BRE MAR 19, Montecristo Gran Pirámides 2017 Colección Habanos Book cigar review

SigmundChurchill · November 5, 2019

I had fully planned on holding off on smoking one of these for quite a while. Then, I shortened the wait, planning to smoke the first one in Cuba, a few weeks from now. Then, with the thread about the dreaded “sick period”, to which I can totally relate, I thought it best to break one out now. Or, at least, that is what I am telling myself.

Construction: Flawless, as has been with all the Book cigars, so I expected nothing less from these, and I was not disappointed.

Pre Light Aroma: Sweet. The undertones were typical “barnyard” smell, but there was an undeniable sweetness that predominated.

The beginning 1/3: Started out tasting as sweet as it smelled. Is Count Chocula too pedestrian? Because that is the nostalgic flavor that came to mind as I started this cigar. Not the whole cereal, but just the chocolate pseudo marshmallows, that I would often save to the end, so I could eat them all at the same time, when I was a kid.

By the time I got to the end of the end of the first 1/3, the chocolate flavor intensified to taste less like the cereal, and more like a bar of milk chocolate, with hints of raspberry that lasted for a little while, changing to chocolate covered cashews into the second 1/3.

The second 1/3: Chocolate and nuts predominated the middle 1/3 of the cigar, with hints of leather. As I got about to the midway point of the cigar, I was tasting chocolate and nuts with maple here and there that continued the sweetness of the cigar that started before I even lit it. Then, some black pepper was added into the mix that gave my nose a slight burn upon retrohale.

The final 1/3: The chocolate started to dissipate, as the black pepper increased, but it started to taste like sweet cream and pepper, like the creamy peppercorn sauce that they sometimes put on filet mignon. It is definitely an interesting and unique flavor combination. As I am regrettably coming to the last few puffs, that sweet creaminess continues, the black pepper is still there, but less, and I am tasting herbs like Rosemary and oregano, and it is tasting to me more like that creamy sauce they put on Swedish meatballs, and I am starting to get some hints of chocolate back.

I am happy (and relieved) to say, this is one of the best cigars I have smoked in 2019. It was medium-full bodied, and extremely flavorful, and an overall delight to smoke. The burn was perfect throughout, as was the complexity. This is supposed to be a tribute to the Montecristo #2, and even with the wider ring gauge it had a similar feel to it, though I would say in my opinion, that the Monte 2 tastes leathery with hints of chocolate, while this cigar tastes chocolate with hints of leather.

I am not one for writing reviews, and as I read this back it makes me feel a little like Violet Beauregarde, voicing the flavors of that gum that tasted like a 3 course meal. Only, with this cigar, the desert came first and the main course came at the end.

(I never do this “long ash” thing that people often do. Quite frankly, I had a feeling of relief when the ash finally fell off. I don't know what prompted me to do it with this cigar, but here it is.)