Montecristo No4 - RUB DIC 19 (JBWP4RW)

[Enduin]

A few years ago in 2012 I decided to start exploring CCs for the first time and I tried a few of the most well known cigars, among which a Monte 2. That cigar was quite a bummer, it was really bland and boring. I don’t think I even finished it. That left a bad taste in my mouth (pun intended) because Montecristo is such an iconic brand and the Monte 2 is such an iconic cigar that I really felt like I was missing something.

Fast forwards to 2021 and I’m now 100% into CCs and the idea of trying a Montecristo again felt very appealing. At the same time I now really focus on smoking vitolas I actually like, and I found that I don’t like torpedo cigars nor cigars over 50RG, so I decided to try the Monte 4 to give the marca another shot with something that should be pretty representatives of the flavors I can expect and at the same time a vitola that I like!

This Monte 4 is from a Clearance 1/4 box from here. Wrapper is a nice milk chocolate hue with small veins and the cigar has a noticeable box press.

Cold draw gives me leather and a little honey.

The first third starts out with cocoa powder and mild coffee, after a few puffs the mild coffee dissipates and is replaced by cream. The smoke is smooth. I have to say that this tastes spot on for what I read about Montecristo. The cream that I’m getting is different than the cream I get from a Hoyo. Hoyo’s cream is more decadent, has some nuances of vanilla and butter at times. The cream I’m getting from the Monte is a little more subdued in intensity and simpler in flavor.

The second third is… drum roll… more cocoa and cream. No surprises here and kind of expected. This continues into the last third. No evolution whatsoever.

Overall the construction was pretty good, draw was a little snug but not enough to make me want to pull out the PerfecDraw. Combustion was excellent. The flavors were good but not complex or dynamic at all. I can really see why the Monte 4 is such a good seller for HSA. It’s a good cigar, from a very well known marca, it’s relatively affordable and it’s a great size. For me though, I don’t think I’ll add this to my rotation. I’m really glad that I got to try it and understand what a Montecristo is about, but I do prefer cigars with a bit more complexity and evolution.

Smoking time 1h  
86/100 

[RDB]

Nice review, thanks. One thing to bear in mind about Monte is there’s huge production volume, and huge variation between boxes. Especially in the massive sellers like no.4. Yours looks good to me: touch of  rosado in a relatively full colorado wrapper. Darker can be more serious and more complex, maybe less sweet when young. Paler can be more approachable, maybe a bit more herbal and grassy. But I don’t think of Monte as a complex blend, more of a known pleasure: cocoa, cream. Maybe try the especiales #2 and smoke em slowly for a different side of the marca.

[Enduin]

7 hours ago, RDB said:

Nice review, thanks. One thing to bear in mind about Monte is there’s huge production volume, and huge variation between boxes. Especially in the massive sellers like no.4. Yours looks good to me: touch of  rosado in a relatively full colorado wrapper. Darker can be more serious and more complex, maybe less sweet when young. Paler can be more approachable, maybe a bit more herbal and grassy. But I don’t think of Monte as a complex blend, more of a known pleasure: cocoa, cream. Maybe try the especiales #2 and smoke em slowly for a different side of the marca.

Thank you for the advise! I'll keep an eye out for those Especiales #2, although I see that they are among those cigars that don't even last a full minute on 24:24... How are they different from the other classic Monte?

[RDB]

The Especiale #2 is a classic skinny at 38RG and I think 6 inches long. You're getting more wrapper to filler, so the influence of that outer leaf should be stronger. They are hugely responsive to how you smoke them: if you pull hard, it's easy to over heat. But the flip side is you can keep them burning without too much draw, gently sipping the smoke for its full range of flavours. You can't do that with a great big M2. I think they are generally more careful to use good leaf in these. Production is far lower than for the 'big guns' and you pay a premium by weight.   One thing to watch out for is tight rolls. If you can test a few boxes, go for the ones with a bit of give. Otherwise careful surgery with a perfect draw will be required for at least a few.