Monte Edmundo 2006

[Van55]

Because this cigar came from a cardboard box of three sold as part of a fifteeen-pack, I don't have the month of packaging/shipping or whatever the box date signifies available to me.

Pre-light: Medium brown, nice sheeny wrapper. Foot was slightly torn. The cigar APPEARED to be underfilled, but the pre-light draw was as good as they come. Some ginger underlies the tobacco flavor. There was what appeared to be a stem running straight down the underside of the wrapper, the length of the cigar. "Runner" is what occurred to me.

First 1/3: Initial impression is that this was a too-young and tannic cigar to be enjoyed. Ash was solid and medium to light gray. Aggressive tingle through the nose. Full, tannic tobacco flavors predominated.

Second 1/3: Wow! All of a sudden the tannin disappeared and a distinct creamy sweetness took over. Delicious and totally surprising. Sweet spices underlay a mellowed tobacco taste.

Final 1/3: The last third was as different from the second as the second was from the first. Wood and leather replaced the creamy sweetness, and the nose tingling returned in full force.

Conclusion: This was a tough cigar to judge. If one defines "complexity" as changing flavors throughout, this was a complex cigar. Each puff was a new adventure. However, the sudden changes seemed to detract from an overall balance that I would prefer. Smoking this cigar was like a trip through mountains and valleys. It was wonderful to experience and preferrable to a trip across the plains. Four smokerings, that would go to five with greater balance.

[El Presidente]

The Edmundo is a strange beast capable of everything and nothing and often in the same cigar. I look forward to seeing how the 06/07 pan out over another 3 years.