Cigar Info
Back in March, Altadis U.S.A. announced another cigar in the Montecristo Epic line: Montecristo Epic Vintage 12. It was supposed to ship in April, but didn’t hit shelves until June. The blend was created by Grupo de Maestros. The Vintage 12 joins the original Epic line, Montecristo Epic Special Seleccion ’07, and the Montecristo Epic Craft Cured in the Epic line.
The blend uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, and contains a special blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos collected during an exceptional harvest about 9 years ago. The “12” in the name comes from the year of that crop, 2012. Montecristo Epic Vintage 12 comes in boxes of 10 and each contains a certificate signed by a group of rollers from Tabacalera de Garcia factory in La Romana, Dominican Republic. It comes in two sizes, a 6 x 52 Toro that sells for $17.75, and a 6 x 50 No. 2 that sells for $18.50.
Vital Stats
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic and Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera de Garcia
Blender: Grupo de Maestros
Price: $17.75
Age: 3 Months
Release Date: June 2021
Contributed by: Altadis U.S.A.
Pre-Light
This is a gorgeous dark an oily wrapper, with only a few very tiny blemishes. A nice triple cap finishes things off. From the unlit wrapper I get a musty cabinet spice mixture, a good sign. The cap shaves off without issue and the pre-light draw is mostly leather and tea.
First Third
The first few puffs are surprisingly subdued with little spice and some of the musty flavors I picked up during pre-light. Things pick up quickly and I start getting some leather and caramel flavors. Further in I start to get some oak flavors that work really well.
Second Third
In this third, I’m still getting the caramel sweetness, but now with some espresso instead of leather and oak. Further in a little dark fruit, like cherry comes through, a really nice touch. The cigar is burning like a champ and putting off a good amount of smoke. Things really hit their stride in this third, it was balanced and a nice finish that didn’t over power it.
Final Third
In this third the oak flavors from the first third make an appearance again. The caramel sweetness is still around, but not quite as present. Just to mix things up a bit, towards the end I start getting some cocoa in the profile and just a hint of baking spice. The cigar finishes off surprisingly similar to where it started with caramel and leather and wood. I haven’t had to touch the burn on this thing once.
Overall Impressions
This cigar was a great addition to the Epic line from Montecristo, maybe the best yet. I was a big fan of the Epic Craft Cured, a cigar that I thought went kind of under the radar. This is just as good as that or better. The flavors were harmonious and left me wanting more and more. I really dug the caramel sweetness combined with the on an off oak flavor. The burn and draw were perfect the whole time and just added to the great experience. I will be picking up some more of these for myself, I think you should too.