Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo & Dominican Olor
Filler: Dominican
Size: 5.5 x 48 “Conde”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $8.25 in boxes of 16

I’ve had this cigar marinating in my humidor for about 2 months. Only one. I picked it up at my local B & M. And I paid over $10 for it.

The Monte debuted at the 2013 IPCPR trade show. Another stretching of the legs of Altadis U.S.A to get a little hipper than their large stock of old school type cigars.

Altadis advertises this cigar as a much bolder cigar than most of the Montecristo blends. It comes in 3 sizes: 5.5 x 48, 6.12 x 54, and 6 x 60. MSRP’s are $8.50-$9.50.

The stick has the traditional Montecristo brown band. Beneath it is a secondary band that looks odd. Tradition vs. Old School version of hip. There is a Fleur-De-lis just like the traditional band but it looks more like a phallic rocket ship. The stark difference between bands looks cheap and last minute. Such a prestigious cigar and yet there seems to have been no coordination between the classic cigar band and the secondary one. It looks slap dashed together.

If you had small kids, back in the early 1990’s, you most probably bought a VHS tape of the “Little Mermaid.” Legend has it that a rogue Disney artist drew the spires in the background. One of them was a perfect rendering of a penis. It took years for Disney to finally change the cover. I’m sure we have one in a box somewhere in the basement.

Altadis claims the secret to their bombastic flavor is the use of two binders. This is nothing new but if Altadis trumpets this, it must be great.

Not having tried one yet, I am going to stick my neck out and say that the new Monte is different because it will be very flavorful much like the cigars being pumped out by the New Breed Tattooed Ones. In other words, trying to catch up.

The size of the veins look like Sly Stallone’s biceps when he played Rambo. Huge and rippling. Some of the veins make the cigar bands bulge. There is the smallest of small pig tail on the cap. The wrapper is a medium brown with an oily sheen. It feels very toothy.

I clip the cap and find aromas of the most succulent dark cocoa. Like rich chocolate cake or brownies. A nice complement of cinnamon. There is a very nice sweetness in tandem with some caramel. And a bit of tart apple. And some spice to top things off.
Time to light up.

The first puffs hit me right in the puss with a high dose of red pepper. The draw is impeccable. And then the flavors start pouring in…I taste cocoa, toast, leather, and cinnamon. And a slight dash of creaminess.

The smoke is so voluminous that the dining room is filled with it. The char line is close to dead nuts.

There is a pig-on-the-spit sort of campground taste. Very rich and puts me in the mood for BBQ. Not long after this piggy went to market taste, sweetness is added and is very close to caramel. Piling on top of that is espresso. And I’m only at the 1” marker.

So I was right on the money when I predicted that Montecristo wanted to get on the New Breed Blender Train. The cigar does not need much more than 2-3 weeks to blossom and when it does, it flowers into a flavor bomb. Due to its moniker, it has a downside. They get to charge from $8.50-$9.50 for a $6-$7 cigar. It’s all about the prestige.

I approach the end of the first third and the cigar keeps on chooglin’. Lovely, rich flavors. A nice rich character. And is still at medium bodied…where it started from the first puff. I’m sure the last third has a surprise waiting for me.

It is so refreshing to smoke a cigar with a near perfect burn line. As of late, I’ve had nothing but trouble with that issue. You should pick up the lighter once in the experience; not over and over.

The second third doesn’t make any abrupt changes. Although, the leather component has moved a bit forward in line.

A few moments into the second third, I get a lemon zest citrus flavor. It steers the cigar away from sweetness and closer to tart. The spiciness has been pushed to mid-level now.

At the halfway mark, the sweetness returns..along with cocoa, coffee, cinnamon, and the creaminess. This is very similar to the flavor profile of a Nicaraguan puro. And I have to admit that the construction of the cigar is close to flawless. The char line is near perfect. The double cap is staying put and not allowing any loose tobacco. And the draw is, again, flawless. This is what you are paying the extra couple bucks for. The quality and pride of the torecedores in rolling this cigar is clearly evident.

I begin the last third and flavors get much stronger. Nothing is left behind. In descending order, the flavors are: creaminess, caramel, cocoa, cinnamon, leather, coffee, citrus, sweetness, and spice.

The body makes a surge for full strength. And there are buckets of flavor now. It is a flavor bomb. I take it back. This cigar is worth the dough. Altadis hasn’t messed with Montecristo in a long, long time. And when they do, it turns out to be a winner. But that is a lot of pressure to add a blend to a line of cigars that is known worldwide for its excellence. Their foray into the New Breed Tattooed Ones territory is successful.

I checked around and it seems the stick is price controlled on the online sites. Maybe a buck difference here or there for a box, but basically the same.

The cigar goes out with a flourish and the Tower of Power horn section blaring “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.”

I highly recommend you at least try a couple of these, or a 5 pack..or even a box. Because there are only 16 to a box, the price of a box is only around $130.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar reviews, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, monte, monte by montecristo cigar review, montecristo