Monte No 2 - Any recent purchase

[Guest robusto101]

I'm in the process of building up my stock as I've fallen head over heels for cigars and my only box is a Monte PE. I think my next purchase will be two boxes, possibly three.

I'm not a "fan" of any particular brand; haven't had too many cubans. But I've had a Monte 2 before and I although my memory is a bit fuzzy, I do recall that I enjoyed it. Just curious if anyone has purchased a box recently and how they are smoking. I do realize they are the most or one of the most popular and suffer from a great deal of inconsistency. But I figure I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn't at least have a box of these in my humidor.

Any comments? Appreciate it, folks!

[headstand]

I'm a fan of the Monte 2. Can be inconsistent but I am averaging 75% the great side, with the remaining 25% being fair. Now some would complain about those odds; I'm OK with that given it is a hand made product that delivers greatness when it is on. I'm on vacation and which now that I had brought more with me

[maverickdrinker]

Good cigars when they are on. Great cigars when they have some age on them. Construction has been quite good lately on them.

[Len]

All recent UPMANN pick ups i've made from 2009-2010 box dates have been special. So stay away!

[Guest robusto101]

Hmm..definitely will be purchasing some Upmann's at some point

I guess you'll really never know until you just buy them. It seems that nearly everyone raves about them when they are "on". I'll just have to take the plunge and be patient with them.

Maybe I'll start with a box of 10. Decisions, decisions, decisions...

[Lotusguy]

Love them and I am never out... Had good luck with them.

10er is a good idea.

[winelover]

Any views on the 2011's? Strength/construction/ageing potential?

I remember that the 09s were lauded as a very good year for the no.2's. How does the current crop compare?

[maverickdrinker]

Love them and I am never out... Had good luck with them.

10er is a good idea.

+1 if you are just trying them out.

[Colt45]

I can't comment on recent production and agree a 10 count box might be a good compromise. But I might also suggest putting together a sampler

of a number of different singles you might be interested in. Perhaps five M2, five Upmann2, etc. I would add that quality is more important than

packaging - that is, I'd prefer ten great singles from a twenty five count box versus a less than stellar box of ten.

Drop Lisa an email and find out what's good as of late - keep an open mind to cigar that may not have been on your list - you might find a new

fave or two.

Have fun

[Guest robusto101]

I can't comment on recent production and agree a 10 count box might be a good compromise. But I might also suggest putting together a sampler

of a number of different singles you might be interested in. Perhaps five M2, five Upmann2, etc. I would add that quality is more important than

packaging - that is, I'd prefer ten great singles from a twenty five count box versus a less than stellar box of ten.

Drop Lisa an email and find out what's good as of late - keep an open mind to cigar that may not have been on your list - you might find a new

fave or two.

Have fun

Hey Colt, thanks for the suggestion. My bro in law was smoking an Upmann No 2 and I remember thinking how nice that cigar smelled. Don't remember his impression of it; I'll have to ask him. But it's definitely a cigar I wanna try.

[kmagurk]

I have always had good luck with all Upmann's

[Dbone]

I purchased this box a bit ago and they are performing way above average for me. Out of most of the top row maybe 1 or 2 "okay", the rest are excellent. These are to good to set aside and age. Best thing for me was to keep another box in the online locker. Lots of coffee, just a hint of leather and black pepper. I also prefer the lighter shade wrappers if available.

http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=107387&view=findpost&p=249172

[Guest robusto101]

I purchased this box a bit ago and they are performing way above average for me. Out of most of the top row maybe 1 or 2 "okay", the rest are excellent. These are to good to set aside and age. Best thing for me was to keep another box in the online locker. Lots of coffee, just a hint of leather and black pepper. I also prefer the lighter shade wrappers if available.

http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=107387&view=findpost&p=249172

Thanks, Dbone. Those Monte's you got look delicious.

I'm pretty much sold at this point. Will be pulling the trigger somewhat soon. Thanks for the feedback all!

[rfenst]

Definitely ask Lisa. You will get a truly straight answer!

A year or so back, when I was looking for some Partagas Shorts, Lisa plainly told me not to buy them because their stock wasn't up to par at the time. Can't beat that!!!

With CZ's business model aimed at high-quality customer service, which creates return and repeat customers, you can't go wrong. That is why you see so many posts here from people who won't buy their cigars elsewhere (even when they could save some money by doing so).

I know what I write here sounds strange in this day and age, but I truly believe it to be accurate. Good luck!

[jedipastor]

All recent UPMANN pick ups i've made from 2009-2010 box dates have been special. So stay away!

I agree, though to me the '08 Mag 46 tops them all. So good now, and I'm thinking they'll age into something spectacular, though it's gonna be a challenge to let them, lol.

As far as Montes, the aged ones I've had have been great. The rest ... not so much. Maybe I'm unlucky, maybe I just don't care for the Monte profile w/out age, I'm not sure. But I haven't tried Czar's stuff. I'm considering opening a "locker" and starting it off with some #2s and #4s, and maybe BPCs because, well, they're awesome