Montecristi. The name alone conjures a refined air — quality, beauty, style, mystique.

The Montecristi Panama hat is, after all, an exceptional Panama hat.

Our Montecristi of Cuenca Panama hats are every bit the equal of a typical Montecristi. But ours are not made in Montecristi or Pele. Our Panama hats are made in Cuenca, Ecuador.

It is true that the region around Montecristi is known for the quality of its weavers and its exceptional Panama hat. It is also true that Montecristi holds no monopoly on quality weavers. In fact, the best weavers in Cuenca are every bit as good as the best weavers in Montecristi.

You should understand that very few Panama hats are actually made in Montecristi or the nearby community of Pele. These particular straw hats are rather rare.

The biggest difference between the two areas is that there are many more excellent weavers in Cuenca. And for a variety of reasons, they can weave many more hats than their Montecristi counterparts.

Now, here's why this matters to you. Most of the hats that you see advertised online as being from Montecristi are actually made in Cuenca. One day Ecuador will police this better. But for now, you should realize how few hats are actually exported from the Montecristi area. The obvious implication is that most of the Montecristi Panama hats sold online are, in fact, made somewhere else.

With that out of the way, we'd really like you to take a look at our Montecristi of Cuenca Panama hat. It is every bit the equal of a typical Montecristi Panama hat, and in many ways, better. And they absolutely blow away the online Montecristi Panama hats that don't actually come from Montecristi.

See for yourself.

When you buy our Montecristi of Cuenca Panama hat, and hold it in your hand, and place it on your head, you'll know.

So go ahead, order one today. We stand behind these magnificent straw hats, and in the unlikely event that you don’t love your purchase, we’ll refund or exchange it – guaranteed.