Montecristo No 2 (ROA FEB07)

[stever]

Smoked two Monte 2s from two different 10-boxes with the same box code (ROA FEB07). The darker one is from a Czar, the lighter one from a Swiss source.

BTW, my findings in many respects parallel what Rob discovered in his comparison between the light and dark Monte 2s that came in the same 10-box that he discovered. I also posted this review on another board.

DARKER SAMPLE

I smoked the darker one first. It has a gorgeous dark oily wrapper which is slightly splotchy and mottled where the oils appear to be oozing up into the wrapper. The construction is excellent and the cigar has a nice resiliency to the touch. The body of the cigar has a sweet toasted tobacco aroma; the odor at the foot is richer, with more wet leather and dark berry notes. The draw at cold is medium, and reveals a sweet and spicy rich leather taste. There’s also a light cocoa background, and a slightly tangy and salty flavor that remains on my lips.

The cigar starts easily and the first draw is sweet, spicy and smooth. Smoke production is very good and there’s a definite strong, but pleasant nasal-clearing aspect while smoking. The aroma is of slightly sweet cedar and toasted tobacco. This is going to be a good cigar!

The first few draws are quite strong with a bit of a green bean flavor and a slight bite at the back of the throat. By the ½” mark, coffee flavors are starting to come through and the slight bite at the back of the throat disappears. The smoke is becoming more creamy and smoother, and settles into a profile of sweet wood, spice, a bit of earth, coffee, and a rich, at times, sharp, unsweetened cheese-cake flavor. The coffee notes at first have a green bean quality to them, but as the smoke progresses the coffee notes become mellower, richer, and better integrated with the cream notes.

By the 1 1/2” mark the cigar is definitely hitting its stride. Despite being less than a year old, this cigar is extremely smokeable right now with barely any discernable tannin. It has a wonderful aroma, a razor sharp burn with a dirty grey ash peppered with resin-flecks, produces a medium-bodied smoke with excellent mouth-feel, and has a soft nasal-clearing aspect. It’s smooth, flavorful, complex, and at times, subtle. It leaves a very clean, but satisfying, lip-smacking sweet after-taste. It’s going to be hard to keep my hands off these! This Monte 2 is truly an effortless and enjoyable smoking experience.

In the last third, the cigar produces some resin that I occasionally blotted away. Not surprising really, given how oily the wrapper is and given its youth. Interestingly, the resin was not at all acrid or bitter.

The cigar continues to build in strength and body with coffee notes that became richer and creamier, and sweet wood and toasted tobacco notes that develop more of an exotic spiciness. With about 1 ½” left, some tangy leather and sweet tea flavors also become discernable on the finish.

I nubbed it. It will be interesting to see how this smoke develops over the course of the next year. Given its immediate smokeablity, I wonder about its long-term potential. On the other hand, it is laden with oils that could give it some legs.

LIGHTER SAMPLE

The second Monte has a dark tan wrapper with a mottled appearance due to the oils oozing up into the wrapper. It isn’t as oily as the darker example, but, interestingly, it has gotten noticeably darker in the two months that I’ve had the cigar. The construction is very good with a rather firm resiliency, but with some noticeable hardness around the band. The cigar has a rather pungent chicken coop and leather odor. The odor at the foot, however, is of sweet rich tobacco. The draw at cold is medium-firm, and reveals sweet rich tobacco, a slight mustiness and some dark sweet tea flavors. The taste leaves a noticeable tang on my lips.

The cigar starts easily and the first draw is slightly sweet, with some dry cocoa flavor. Smoke production is on the light side, and there’s a strong, sharp nasal-clearing aspect with a bite at the back of the throat. The aroma is strong and spicy with dark cocoa notes and rich tobacco. At the onset it appears to be a heavier tasting cigar than the darker Monte.

After the first few draw, smoke production increases and a creamy coffee flavor develops. By the half inch mark, the smoke smoothes out, but the flavors don’t reveal themselves as readily as in the dark sample. The lighter colored Monte has a rich dark coffee flavor with more leather and tobacco on the aftertaste, but it isn’t as sweet and there’s a definite green bean flavor that lingers.

For the first half, the smoke is very smooth, but the flavors progression is more compressed than in the dark sample. The flavors are all there, but the transitions are more short-lived.

After the second ash, the cigar appears to loosen a bit, the draw improves, and smoke production increases. More toasted tobacco and sweet exotic wood flavors appear, complemented with a sweet, slight mintiness. The coffee and cream flavors are also better balanced. The green bean flavor has disappeared, and the cigar finally seems to be hitting its stride. The smoke is sharper in the nose than the darker Monte, but the aftertaste is more pronounced and is now lip-smacking good. The progression of flavors is definitely now more noticeable and also better balanced. The last third of the smoke is definitely the best.

Both examples are very good cigars, but for sheer ease of smoking and relaxation, the darker sample gets the nod. However, with more time, I think the richer coffee and cream flavors in the lighter sample should open up and make it a more enjoyable smoke.