Montecristo Cigars

Seeing  the slight amount of plume on my Montecristo Tubos lets me know that, although I won’t be smoking this cigar today, I know that my humidor that I have the Montes in is doing just fine… I can’t over-stress how important it is to monitor your digital hygrometer with due diligence and your efforts will be rewarded with some of the best cigar smoking experiences available… The cigars will have fermented and given off any nasty aroma of ammonia that is naturally emitted for the first year or so of their lives… Its simply a natural occurrence so there’s no need to get all worked up about the slight aroma of ammonia coming off young Cuban cigars….  The plume is caused when the oils in the tobacco leaf start to crystalize and if you looked at these small oil crystals under a magnifying device you’d see something resembling a small lamp post.  Plume can be formed in a relative short period over a few months if your humidor is well cared for… This cigar will be lit on another day, I have a lot to take care of and it will have to go back into the humidor and will come back out when I can give it all of the respect it deserves by sitting down and concentrate on this flavors with a glass of port in my hand.

My grandmother on a farm in Southern Saskatchewan had gardens all around her yard which fed all of her children and grandchildren for all of the time that we knew her.  You’d walk into her house and the first thing you’d notice was the smell of sour cabbage that she used for cabbage rolls that we ate whenever the family got together for any celebration whether it be someone’s birthday, Christmas or maybe just a get-together for no reason at all… The smell of cabbage rolls, cigarette smoke and cigar smoke was something I’ll never forget, it stays with you for a lifetime… She isn’t with us anymore but her recipes were learned and repeated whenever we got together as a family and I believe that we’ll pass on to our children the same tastes and odors so they too can teach their children how important it is to grow up with good food, family support and love… In recent years I have found myself walking around what used to be her gardens with a great Cuban cigar in my hand like my uncles used to do whenever they were helping out but the produce is now gone and replaced with weeds and more weeds instead of the glorious amounts of vegetables and fruit… The garden is now gone but the cigars taste and smell the same.. Thank God for some things that never change!

An few years back, I was fortunate enough to go on a two different train tours… The first was a few weeks on an old refurbished steam train pulled by an engine that is the only surviving H 1 B Hudson, built in Montreal in 1930… This engine acts as a roving ambassador for CP Rail as it makes its way around North America for various events… This train was brought into BC  and a collection of vintage cars were assembled, the next thing you know, I’m getting to see parts of our province from a whole new view… The next train trip was in the Autumn and this train was the CP Olympic Train… I was able to ride from Vancouver to Montreal in the most colorful of our Canadian seasons… Seeing forests of Maple trees in Ontario and Quebec decked out in reds and golds are a memory I’ll keep with me for a lifetime… Now whats all this got to do with the little Montecristo Perla in the picture above??  Well, there was a car where smoking was allowed and sitting in a train car with a cigar as the world speeds by is living life to its fullest…  I had my golf clubs with me on both trips so many cigars were smoked on courses around Canada but riding on a train and smelling cigar smoke in the air brings you to eras of train travel from the past.

All of the wealth in the world without the odd cigar after a great meal is not worth quite as much as it could be with, yes still the wealth, and a humidor or two with some wonderful hard to find Cubans and a full stock of many sizes of cigars from all of the Cuban brands… I think that as years go by, I’m finding it easier and easier to keep cigars around for that special day when it becomes painfully obvious that a great aged cigar is the only thing that will do… The more Montecristo cigars I smoke, the more I realize that if you are new to cigar smoking and, in particular, new to Cuban cigars then picking up a few Montecristo CUBAN cigars may be the best way to start a whole new passion… Montecristo is a medium to strong cigar, depending on the size, and a more balanced Cuban would be hard to find… This Petit Edmundo in the picture tends to be smooth as silk with a peppery woody profile but keep in mind that this is one of the more full strength cigars from Monte… I find that the Monte “A” can be mild to medium and the ever popular Montecristo No 2 is a step up in strength but still a medium to full strength cigar… These are very popular cigars around the world and aficionados world wide have a close relationship with many of the cigars in the Montecristo brand…

Summer is finally here and cigars are a lot more fun to smoke outdoors…. I have great friends that I spend time with, count on when I need them… My driver seems to be working again and the balls spend more time in the fairway now for my second shot…  My humidors are working fine and I have quite a few cigars that are resting and aging… This is a “Pink” year in the lower mainland and Pink salmon will be coming up our rivers.. Want to have fun?? Stand on the side of a river and go into battle with a salmon and your fly rod.. Even more fun, have a cigar in your mouth as you do it… I’m grateful for having a great family that is supportive and loving… I’m grateful that Vancouver hasn’t had the big earthquake yet… Just wait till that one happens.. Things are going to be different around here… But… So far, everything seems to be just fine!!!

