Montecristo #2 Apr 2013 Cigar of the Year A Comparison (MRW)

[Monterey]

So this is a follow up to my previous review I did last year.  At that point, it had 5 years of age.  I wanted to compare the notes from this one to the one I did last year

 

 

It is 65 degrees outside (18C), the warmest day in almost 6 months here in the pacific northwest.   As normal, I’m drinking coffee with my cigar.   <-Cut and pasted from my review before.  Even the environment is the same.

From before: The cigar was medium in strength, but had medium to full flavors, my perfect match.  The flavor was a strong blast of cocoa, but no milk chocolate.  Strong hints of cedar also was present.   There was cream, but not as much as usual.  Not a sweet cream, but a nice neutral cream.

This test:  The strong blast of cocoa was not as present.  Instead, it was heavy cedar.  So strong, it just took over the cigar.  I had this cigar a month ago, and it was all chocolate and little cedar.  odd.

From before:  A nut presence came, and I describe is mostly as a dry walnut.  All 4 flavors dominated the cigar thru most of the smoke building in intensity as the cigar went along. 

This test:  The nut was there, but more of a dry nut.  Probably due to the heavy cedar.  Cream came in, but like last year, it wasn't heavy.  Cigar from last month had heavy cream.

From before:  It was a complex smoke to me.  I was very surprised since the cigar needed major work just to get it to smoke.  The cigar lasted for 1 hour and 35 minutes.  Back in 2013, CA gave this cigar/year the honor of cigar of the year.  They may have been right.   Along with that and 4 more years of age, this was one of the best cigars I’ve had in awhile.  

This test:  The cigar was not plugged this time.  Nor have any been since the previous review.  The cigar lasted the same time.

Overall for this time, the cigar was just too much cedar.  Cotton mouth came in and ruined the smoke for me.  But in general from my last few cigars,  the chocolate has amped up while the cedar died down.   Aside from this cigar, another year of age has turned the cigar more of a creamy milk chocolate.  I'm liking this cigar more with the additional age.

 

[HopeUgood]

That cigar looks gorgeous!