Montecristo Especial No. 2

[Cigar Surgeon]

Review Originally Posted Here:

This Montecristo Especial No. 2 had been sitting in my humidor for a whopping 494 days before I picked it out to review. Sadly I’m unsure of the origins of it, it probably came from a box pass that I did back in 2012. This cigar came from a very generous Redditor who I had the pleasure of meeting in November 2012. LostAbbott hit me up with a very generous bomb package when I was visiting Seattle for a football game. My review on this Montecristo is long overdue.

Nose:

I’m getting barnyard and cedar mixed together with that sweet Cuban tobacco scent in the background.

Construction:

The Montecristo Especial No. 2 is a bit of a unique vitola for Cuban cigars. Sporting a pig tail cap, it measures 6” x 38 and is a corona especial vitola. I didn’t capture the release year but based on the band (standard band C) this particular cigar was released between 2006 and 2012. The Especial No. 2 line itself has a long production history dating back to 1969. At one point they were available in boxes of 10, but since 2000 they’ve only been available in boxes of 25.

Flavor:

First Third

The first few draws and I get that unmistakable sweet Cuban tobacco flavor at a medium intensity level. There’s a nutty after taste that I’ve come to expect from most Montecristo cigars that I’ve smoked. The nut flavors are not intense but they have a thick mouth-feel almost like melted chocolate. There’s a small amount of pepper on the retro-hale that develops at around the 15 minute mark.

The first third is tasty but hasn’t really developed any complexity yet.

Middle Third

The tobacco sweetness from the first third drops to a low intensity level and there is some earth notes at the same strength. The nutty aftertaste is still there but it no longer leaves you with a big after taste.

The cigar has ramped up in complexity as the second third winds down.

Last Third

The primary nut flavor moves up to a medium intensity with all the other flavors staying the same.

Burn/Draw:

The draw on the Especial No. 2 was right where you’d want it to be. I used a v-cutter as opposed to a punch. The ash held very well throughout the smoking experience. Unfortunately smoking Cuban cigars in cold weather can be hit or miss and here it was miss. Approximately every 3/4” the cigar would go out requirement me to relight.

Value:

Singles of the Montecristo Especial No. 2 are going to range significantly depending on your vendor. Typical pricing for a single should be at the $14 mark. You can also pick these up in a 25 count box for around $254. Is that good value? That depends entirely on what you’re looking for in a cigar. I tend to prefer more complex cigars and there are a lot of Cuban offerings around that price point I would consider superior.

Final Word:

The Montecristo Especial No. 2 is an enjoyable cigar from start to finish. The flavors aren’t overpowering and the strength is in the mild to medium range. Although there isn’t a lot of complexity that develops, I would absolutely buy and smoke more of these. If you tend towards the mild to medium range of the spectrum then you can’t go wrong picking up a 25 count box of these and letting them age.

[Blakes]

Nice review.

Love the Laguito no.2 size, I actually prefer it over its larger brother the laguito no.1, which was not always the case. More down to time constraints than anything else. Shame there isn't more of them.

[Hohenthal]

Nice review -

funny, I just had onee of these yesterday evening,

hugely enjoyable!

Cheers, Alex

[Cigar Surgeon]

Nice review -

funny, I just had onee of these yesterday evening,

hugely enjoyable!

Cheers, Alex

NIce! Do you recall what year you smoked?

[Hohenthal]

SOE DIC 11

[beamer]

I love the size and look of this cigar and have come close to purchasing a box in the past.

How does it compare to the No. 2 or the No. 4?

[Troels]

I love the size and look of this cigar and have come close to purchasing a box in the past.

How does it compare to the No. 2 or the No. 4?

Milder is the main difference in my perception, a bit more refined perhaps