Free Cigars Taste Best-Monte Esp#1

[Mel]

I had been waiting for the proper time to smoke this lovely Montecristo Especial #1 given to me by CIGARHead. While meeting down in Florida we exchanged cigars trying to give the best we had to each other and it ended up being a war of who could out give whom. That is a great game to play with a mate that has good cigars and is not a greedy bastard. Austin has good sticks and is a great mate.

He gave me a 97 Esp #1 and told me that it was one of his treasures and hoped that I enjoyed it as much as he had. If we had more time I would have loved to smoke it with him but since we treaded more than a half dozen smoking them all was out of the question.

Enough of the background here we go and light the cigar in the quiet of my gentlemen’s retreat. To start with this was a very well aged cigar that did not smell musty of dead. The wrapper was a lovely dark chocolate with a small amount of darker mottling. It was quite shinny with oil and looked younger than its ten years. The predraw was clean and showed no mold or poorly aged characteristic. The draw was absolutely perfect and I was very please because I have seen the thin ring gauge cigars to be to tight for my liking. The burn is perfect never requiring correction but does need to be relit twice due to the slow smoking pace needed to properly enjoy this classic cigar.

Another buddy warned me that I should smoke this cigar indoors because it could be on the delicate side. I took that to mean, not enough balls to stand on its own in the great outdoors. BFS this cigar is loaded with it and has lots huevos grandes. Since the draw is so great the smoke volumes are a lot more than you would expect to get out of this long thin beast. This Monte is medium bodied at least and some might say on the full side. The first flavors are a cocoa bean and sweet earth and the initial impression is very good. The flavor profile does change as expected dropping some of the nice cocoa and is replaced with a mature tobacco taste that that does satisfy well.

They call this a connoisseur’s size and from that standpoint I had no business with this cigar. I am better described as a cigar sucking pig that pushes the big ones to hard but I did pretty well on this one. I liked it and rate it a 93. CIGARHead please send another one for verification.

[bassman]

Funny how tastes differ. I've tried these from the 80s, 90s & recent and have yet to like one. I enjoy the regular MC#1s, but the Especials just don't do it for me.

[habanohal]

I have 10 left from a box from early 80s, and a box from 2005. I will take the 05 anyday over the 80s ones. The 20 yr old Montys are very mellow with no bite

[Colt45]

This is a cigar I've been meaning to try. Thanks for the review!

[Ginseng]

» I have 10 left from a box from early 80s, and a box from 2005. I will take

» the 05 anyday over the 80s ones. The 20 yr old Montys are very mellow with

» no bite

Gotta agree with you, Hal. I've tried sticks from the 70's and 80's and it took too much concentration to pull out the flavors. Quite mellow as you said.

Wilkey

[Mel]

» » I have 10 left from a box from early 80s, and a box from 2005. I will

» take

» » the 05 anyday over the 80s ones. The 20 yr old Montys are very mellow

» with

» » no bite

»

» Gotta agree with you, Hal. I've tried sticks from the 70's and 80's and it

» took too much concentration to pull out the flavors. Quite mellow as you

» said.

»

» Wilkey

It is not secret that I am not a big fan of the very old cigars. In my experience after 10-15 years the cigars loose some of the qualities that I like. In the year classes 97 and forward I have found most cigars to still retain the stuff I like.

[CIGARHead]

Mel,

Im really glad you enjoyed the cigar. To me it is very satisfying and hasnt lost anything from age....except that pungent barnyard smell I love, which can be disconcerting when you pull an aged cigar out to smoke and there is not much smell.

How long did iit take you to smoke that long f%*cker, 15 minutes?

[Mel]

» Mel,

»

» Im really glad you enjoyed the cigar. To me it is very satisfying and

» hasnt lost anything from age....except that pungent barnyard smell I love,

» which can be disconcerting when you pull an aged cigar out to smoke and

» there is not much smell.

» How long did iit take you to smoke that long f%*cker, 15 minutes?

It took me oave an hour. I let it go out twice trying to go slow and enjoy. I hopw you like you aged Trinis as well.

[Professor Twain]

» Another buddy warned me that I should smoke this cigar indoors because it

» could be on the delicate side. I took that to mean, not enough balls to

» stand on its own in the great outdoors.

I love the Especial #1, I have only one cigar left from a 1998 box, it has been a perfect box.

I agree with the comment about smoking this one indoors just because it is a long, thin ring gauge cigar, which could easily be affected by factors like high humidity outdoors. Certainly I wouldn't smoke one of these outdoors when it is humid out, I have had cigars soak up humidity and be unsmokable.

Great review, thanks!