Montecristo No 2, TRU MAR 19, (VVRW#2)

[Mrcpt]

This was the first proper box of Habanos I purchased, and for the most part it’s been sitting in my cooler ever since. I’ve only had one before, but it was unrested, I was still very new to cigars, and there had been a few drinks consumed beforehand. Anyway, this time around, the only thing really affecting my judgement is tree pollen, though that’s nothing to be scoffed at.  The box has a very, and I mean very, strong barnyard aroma. However, the cigar I pulled out seems to be the runt; it’s a bit rough looking, I think the person putting bands on had way too much glue on their fingers (there are glue spots all over the wrapper).  The aroma is a very light sweet hay and barnyard (but almost non-existent).  I haven’t previously weighed my cigars, but I’ve seen a few reviewers doing it, so I decided to try: it’s a bit light.

The draw is open for a Cuban, I guess the underfill is to blame here. There’s a light and sweet spice to the cold draw.  The opening is fairly muted; I ended up clipping a bit more off the head to see if it would improve the flavor and smoke output.  It did; I get coffee and a light nougat with a short finish. Somewhere between a mild and medium body.  There was a noticeable transition to a chocolate and cocoa powder at the second third, which continued to the end. 

The construction really left something to be desired. The burn was uneven, with runs and canoes that needed regular touchups. The wrapper also kept pulling away from the binder, so there was some minor canoeing that I had to keep an eye on.

I like to use a one to five scale to rate cigars: 1 - would not smoke again; 2 - would smoke again; 3 - would buy singles; 4 - would buy a box; 5 - go deep on boxes.  I would rate this cigar a 2: I’m hoping this cigar was the runt of the litter, and since I did enjoy the flavors, however muted they were, I think proper filling and construction and filling could make this an amazing smoke. Not to mention I still have nearly a whole box in my cooler, and that amazing barnyard aroma must have been coming from somewhere in the box, if not this cigar. 
 

[Mickey D]

Thanks for sharing. 

[Goodfortune]

Nice review. I smoked 2018 today and it was excellent. The box I have has been hit or miss so far, but the “hits” have been great. 

[rascalmonkey]

nice review!

[FlyingGlass]

@Mrcpt Hope you find a gem of a box with time. I absolutely love these cigars when they're on. 

[Bri Fi]

One of my first boxes of Cubans was a 2015 monte 2. I still have several sticks that have construction issues and almost no flavor. I was reluctant to buy another box but I went for it after recent reviews. I ended up with a box of RAT JUN 20 box. So far they are miles ahead of my 2015 box. I wish you luck on the rest of this one 

[Mrcpt]

14 minutes ago, Bri Fi said:

One of my first boxes of Cubans was a 2015 monte 2. I still have several sticks that have construction issues and almost no flavor. I was reluctant to buy another box but I went for it after recent reviews. I ended up with a box of RAT JUN 20 box. So far they are miles ahead of my 2015 box. I wish you luck on the rest of this one 

 

Thanks. I think I’ll keep my eyes out for some psp/hq 2020 boxes. I’ve heard nothing but good things about 2020 monte 2s.