http://www.cubanbest.com/cubancigarnewsletter6.htm#monte_label
Habanos S.A. has confirmed that, starting in June 2003, new bands were introduced for the entire Montecristo line.
Although the new bands are already in wide circulation on the hugely popular No. 4, they won't be showing up for some time on most of the other sizes until retailers' existing stocks dwindle and are gradually replaced with new product.
Upon receiving boxes of No. 2's sporting the new bands, and having had no prior knowledge of proposed changes, startled customers (naturally thinking they had received counterfeits) created quite a stir. Not surprisingly, formal notice from Cuba regarding this change still has yet to materialize.
The changes in these bands are part of a major facelift of the entire Montecristo line. In addition to the new bands, several new packaging formats have been added, and there will be a new cigar size introduced into the regular Montecristo line sometime next year.
Both the new bands and the logo have had a facelift - the paper is now a shiny gloss similar to the bands of most of the other major labels, instead of the older plain matte finish. And, a "hook" has been added to the edge of the fleur-de-lis symbol.
Habanos S.A. has confirmed that, starting in June 2003, new bands were introduced for the entire Montecristo line.
Although the new bands are already in wide circulation on the hugely popular No. 4, they won't be showing up for some time on most of the other sizes until retailers' existing stocks dwindle and are gradually replaced with new product.
Upon receiving boxes of No. 2's sporting the new bands, and having had no prior knowledge of proposed changes, startled customers (naturally thinking they had received counterfeits) created quite a stir. Not surprisingly, formal notice from Cuba regarding this change still has yet to materialize.
The changes in these bands are part of a major facelift of the entire Montecristo line. In addition to the new bands, several new packaging formats have been added, and there will be a new cigar size introduced into the regular Montecristo line sometime next year.
Both the new bands and the logo have had a facelift - the paper is now a shiny gloss similar to the bands of most of the other major labels, instead of the older plain matte finish. And, a "hook" has been added to the edge of the fleur-de-lis symbol.