On April 23, 2022, Corporación Habanos S.A., with the support of La Casa del Habano franchise network, joined the global celebration of International Book Day.

On this day, in the halls of Las Casas del Habano around the world, verses from the novels “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alejandro Dumas and “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare were heard, amid the noble aroma of Habanos.

The Habanos SA initiative also found a response in Russia. With the support of Top Cigars Corporation, a literary evening was held at Kuznechny’s La Casa del Habano boutique in St. Petersburg. Accompanied by the Habano Montecristo Edmundo (52 ring gauge x 135 mm long) and two types of wine from a French winery, whose owners are the ancestors of Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, or otherwise the Count d’Artagnan.
The Habanos Master and Habanosommelier, Dmitriy Drutsa, gave a conference on the birth of the unique profession of tobacco factory readers, associated with the emergence of the great Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta brands, before connoisseurs of the best cigars of the world.

The participants learned about the important role of the tobacco factory readers in the Cuban independence movement. They became familiar with the names of the current and most famous readers nowadays.

After reading some paragraphs from the book “The Count of Montecristo”, the speaker focused the attention of the participants on the name Montecristo Edmundo, in which not only the brand is found, but also the name of the vitola of this literary evening, intimately related to the novel by Alexandre Dumas.

The public welcomed the new format with interest and warmth, enjoying the Montecristo Edmundo cigar. It was pointed out that the tradition of this type of tobacco reading should be supported by holding activities of this format annually during the celebration of International Book Day.