Por Larranaga Montecarlo RAT AUG 21 (FRCSW4)

[bishop532]

Had a box of PL Montecarlos show up on my doorstep today. It’s been too long for me. These are one of my favorites (like apparently everyone else here, judging by how hard it is to get a box of these on 24:24…), so I couldn’t resist the urge to light one up ROTT. 

 

Most Montecarlos are never going to win a beauty contest, but this is a pretty decent-looking cigar. Colorado wrapper, a few water spots, nice give tells me they aren’t plugged. The cap is kind of sloppily applied. The aroma at cold is cedar - par for the course. The cold draw is quality tobacco, and almost nonexistent. It’s still a touch wet on the inside; the draw is a touch tighter than I prefer. I give it one run through of the cigar tool and it’s good to go. 

The first third is obviously young, but continues the streak of ‘21 Habanos being good ROTT. I taste cedar, hay, and a bit of burnt sugar that I imagine will become caramel soon enough. The retro is toast. 

The second third continues the cedar and hay notes, and adds a strong honey flavor that I really enjoy. Construction is fantastic and so is the burn. 

The final third adds some spice notes to the honey, cedar, and toast. There’s a light savory finish that I’m really enjoying. The retro at the end is all cedar, and surprisingly clean for how young this is. 

At just 6 months old, this was great. I absolutely can’t wait to see where these are in a year or two. Cuba is really doing good things right now.
 

Total Smoking Time: 1 hour 21 minutes

Score: 90/100