Last summer, Altadis U.S.A. added a line to the Montecristo brand: the Montecristo Nicaragua Series. It turned once again to the frequent collaborator AJ Fernandez to blend and roll the cigars at his factory Tabacalera AJ Fernandez. Recently AJ Fernandez and Altadis have collaborated to make the Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez, H. Upmann by AJ Fernandez, Gispert Intenso, and Romeo y Julieta by AJ Fernandez.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
The blend is a Nicaraguan puro and comes in four sizes: Robusto (5 x 54) — $11.75, Toro (6 x 54) — $12.25, No. 2 (6 1/8 x 52) — $12.70, Churchill (7 x 56) — $13.70.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro Length: 6″ Ring Gauge: 54 Country of Origin: Nicaragua Wrapper: Nicaragua Binder: Nicaragua Filler: Nicaragua Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez S.A. Blender: AJ Fernandez Number of reviewers: 4 – Jason H.(Jokey Smurf) Kevin J. (maninblack77) Isaac M.(The Nothing) Daniel S. (Daniel S.) Price: $12.25 Age: 5 Months Release Date: August 2018 Contributed by: Altadis USA
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 93
“This is a very handsome cigar that is sporting the worn leather jacket looking wrapper leaf that I like so much. All aspects of construction appear spot on” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Aroma: 89
“From the foot I’m getting a lot of dry hay notes and some slight baking spices. Let’s light this baby up!” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
First Third
Blind Cigar Review: Montecristo | Nicaragua Series Toro
Flavor: 90 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Right off the bat I’m getting a milk chocolate flavor and lots of other baking spices, like nutmeg. Good start to this cigar. These flavors continue throughout the first third until the chocolate goes away and is replaced by lots of Graham cracker flavor. Construction is steady so far with only 1 touch up needed. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“This cigar kicked off with the whole kitchen cabinet array of spices. Cumin seemed to be the most noticeable, with plenty of other spices alongside. Slowly the spices merged as became reminiscent of a chipoltle pepper.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Second Third
Flavor: 90 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
Blind Cigar Review: Montecristo | Nicaragua Series Toro
“Not a lot of transitions but still very enjoyable. The sweetness is still the prominent flavor but is now finishing with a ginger zippiness.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
“The middle portion has the pepper returning but just enough to be a positive addition to the charred wood and mocha. I’m really loving it at this point!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“Nothing changes as we coast into the final third. Lots of the same flavors from the second third. Enjoyable cigar, even if the complexity could have been better. Still needed a few touch ups near the end. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“The earthy play of leather and spices continue through to the end, much as they started did halfway through the cigar. ” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Overall Impressions
Blind Cigar Review: Montecristo | Nicaragua Series Toro
Draw: 93
“The draw was great! Perfect amount of resistance and it was very easy to get mouthful of smoke.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
Burn: 91
“A nice straight burn line on this one considering the breeze… No issues at all for me.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Construction: 94
“The construction was excellent! The cigar burned cool the whole time.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
“This one was like a Ferrari for me… Good right out of the gate and stayed true to the finish. This will be a cigar that I get more of for future enjoyment!” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“Overall this was an enjoyable cigar although very one dimensional for the most part. I’d say its worthy of a fiver at least but that would be it for me. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“This cigar had a lot of stuff going and just really hit the spot for me. I’m looking forward to having this one again.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“Even though I was not able to pick out any distinct flavors, I enjoyed the cigar. It was flavorful and kept my attention the whole time. It did not have a lot of transitions but sweetness and ginger was nice combination. I would definitely smoke this cigar again.” –Daniel S. (Daniel S.)
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
Blind Cigar Review: Montecristo | Nicaragua Series Toro
Overall Score – 91 – Very Good
Blind Cigar Review: Montecristo | Nicaragua Series Toro
Summary
"This one was like a Ferrari for me... Good right out of the gate and stayed true to the finish. This will be a cigar that I get more of for future enjoyment!" -Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
