Buy the Monte by Montecristo at Famous Smoke Shop
- Size: 6-1/8″ x 54 (Cuadrado)
- MSRP: $122.50 (box of 10); $12.50 for a single
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Wrapper:Ecuadorian Sumatra
- Binder: Dominican Republic Olor, Nicaraguan Corojo
- Filler: Domican Republic
- Body: Medium
- Strength: Medium
- Humidor Time Prior to Review: 3 months
- Cigars Smoked Prior to Review: 3
- Source: Purchased with Personal Funds
- Date Smoked: November 3, 2018
I’m on a bit of a Montecristo bender now. Having come hot off the heels of reviewing the Montecristo Crafted by A.J. Fernandez, and being left a little disappointed, I wanted to review the Monte by Montecristo Jacopo No. 2. I’ve smoked a few of these, and I’m in the mood to review one this morning.
What makes this cigar different is the use of two binders. Lets see what this one is all about.
Appearance and Pre-Light Aromas
Personally, I think the vitola to get this blend in is the Jacopo No. 2. It’s box pressed with a torpedo head, and it makes quite a statement. You have a dark Ecuadorian Sumatra Wrapper, which I could easily mistake for a light maduro. The seams are tight and near invisible. There are some veins running along the back side, but hardly any can be found on the front of the stick. Most striking is the beautiful, almost square box press, and the tapered head of the cigar. There appears to be a double or triple cap. Hard to tell honestly.
The wrapper itself is leather glove smooth, exhibiting a light sheen and a tiny amount of tooth.
Sniffing the wrapper brings forth aromas of leather, barnyard, earth, and cedar. From the foot I get a more intense cedar, but also some earth and barnyard aromas.
I clip the cap and take a test draw. I get fruit, light leather, and an intense chocolate cake flavor.
I get to toasting and light ‘er up. Start time is 9:20 A.M.
First Third
The first puff or so yields cream and a light fruity sweetness. A light black pepper spice washes across my tongue. The retrohale is nutty and mild. The finish is a lingering neutral tobacco. Body is starting out at a solid medium. Not a bad start to the cigar.
It’s a beautiful morning in Southwest Florida. The weather is a brisk 61 degrees with a light breeze. I’m sitting on my back patio in a sweat shirt. This is an odd sensation after 6 months of unrelenting heat.
The fruity sweetness in the Monte is a strong berry. It’s a highly unique flavor compared with the cigars I have reviewed previously. You have a genuine berry sweetness and it’s the most prominent flavor in the pack. So far the cigar is extremely smooth, and I can easily retrohale the Monte each puff without issue. The retrohale on some cigars will bring me to tears. Or a sneezing fit. Not the case with this Monte.
The dominant flavors are berry, light cream, and nuts. What a nice combination.
At 10 minutes the cigar has burned half an inch, and the burn line is a little wavy. I’m hoping it self corrects. The tight square box press relaxes as you smoke the cigar. The draw is slightly snug, and I’m not getting tons of smoke output. That’s my only complaint at this moment (give me time). I’m going to clip off a little more from the foot. Hopefully I don’t unravel the cigar in the process.
Taking another 1/8″ or so from the foot of the cigar opens the draw. Still not a ton of smoke, but enough to enjoy the cigar. The burn appears to be evening out.
The aroma is a lovely sweet aromatic scent. It’s strawberries right now, and that flavor can be tasted both on the draw, and through the aroma of the burning cigar. What a treat.
15 minutes in and we still haven’t smoked an inch yet, but a compact light gray ash is forming. The flavors are transitioning slowly. A light musk is developing, offering a counter point to all the sweetness. Still sweetness is the name of the game, and this cigar is still heavy on the fruit, cream, and nuts. I’m not complaining.
It’s Saturday morning, and this is the first cigar I’ve had since Monday. Usually I can sneak a cigar in during the week. Or on Friday. But I had a trial on Friday, so the week was like cramming for an exam. Now that the trial is over I feel like school is out. Sorta. I have a bunch of stuff to do next week. Mainly catch up on all the stuff I had to put on hold during my trial prep. And we won the trial so this is a celebration of sorts.
A couple new flavors are coming in. A light coffee and some chocolatey undertones. These flavors add a little more depth and complexity to the cigar. Still getting that strawberry sweetness, some cream, nuts, and light black pepper on the tongue. The coffee and chocolate round things out.
The burn line has self corrected and evened out substantially. Touch wood it will stay this way.
I’m noticing the addition of some aromatic cedar. I’m mostly getting it on the retrohale now. It adds another dimension to the cigar. The aroma has taken on almost a sweet congac flavor.
Second Third
The burn line is a little wavy, but it’s safe to say at this point we have entered the second third. Smoke time is 35 minutes. The ash is still firmly attached, but I’m getting a little paranoid about it. It will drop when I least expect it. Probably into my lap.
I’m enjoying the flavors. It’s a sweet cigar, anchored by that berry sweetness. Still getting some light cream and nuts. Still getting some coffee and chocolate. And I am still getting a little aromatic cedar. The pepper has picked up slightly, especially on the retrohale. The cigar continues to be smooth. I’d say the body is slightly above medium.
