Montecristo 520 - Edición Limitada 2012 TUO OCT 12. Review: Weekend "Passed over" Review Competition

[JoeyGunz]

A cigar that I pass over, not because I'm down to my last one or only have a single but because of what they mean to me, unfortunately that always means they're held to the position of "wait for the perfect moment".

The Montecristo 520 was the first cigar my better half bought for me, my 26th birthday, April 2013, I smoked that cigar in June that year, with her, watching The Rolling Stones at Glastonbury in her flat in Islington, London. This cigar, to me, pauses time and takes me back to that evening. Nothing better.

I bought a box, said I'd smoke one a year, what a better way to sit back and reflect on my relationship. Last year I took this 520 out multiple times but never found that "perfect moment".

Now my other half's away for a week with her mother, sunning herself in Lanzarote, I have a rare Sunday with absolutely nothing on the cards. But I have had a bloody heavy night down the local before, so after tackling a few cups of tea and a bacon baguette, cracking open a pale ale and making sure I've got the appropriate level of minerals, I head for the great outdoors.

It snowed this morning, not too heavily here and what was there has melted, it's a reasonably mild winters day, so I build a small fire in the chiminea, pull up a chair and with a pint of water by my side take the always "passed over" 520 out of my pocket.

Appearence and feel of the cigar are perfect, cut the cap - a perfect draw for me just a tad on the looser side of firm. I slowly toast the foot, take the first couple of puffs and this is a cigar full of itself. Montecristo on steroids. Exactly how I would build a LE.

It probably takes half an inch of in your face classic Monte profile before it starts taking me on its journey with flashes of raisin coming out of the earthiness in the first third. Construction did falter a tad after the first ashing where the wrapper didn't want to burn with the filler but a little perseverance and we were back in business.

Second third of the cigar and the raisin flavours are joined by a floury buttery shortbread, an eccles cake without the excessive sugaring. I've popped back in to update my glass of water to a Shiraz and taken on a couple of chocolate chip cookies still hanging around in the biscuit jar from Christmas. A perfect compliment.

I'm not great at building fires as much as I love them, I haven't read one page of the book I bought out with me, Papillon, what a classic. I've just been getting lost in the flames of the fire and the heavy smoke of the cigar.

Heading to the final third of the cigar and it's black coffee and most of any sweetness it had has gone, leather notes come in to play and this cigar reminds you it's a proper cigar worthy of the LE title, full flavoured, medium-full bodied. I don't score my cigars but I couldn't have asked for much better to spend my time with on this Sunday afternoon. I do think this will continue improving with more age, I wonder when I'll smoke my next, this one has been chipped into the chiminea.

For now I have to go and clean the lawn of my dog's mess before the sun set's and my roast dinner is served.

[LordAnubis]

Awesome write up mate! See you in a few weeks!

[alloy]

Very nice write up! I have a box of these ageing in my work wineador (where I know I can't touch them ).

[saver]

Thanks for perfect reading.

[Mr.T]

Enjoyed reading the review very much!

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[busdriver]

Great review. I have one of these waiting. The book is excellent!

[riazp]

Very nice review. Love the 520's. I bought a box myself and was keeping for the pefect occasion. Finally cracked it open when i proposed to my woman and that cigar blew my socks off.

[habanolover]

Very nice review! TUO, anyone know what factory that is? Must be "skewed" towards quality if trusted to roll the 520, right??

Edit to remove "zip lip" I thought it was a cigar hangn from lil guys mouth:/...

Edited January 18, 2016 by habanolover

[jat]

A review and a story, I like the style and the approach of having a special cigar you smoke once a year, very nice tradition.

I feel warm and fuzzy, no fire involved but maybe a quantity of red.