I had a whole topic ready for today’s entry and decided to do something a bit different because of a Montecristo memory I can’t seem to shake off today…  I was at a friend’s and we had a few Cubans burning, one of them being a Montecristo A and another being a Sancho Panza Sanchos, 2 fine cigars to smoke as you waste the afternoon away… We didn’t opt for any beverages that were alcoholic but decided on going through a pot of coffee with these two Gran Coronas… The Sancho Panza was mild for the beginning into the second third and had a grassy, almost vegetal profile as it evolved into a woodier profile whereas the Montecristo A, a milder cigar once again, displayed more of a leather and woody flavors but with more spice and pepper… I started thinking of different Montes I had smoked through the years but one memory in particular keeps coming back to me because of my surroundings that day and the cigar I was smoking… I was in central British Columbia, doing a bit of trout fishing with my friend, Norm, the weather was warm and without much wind, trout were biting and I had a Montecristo Robusto LE 2006… I wasn’t sure what to expect from this LE and the rich complex flavors put on a show that was memorable indeed… For some reason I didn’t smoke enough of these cigars and now I wish I had a humidor full of them, who knows, I may run into a box at some time in the future… Other thoughts go to Montecristos I smoked in Cuba, No 4′s and No 2′s… You tend to cherish those memories for years and sometimes a gentle waft of someone’s cigar on the street or at a party will quickly send you back there at lightning speed…

In 2004, The Edmundo from Montecristo, became a regular family member of the Montecristo line and this Robusto became available to people world wide on a regular basis… Since then, we’ve read countless reviews on this cigar and found that this Robusto has become a favorite choice for those who want a full flavored cigar any time of day… Edmund Dantes, the hero of the book, “The Count Of Montecristo” would be proud that a cigar with such balance and class is his namesake… Bravo… Often, cigar aficionados will consider that the Montecristo No 4 is where the brand set it’s yardstick with regards to quality but when you consider the Edmundo, petit Edmundo and the Montecristo No 2, it becomes very difficult to say which cigar represents Montecristo the best and most consistently… Your guess is as good as mine… We DO know that the No 4 is the world’s best seller from the Monte line and part of me feels that price point is very important when considering this fact, but to forget the No 2 and Edmundo would be foolhardy since these cigars have been smoked, saved and aged by countless smokers… When choosing a cigar, a part of me feels that this regal Edmundo pictured above, should always be considered as a starting point… Judge all cigars after you’ve smoked this one first!!!

Well, since I’m on the topic of the Montecristo Open Series, I may as well show you a picture I was sent this morning by a friend of mine who is in Eastern Canada as I type this.  He is sitting in some shade and enjoying my favorite cigar from Monte’s open series.. The Regata!!! Like I said yesterday, this cigar has incredible notes of dried fruit and creamy coffee with a long lasting toasted tobacco finish… With many smokers worldwide enjoying Montecristo’s regular line of products, there is an ever-growing number of smokers who are finding out that they now have a new Montecristo cigar they can call their own…. For as much as I love the Montecristo No 2, No 4, The Edmundo and petit Edmundo, I feel that there is a time when this new line should be tried, aged and smoked whenever a milder cigar is desired!!!  Many thanks to Wayne and his buddies for the inspiration to write today’s entry!!!

Go to Havana, meet the manager of a government cigar shop and think that everything will be simple with a cigar purchase, just may not be a simple as you would think…. There are just over 30 different cigar brands in Cuba with many different sizes and shapes with varying flavor profiles and strengths and the next thing you know, you’ve got a problem on your hands with the limits of cigars that you are able to bring back to your home country…. Different times of the day, different beverages that will accompany your cigar, different meals that you may be eating before smoking all fall into play when it comes to choosing a perfect cigar for the occasion…. There are milder Cubans like Fonseca, full bodied cigars like Partagas and the Cohibas are almost in a class of their own when it comes to power and strength….. But… You may have an edge with Montecristo when it comes to a brand that can satisfy all of the smoking options you face….  The Monte No 2 is a medium flavor cigar with, in my humble opinion, a more medium strength that would be perfect for a smoke in the middle of the afternoon.. I’m a big believer in the Montecristo No 4 for later in the day as well but after a big heavy meal with rich flavors, the Edmundo or Petit Edmundo is the perfect choice for a moment like that.. Scotch, port or Cuban rum seem to pair beautifully with these 2 late night stogies… An aged Montecristo is even a smarter choice… That is if you have the patience to hold on to them in your humidor for any length of time!!!!

A few years back the good people from Montecristo decided to introduce a new line of cigars aimed at new smokers…. The Eagle is the largest cigar in this series at 5.9 inches long and a mighty 54 ring gauge which delivers quite a mild but woody and slightly spicy profile…. The next size down is Montecristo’s Robusto in this series, the “Master” with a 50 ring gauge and a length of 4.7 inches long which feels great in the hand and is once again a milder introduction to cigar smoking.  This is where we get to my personal favorite in this new line, the “Regata”…. This belicoso has an amazing sweet and fruity profile that reminded me of the H. Upmann Magnum 48 but without the strength and power….. The Montecristo Regata is still a milder smoke but had a lot to offer, in my opinion and I smoked a fair number of the Open Series cigars….. At a length of 4 1/3 inches and a ring gauge of 38 is the smallest cigar in the Open Series, the “Junior”….. The factory name of the Junior is Trabucos and I have to admit that I haven’t smoked many of these and at this point wouldn’t be able to give you much info concerning the flavors this cigar presents…..  There were conflicting reports and feelings about the Montecristo Open Series when it was introduced an few years back at the Habanos Festival in Havana….. Those who were used to the power of the Edmundo and No 4 felt that this line didn’t have the strength that they were used to but newer smokers felt that Montecristo had made a good decision in giving cigar smokers and lovers of Cuban tobacco a few more options…… More options turned out to be very good for Montecristo and this new line is still going strong.