Deep Dive: Por Larranaga Montecarlo

[El Presidente]

I had a great Por Larranaga Montecarlo last night as my finishing cigar for the last hour of a long meeting. 

It was completely satisfying. Certainly one of the better examples that I can recall in the past year. Later as I lay in bed, thoughts of the PLMC came into my head (truly sad I know). I couldn't remember a poor one in quite some time. 

Let's deep dive into this once "Cheap and Cheerful" skinny. 

Hit the poll. Our top ranked cigar to date has a 75%  "I get it rate". 

 

Expand a little and let us know the following. 

•  What do you like about the cigar?
• What do you dislike about the cigar?
• does it have any idiosyncrasies ?
  • Aging?
  • storage/RH?
  • wrapper preference?
  • Issues in the past?

Let's kick around the PLMC 

 

 

[MC4]

Likes:  very tasty cigar when they are on

Dislikes: Usually they are tight, bad draw

[Hammer Smokin']

as long as the draw is ok, they are a top notch cigar. 

not too strong. nicotine content doesn't send me for a loop. 

size and length of burn is perfect. 

my first half of the 2018 box wasn't very good until this year when they reached four full years of age. I finished off the last 9 with great enjoyment. 

wish all those 2014 Fonny 1's that came up on 24:24 were PLMC instead.

[Nevrknow]

Love these things. While not a powerhouse compared to some, I truly like the Por Larranagas. Unfortunately with my life I can't always commit the time to one of my " hell yes" cigars so these are my C&C. 

The taste, for me, is always there. Just right.

There is the occasional tight one, but careful use of my perfect draw or my forceps trick clears most of them up. MOST. Not all. But for the price I can deal with it.

Double box deal coming up @Elpresidente ?  🤣

 

I only have 10 boxes. Damnit. 😁

[Juliano88]

Likes : Caramel flavors, value and vitola.

Dislikes: Need about 2 years to shed off some of the tannins and ammonia, draw issues from time to time.

I have a AGO 20 box with darker wrappers and AGO 21 with lighter wrappers, both samples have been great. I feel like they start to become approachable with 2 years on them and start to shine with 5 years. I store everything around 65 and dry box at 62 and have enjoyed them at that humidity. 

[cubeisbetter]

PL is my favorite “regular” brand.   The Montecarlo is the perfect length and strength for before dinner or in the evening when it’s a little cold outside.

 

I’ve had 5 of them and none have had any draw issues.  
 

My only con is that I can’t seem to email fast enough to get a box on 24:24.

[RDB]

One of my favourite ‘sipping smoke while sipping an afternoon drink with friends’ cigars. Never the best, but almost never disappointing, bar the very tight draws (fixable with perfectdraw). Dark wrappers need a lot more time.

[Hammer Smokin']

also helps that this is one of the (very) few remaining affordable cigars for the masses. 

[Chibearsv]

Value is there. It’s a great smoke to slow down with otherwise they’re too hot. I like them with a dark oily wrapper.
The taste reminds me of the Honduran coffee I like. Raisin, almost burnt caramel, and rich dark coffee. A couple years down takes some bitterness away. 
I’m a fan. 

[helix]

Always found them inconsistent , a hit or miss cigar  . When on a good smoke.

[Toast & Taste]

A favorite of mine.

They are often tight, but my skills with a PerfecDraw are sufficient to save the day. 

Dislike: the fact that I can no longer buy 5 boxes at a time, any time. Ah, the good old days...

 

Big Al 

[La_Tigre]

Definitely use it as a poor MDO4. Completely different flavor profile but similar in delivery.

 

Great value for the delivered caramel goods. Often quite flavorful albeit one note throughout. 
 

Need to sit a while. Lots of tent pegs even at 60 RH.

[teamrandr]

I dig them.  I suddenly wonder how many cigars a day prez smokes....

[LLC]

I get it and have them. I just don’t reach for them often but when I do, I enjoy them. 

[rcarlson]

Too hot.  Too skinny.  Feels and draws like a long cigarette.  

[Rhinoww]

A friends calls them sinister- Says I look like an evil tv character when k smoke one. 
they are fun to smoke and high on the ratio of cost to enjoyment. Both of my boxes are RAT DIC 19, and just started to get on fire in the last six months. 
been trying for more for a while but have been striking out. Eventually I’ll get another box and can start dipping back into the 19 stock. 

[El Presidente]

51 minutes ago, teamrandr said:

  I suddenly wonder how many cigars a day prez smokes....

 

BR Tuesday nights, I pray it is no more than  a "Robusto" ish sized meeting.  

I always bring a reserve to come in "off the bench" just in case the lads get on a roll.  

 

 

[Corylax18]

I'm a big fan. I'm picking through 4 boxes right now with a couple more sleeping. If I had room to bring some home with me on my last trip I would have. 

• I like the flavor and medium strength
• Its not long enough, I would love the same blend in a Ninfa's. (but keep the MC so I can pick one based on how long I have to smoke)
• They can be plugged, no more often than any other cuban though.
• Anyone saying they're "too hot" is doing it wrong. Slow the hell down, Cigars are meant to be relaxing. 

[bishop532]

Likes: I love the vitola, love the sweet/fruity/cedary flavors (especially the caramel after a couple years), and I actually don't mind a touch of bitterness when young - I get something similar from NC Connecticut sometimes, and i dont mind it there either.

Dislikes: They can be tight, but I have an AGO RAT 21 box that seems very well rolled. No other negatives for me.

Wrapper: As @Juliano88 said, dark vs light wrappers maybe have different characteristics, but I like em all!

Storage: I feel like they respond better to a little higher humidity, actually, which is maybe a little odd (though I keep my cigars higher than a lot of folks on here seem to anyways). I have mine at 67-68rh, and very few draw issues.  

Overall: They are definitely one of my favorites - between the price, the caramel, the vitola, its a classic in my eyes (same goes for the PLPC but I prefer the PLMC a bit). 

[el chino]

 I think I'm at my 12th or 13th try at these on 24.  Looking forward to having an opinion on these someday.

[anacostiakat]

Very nice cigar.  They are my wife's fav's.  Not even going to rant about availability.

[Fugu]

A lot of cigar for the money. A good, not very complex cigar, with some inconsistencies. A fan of the format. Dislike its expressive, sometimes appearing overly „artificial”, bordering to “flavoured” nutty-caramel aroma (I am aware, many are looking for that in this cigar). More often than not it is just too much. But that’s just me obviously.

Taste-wise I much prefer an aged PLPC, or in a similar format remaining (hopefully...) like the LGC MdO4 >>>times more (a personal favourite).

[SCgarman]

10 hours ago, Hammer Smokin' said:

also helps that this is one of the (very) few remaining affordable cigars for the masses. 

I would venture to say this is a "niche" cigar, and while many here rave about it likely your average Cuban cigar box buyer in the wild is not going to seek these out. Nowhere near the commonality of Monte#4 or PSD4

[rcarlson]

9 hours ago, Corylax18 said:

 

• Anyone saying they're "too hot" is doing it wrong. Slow the hell down, Cigars are meant to be relaxing. 

Don't consider myself a fast smoker, especially with these.  If I have to play Mexican standoff with my cigar, I don't find that relaxing.  Would rather reach for a PLPC and smoke at a regular pace.    

[djrey]

Have many boxes of them as I love the value factor. Picked them up back when they were about $110 a box which is just silly. I enjoy the cigar but they are just so light in body. The whole PL line is a love hate with me because they just need a little oomph. Sometimes I feel as if I am smoking cardboard. This makes me question aging them, at least for my palate. Am I alone on this?