Of course the ash falls off right onto my laptop. It lands with an audible thud before rolling onto the patio pavers. It’s a solid ash and I’m able to scoop a big chunk of it up and dump it into the ash tray. The plus side is that without the inch and a half of ash the draw opens up further.
It’s almost camp fire weather. For Florida at least. One of my favorite things to do is have a camp fire in the back yard during the day. I just sit around tending the fire, smoking cigars and reading books. It’s highly therapeutic. I won’t have time to do that today, but hope to get to make the time in the coming weeks.
The burn line is a little ragged, and I’m seeing some tell tale signs of tunneling. I decide to give the burn it’s first tune up. The Monte responds favorably to my torch.
At the moment I’m getting a lovely combination of sweet berries and chocolate. Really nice.
A few minutes later the coffee begins to pick up. It’s becoming more of a black coffee. More pronounced. A tingle of spiciness backs it.
Prior to this point I haven’t felt much strength, but I’m beginning to get a little nicotine now. It’s slowing me down slightly. Nothing overpowering.
The profile has darkened a little with the increase in coffee, and a little dark chocolate, but I’m still getting that core profile of sweet berries. The cream has died down a little, so has the cedar, but the berry flavor is strong and memorable. A little nuttiness remains but that has dialed back a bit as well.
I decide to ash the cigar and a small chunk pops off easily. We are ready for the final third.
The Final Third
Smoke time is an hour and 10 minutes.
Things are cruising along with our Monte in Jacopo. The burn line is even and the smoke is plentiful. Life is good and I’m having a nice quiet morning. I hard some roofers a while ago. The soft sounds of a pneumatic nail gun in the distance. But now it’s quiet and I’m left with the wind in the leaves and the occasional bird chirping. It’s cloudy and parts of the yard are bathed in soft sunlight.
The flavors continue to darken, and I’m being treated to some light leather. It weaves in and out with the berries, and is mostly present on the retrohale. An odd combination but also a welcome change of pace.
We are near the first band. It comes off without a hitch thanks to a small application of glue. Always nice to see. Our Jacopo is firing on all cylinders and smoking like a chimney.
The flavors are now predominantly sweet berry, coffee, leather, and a healthy dose of dark chocolate. Light pepper remains on the tongue and through the nose.
The burn line hasn’t been great. It has been raggedy since the half way point and I’ve had to touch it up a handful of times. Nothing crazy, but worth noting. I think it’s tough to get a square cigar to smoke perfectly. Maybe that would be fixed with more than 3 months of rest. This is a big cigar, and generally speaking I’ve found that the bigger the cigar is the more rest it needs.
At this point some soft notes of wood have joined into the mix. The berry sweetness is beginning to die off and we are getting more of a savory stick now. I think some may find the sweetness in the first 2 thirds of the cigar to be almost cloying. It’s very sweet. I enjoy the sweetness but can’t imagine it will have universal appeal. These transitions towards the end are a nice change.
The ash is hanging off haphazardly, but it’s firmly attached. I can’t tap it off. I’ll let the cigar do its thing.
I’m getting a little red pepper through the nose now. It’s nothing crazy, but a good spicy flavor.
Leather, wood, and coffee is the name of the game now. Pepper supports it. The berry sweetness is almost completely gone as we make our way inside the final 2 inches.
At the hour and 45 minute mark we are nearing the final band. Heavy leather and earth. The nub is still cool, but I think we have seen the best this cigar has to offer. I’ll keep smoking and type up my final thoughts.
The final band appears to have a lot of glue on it, but it pulls off easily. At 1 hour 50 minutes there is still an inch and a half of cigar. You can easily keep going, but I’ve gotten my money’s worth. I’ll end the review here.
Monte by Montecristo Jacopo No. 2 Review – Final Thoughts
I like this cigar a lot and think that Montecristo has succeeded in making a bold statement cigar. The look of the cigar is unique and interesting. There is something about a big square box pressed cigar with a belicoso head that is intriguing. But even more interesting is the flavor profile. They have succeeded in creating something truely unique and memorable with this blend. The strong berry flavors are unlike anything else I have smoked to date. It’s quite good.
While there are some transitions here, it’s not a hugely transitional stick, with that berry element making its way almost all the way through the cigar petering out in the middle of the final third. Still, you have some transitions and good complexity here. It’s a medium bodied cigar for me. Never really making it into medium full territory. It’s nice and smooth to the end. The strength is mild and palatable. No spins, so leave the crash helmet inside.
Construction was good for a big square box pressed cigar. I wouldn’t have minded a touch more smoke output, and I had to correct the burn a few times, but the cigar never went out on me. All said I think it smoked well.
Ultimately I found the Monte to be an enjoyable blend and the Jacopo vitola is a lot of fun. Kudos to Montecristo for making something unique and memorable. Recommended for those that like naturally sweet cigars.
Final Score: 4.25 / 5. A solid “1” on my 0-2 scale. I’d buy it again and would consider a box.
Final Smoke Time: 1 hour 50 minutes +
I recommend purchasing the Monte by Montecristo at Famous Smoke Shop. Please consider that purchasing things through any of the links on this website, including Amazon.com, helps support the website and keeps it going. Any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.
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