Montecristo Dantes EL 2016

[Lotusguy]

Some people were able to pick up boxes (in person - not online) in the Netherlands.

[BarryNY]

Just arrived today............wrappers and aroma are gorgeous to say the least.  These boxes are going down for a rip van winkle sleeeeppppppp............

 

 

[fabes]

@BarryNY what's the box code on these? Curious as to when they've actually been making/boxing these. 

[BarryNY]

3 minutes ago, fabes said:

@BarryNY what's the box code on these? Curious as to when they've actually been making/boxing these. 

SUM OCT 16

[Corylax18]

They have arrived! It was great to see these on the 24:24 yesterday. These first boxes will probably sit for quite a while, I will sample from the next batch I get. Has anybody dug into these yet?

[hababa]

FWIW, I won't touch mine for 3 years, probably 5. 

[Corylax18]

45 minutes ago, hababa said:

FWIW, I won't touch mine for 3 years, probably 5. 

Yeah, the majority of what I get will sleep at least this long. I will get one box to sample from until I decide they hit the sweet spot, then dig in. 

[jackupster]

On ‎2‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 1:02 PM, BarryNY said:

Just arrived today............wrappers and aroma are gorgeous to say the least.  These boxes are going down for a rip van winkle sleeeeppppppp............

 

 

Those are some sexy smokes! Someday hopefully.

[stunod]

i world like to hear some reviews. I've only heard one so far and he said the cigar needed time down. 

[Philc2001]

Love to hear how these taste, and whether they have any resemblance to the Monte #1, or any other Monte in production. Something tells me they will be unique and unlike other Montes, which means for me it would be a gamble.

[Corylax18]

They have arrived!! Great sweet barnyard aroma and DARK wrappers, pretty much maduro. Pretty consistent color/appearance wise though which is always nice to see. Lots of visible veins and seams, they remind me of some of the older EL wrappers. OCT 16 like Barry's but SGA rather than SUM. I'm not familiar with which code is which factory, but neither of these codes ring a bell for me. Are they really rolling some of these in provincial factory's?

It will be nice to hear what the guys at Czar HQ have to say about these after the tasting. I had a VERY strong urge to light one up before it ever saw the humidor. I resisted, but I see a few more boxes in my future.

[Dmpotocek]

They have arrived!! Great sweet barnyard aroma and DARK wrappers, pretty much maduro. Pretty consistent color/appearance wise though which is always nice to see. Lots of visible veins and seams, they remind me of some of the older EL wrappers. OCT 16 like Barry's but SGA rather than SUM. I'm not familiar with which code is which factory, but neither of these codes ring a bell for me. Are they really rolling some of these in provincial factory's?

It will be nice to hear what the guys at Czar HQ have to say about these after the tasting. I had a VERY strong urge to light one up before it ever saw the humidor. I resisted, but I see a few more boxes in my future.

Wow those are some of the darkest wrappers I've seen on a "non maduro".


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[NorCalAaron]

I just received an identical looking box and same box code, very tempted to set fire to one.  Anxious to see what they have in store for us.

[Ken Gargett]

no spoilers but rob and i did a vid a week ago (should be out by june - sorry greg).

[merkonakis]

Got mine this week from friend who visited the island. Another variation on box code. Mine is a GOA DIC 16. Looks nice and greasy.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Corylax18]

GOA? Wow, either they switched to back to 15 codes early or something weird is going on. I haven't seen that code in probably a year, and when I did see it, I'm pretty sure it was on a pack of JLP Conservas. I guess they are saving the quality rollers to catch up on the much, much later Monte 80ths and blasting the ELs out of provincial factories? 

10 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

no spoilers but rob and i did a vid a week ago (should be out by june - sorry greg).

I'm going to ignore the first two words of your post and ask any way. Generally positive or negative? Any comparisons to the 80th?

[JohnS]

Here's hoping that GOA comes to stand for 'Greatest Of All-time'!  

[Ken Gargett]

6 hours ago, Corylax18 said:

I'm going to ignore the first two words of your post and ask any way. Generally positive or negative? Any comparisons to the 80th?

i see people are still hoping for miracles at easter!

