The cigar:
This is a classic. Other than Cohiba, Montecristo is the most widely recognized cuban cigar brand in the world. The Montecristo #2 is an icon.
- 6.1″ x 52
- Wrapper, Binder, and Filler: Cuban
- Price: ~$15-$20
- Box Code: EPM DIC18 (December 2018)
First Impressions:
This is an expertly rolled cigar with a medium brown, dull and dry wrapper with moderate tooth. I am particularly impressed with the thousands of whirls of tobacco at the foot. It appears to be beautifully rolled and dense.
Cold draw is firm but acceptable with strong chocolate and nutmeg.
Foot smells of barnyard, chocolate and leather.
First third:
First few puffs taste of acrid charred steak.
The acrid flavor dissipates quickly into a smooth spiced latte.
Coffee, cream, and nutmeg are clearly identifiable in the flavor profile.
The aroma is very mild with subtle hints of cedar and oak.
In the interest of full disclosure, I start a cup of coffee at this point which can certainly alter the flavor profile. I usually pair my cigars on this blog with water for the interest of purity but it’s morning time and I haven’t had my coffee yet.
Burn line is very uneven. I may need to touch it up.
Draw continues to be slightly firm and smoke production is mediocre.
The coffee and cream flavors continue but are slightly more acidic than before.
The burn line straightened out, more or less, requiring no touch-ups.
I have to keep puffing on this, more than I’d like, just to keep it lit. It feels like it’s too wet. I store my cigars at about 65% relative humidity but find that my cuban cigars tend to smoke the best at a humidity much lower than this. I tend to dry box the cuban cigars for a few days before I smoke them. This one came straight out of the humidor.
Middle third:
Entering the middle third and the flavors have not progressed. They are mild and subtle flavors of coffee, cream, and nutmeg with a bit of acidity that is not altogether unpleasant but also not ideal.
The aroma continues to be very woodsy with cedar and oak.
The flavors have evolved slightly to have a more intense nutmeg and a hint of white pepper.
Towards the end of the middle third, the flavors have finally intensified and become more interesting. The nutmeg is still prominent but the creaminess has dissipated and have been replaced by a dark espresso, slight saltiness, and a bit of mushroom.
The burn line became extremely lopsided and required one small touch-up.
The aroma is still very woodsy but with some of a savory grilled mushroom scent.
Final third:
Nutmeg, white pepper, and savory mushroom are the dominant flavors.
Cedar, oak, and grilled mushroom aromas.
The smoke production has really picked up and become quite voluminous.
A slight menthol-y tip of the tongue tingle and a slight capsaicin back of the throat tingle has shown up.
This is really getting interesting and I’m quite enjoying this finally.
The retrohale is intense but brings a strong anise flavor that compliments the flavors well.
A very bitter, vinegary flavor is developing towards the end.
The cigar now tastes of severely burnt and charred meat. I put it down.
Ratings:
Strength: Mild
Construction: 7
Taste: 6
Aroma: 9
Value: 2
Impressions:
Overall Score: 6 Above Average
While a 6 may seem like a low score, please reference my rating system here. This is an above average cigar. It was plagued by poor smoke production early on and consistently uneven burn lines. The flavors were somewhat dull and boring in the beginning too. It redeemed itself in the second half but the early performance hindered the overall score. I have to admit that some of the poor performance may have been my own fault for not dry-boxing prior to smoking as I usually do with my cuban cigars. Also, keep in mind that cuban cigars are notoriously inconsistent so the next one may be a perfect 10. I’ve smoked a lot of these and have experienced a lot of 8’s and 9’s but have also thrown out some 1’s. Luckily, the good experiences outweigh the bad so it’s a cigar that I keep on hand regularly.
Oklahoma Cigars 