flamchop
65/65
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2008
- Messages
- 1,185
I received this smoke in a trade a while back. This is my first time smoking the legendary Montecristo #2.
The cigar had some give in the fingers... not too firm. I've heard about how these can be hit or miss as far as the taste and the draw, I figured what better time to find out than on the last day of 2008. Perfect time to bring the year to a close with a Cuban that has a few years on it.
I clipped and took a draw. Mostly a cedary tobacco flavor... no grass, no ammonia. The wrapper was in decent shape, the only flaw being a few nicks around the foot from handling. I noticed a fair amount of tooth, much more than on the Monte Edmundos I've been smoking.
I torched the foot and was greeted with a slight coffee flavor and the faintest amount of spice and cream. After a few draws I had to re-clip as it seemed to be tightening up on me. The draw never really opened up until the last few inches, but I was able to get enough smoke out so it wasn't too bad. For me, the smoke remained mellow throughout with flavors of very mild coffee and woodiness. As the smoke progressed, I felt the flavors and the power getting stronger. The spicy flavors picked up around the halfway point, and by the final third they were gone and it was just wood, leather, and tobacco until the end... with a lasting finish. No burn problems at all.
This being my first Monte 2, I know I have to smoke a few more to really get a good feel for them. But my first impressions are that while this smoke has lots of flavor, it isn't quite a full-bodied smoke, at least not in comparison to others I've been smoking. The flavors were nothing but pleasant, and I enjoyed the smoke. I just wish the draw had been a bit better. The sweetness that was present in the Edmundos wasn't present here. In all honesty, I'm not sure if any of the Montecristos fit my ideal flavor profile... but I have a lot more sampling to do!
The cigar had some give in the fingers... not too firm. I've heard about how these can be hit or miss as far as the taste and the draw, I figured what better time to find out than on the last day of 2008. Perfect time to bring the year to a close with a Cuban that has a few years on it.
I clipped and took a draw. Mostly a cedary tobacco flavor... no grass, no ammonia. The wrapper was in decent shape, the only flaw being a few nicks around the foot from handling. I noticed a fair amount of tooth, much more than on the Monte Edmundos I've been smoking.
I torched the foot and was greeted with a slight coffee flavor and the faintest amount of spice and cream. After a few draws I had to re-clip as it seemed to be tightening up on me. The draw never really opened up until the last few inches, but I was able to get enough smoke out so it wasn't too bad. For me, the smoke remained mellow throughout with flavors of very mild coffee and woodiness. As the smoke progressed, I felt the flavors and the power getting stronger. The spicy flavors picked up around the halfway point, and by the final third they were gone and it was just wood, leather, and tobacco until the end... with a lasting finish. No burn problems at all.
This being my first Monte 2, I know I have to smoke a few more to really get a good feel for them. But my first impressions are that while this smoke has lots of flavor, it isn't quite a full-bodied smoke, at least not in comparison to others I've been smoking. The flavors were nothing but pleasant, and I enjoyed the smoke. I just wish the draw had been a bit better. The sweetness that was present in the Edmundos wasn't present here. In all honesty, I'm not sure if any of the Montecristos fit my ideal flavor profile... but I have a lot more sampling to do!
I knew I was going to smoke this one because I've never had one, and I need to smoke a few more to get a good grasp on them. I hear such wonderful things about them I can't really make a judgment from just one so I'll probably post another review after I smoke a couple more down the road for comparison. I really think the draw problem in mine is what muted the experience for me. 