[NSXCIGAR]

6 hours ago, Corylax18 said:

GOA? Wow, either they switched to back to 15 codes early or something weird is going on. I haven't seen that code in probably a year, and when I did see it, I'm pretty sure it was on a pack of JLP Conservas. I guess they are saving the quality rollers to catch up on the much, much later Monte 80ths and blasting the ELs out of provincial factories? 

I'm going to ignore the first two words of your post and ask any way. Generally positive or negative? Any comparisons to the 80th?

Seeing quite a few cigars with GOA 15/16 codes. Monte 2, Edmundo, Cohiba Genios, HUCJ, RACA. OCT 15 earliest. And I would be surprised if they're rolling the RACA in a provincial, but who knows these days.

[Corylax18]

1 hour ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Seeing quite a few cigars with GOA 15/16 codes. Monte 2, Edmundo, Cohiba Genios, HUCJ, RACA. OCT 15 earliest. And I would be surprised if they're rolling the RACA in a provincial, but who knows these days.

I remember seeing it late 15, but not since then. It was probably October. It has to be provincial though, I think 15/16 codes for the Havana factories have been pretty well settled by now. I would be surprised if they were rolling the RA or Monte ELs at provincials too, but that appears to be the case. Is there any consensus on SGA and SUM? The search feature needs to start recognizing 3 letter searches! Haha

[mwaller]

What is the going rate for these online?

[Corylax18]

18 minutes ago, mwaller said:

What is the going rate for these online?

As for pretty much every cigar, online pricing is highly variable. Their first time on 24:24, the pricing was about $210 for the box of 10. 

[mwaller]

Just received my boxes from our host. Nice looking cigars, but the wrappers are very dry looking with almost no sheen. Is this typical of the LEs?

[cardinalfan85]

Got mine today too! Just let them rest, you wouldn't have much sheen either if you just traveled thousands of miles over the course of a couple weeks. ;-)

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[Corylax18]

Just over a year later and I finally got the opportunity to indulge in my first Montecristo Dantes Edicion Limitada 2016.

I am glad to announce it was well worth the wait. I grabbed one of the less attractive sticks from the first box I purchased, the same one as the previously posted photos. I've snapped up another box just about each time they have popped up here, figuring if I didn't like them, I would have no problem finding another home for them. The only problem I have now is keeping my hands off them. A summary of my experience is below,  I will post another update after they have had a few more months to rest and dry out. 

Opening:

Veiny, Rough, dark wrapper. Not particularly oily. Strong Barnyard aroma at cold with a lingering sweetness. The sweetness translate through on the slightly firm cold draw. Despite almost 3 months at 62% RH the cigar is still very spongy, with no crackle to the wrapper. I think I remember Rob mentioning some of the early batches arrived very wet. 

First Third:

Opens brilliantly, we are off the races from the first puff. Cocoa and Tobacco. I am not picking up any creaminess, more of a dry cocoa powder, hints of sweetened coffee. Already very Rich and Smooth as silk, only 8 months out of the factory. 

Second Third:

Well defined dry, chalky, unsweetened cocoa powder is coming in waves. The sweetness has disappeared, its been replaced by a combination of citric sourness and mint. Each coming and going, sometimes there, sometimes not. Always on the fringes, neither overpowering the cocoa/tobacco. I love that minty hit in a cigar, it is a rare occurrence for me, but I am always happy when it appears. The draw is firmer than I prefer, but I like an easier draw, so it would probably be perfect for most. Exemplary construction, the ashes are holding close to 2", no touchups needed so far. 

Final Third:

Cocoa continues its dominance, the sour and minty notes have ceded. The high moisture content of the cigar and the ambient air have started to take there toll. The cigar starts to get bitter and hot, the flavors are becoming more muddled. I don't want to tarnish the enjoyment I've had so far, so I set it down with just over an inch left. 

Overall Thoughts:

A mix of happiness and some longing/regret. The cigar is wonderful, and from my taste buds has the legs to be a great cigar for years to come. Flavor, body, complexity and a smooth delivery. I cant ask for more. 

It makes me sad that this wonderful tobacco, that may have once filled any of the lovely Coronas, Lonsdales or the like, is now relegated to $20+ USD/stick special/limited release. Don't get me wrong, I get it, HSA is a business. But that doesn't change how I feel.  I am glad that I went relatively deep on these, they are a shining example of what HSA can do, when they do it right. It just makes it harder wading through piles of the other crap knowing there are cigars like this out there.