifs on the band became one of the most recognised marks in cigars. Classics like the No. 2 and No. 4 defined the house style, later joined by lines such as Edmundo, Open, and Línea 1935. That timeline makes 2025 a true milestone year at ninety years. This isn’t the first time Habanos has produced an anniversary edition for Montecristo. The previous one was the Montecristo 80 Aniversario cigar, however, the difference is that Elba is a limited edition cigar, whereas the 80 Aniversario was not. This effectively makes Elba the first Montecristo anniversary release that is also a limited edition cigar, giving it additional significance.

The Event

Guests arrived to drinks and canapés and received a Montecristo gift bag that included a leather two cigar case embossed with the Montecristo logo. Inside were two house staples, the Montecristo Petit No. 2 and Montecristo No. 4, a wonderful start that set the tone for the evening.

After the reception, hosts guided everyone onto the arena floor. Tables were laid across facing a main stage set beneath the galleries. Guests took their allocated seats and the service settled into a smooth rhythm of live music, cigars, cocktails, and a paced dinner.

One of the highlights of the show was a performance from Pitingo, the famous Spanish singer celebrated for fusing flamenco with soul in a style known as soulería. His performance lifted the room and had people on their feet, turning a formal launch into a lively party.

Premier Pack Cigars

Every attendee left with a two cigar box of Montecristo Elba. Each band bore the word Premier, making clear these were drawn from a small first allocation reserved to show the blend at its best. Habanos uses that mark rarely and only for top graded lots. The last time it appeared was on Trinidad Cabildos given at Habanos World Days in London in 2024. In practical terms, guests have potentially been given the very best versions of the 90th anniversary Montecristo cigars. In retail, the Premier release arrives exclusively in Spain as a numbered five cigar case limited to 10,000 units, each cigar bearing a Premier Limited Edition band, a special gold Montecristo band for the 90th, and a commemorative foot band.

Montecristo Elba Edición Limitada 2025 is not on sale yet. The first boxes are planned to reach Madrid on 1 November, with the price still to be confirmed. Until then, the only Montecristo Elba cigars in circulation are the Premier banded pairs handed out at Las Ventas. For aficionados, it will be interesting to see how these cigars hold up against the previous anniversary edition, the Montecristo 80 Aniversario that we’re announced a decade ago. Additionally, the Premier five cigar case will be priced at €120 per cigar or €600 per case at select Spanish tobacconists, with wider boxes of 20 scheduled to follow in Spain and internationally in the coming months.