Montecristo Edmundo Review TGR NOV 05

[jqmunro]

The wrappers on these are pretty ugly, in my experience. Only slightly oily, with blotchiness of brown/green that hasn't quite turned to a full brown yet. Thank god the blend has changed, because Habanos surely isn't selling any of these based on it's looks.

[Well Armed]

Rob your review makes me want to try some newer 'mundos. I only have one box from the early first release and they truly are one of the most boring and tasteless boxes of cigars I have. A few have been mediocre in taste and now I only have 5 left. So maybe just a bad box but your recollection of early ones leads me to believe they just sucked ass and that is why they may have tweaked the blend. Or maybe this is just another 2006 version that is quite different - like many others.

[Tampa1257]

Glad to hear they are beginning to make an Edmundo that is smokable. I as of yet have not experienced one that someone could say was worth the price of admission.

[shrink]

» Glad to hear they are beginning to make an Edmundo that is smokable. I as

» of yet have not experienced one that someone could say was worth the price

» of admission.

My sentiments, exactly, Chuck. I've had samples from '04, '05 and '06. While some were better than others, none really impressed me. I'd much rather smoke the "powerhouse" #2's that Rob referred to.

[El Presidente]

I reviewed a fake Montecristo Edmundo a week back which was sent to me by a FOH member and thought it appropriate to review the genuine article.

The review of the fake can be found here [link=http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/board_entry.php?id=43022#p43022]Link[/link]

We selected the ugliest Edmundo which we could find from the open box in the humidor. This is our strategy when we do our reviews...we go for the ugly ducklings and hope for a swan :-D

This box of Novenber 05 Edmundo's as not too bad and although the cigar selected had an irregular looking wrapper...overall it was well constructed with no flaws.

I was one of many who was underwhelmed with the initial release of the Montecristo Edmundo which in the main I found to be far too weak in body with little charachteristic Montecristo flavour. All that began to change in 2005 and fast forward to 2006 they became mid body Montecristo Coffee Cream flagbearers.

Clipping the end the draw was very good. Touch easy but almost perfect. The test draw lef a toasted tobacco flavour on the lips. Smell at cold was sweet spice (cocoa).

Gently torched the end...big volumes of smoke....nice white pepper spice through the nose but this lasted only for a short time until the cigar settled. Medium body, Spice (pepper) largely gone but lashings and lashings of Coffee Cream. This cigar is like smoking a cream /choc biscuit. It took less than a few minutes from the opening flame for it to settle into stride and into a flavour profile that I have come to thoroughly enjoy over the past year. This flavour [pprofile now defines the Edmundo for me and hats off for whoever in Habanos s.a made the decision to twig the blend.

The terms Complexity and Edmundo do not go together...at least not at this stage of the new blends lifecylce. Medium bodied...Coffee Cream...good volume of smoke...seldom bitter...well constructed. In many ways it smokes very similarly to the finest Dominican cigars except that it exudes a cuban meatiness and heft in the mid palate.

The number 1 and the Monte 4 can have some citrus peel charachter accompanying the coffee cream but this is something I have not found in the Edmundo. It is closer to the Monte 2 in profile but a shade lighter in body especially compared to some of the powerhouse 2006 Monte 2's we have experienced.

I won't dwell on 2nd and last 3rd flavours as the Edmundo was consistent in its delivery of coffee cream and toasted tobacco to the very end. At no stage did it become dirty or bitter.

I look forward to seeing how these pan out over the next few years. I understand why they are increasingly a go to cigar for many.

88/100 4/6 smokerings