Cigars.ie

The Lonsdales of Christmas, Day 3 - Montecristo No.1

Stephen’s Day is all about winding down from the madness of Christmas day. The kids are knackered from the day before and usually have a lie on, and there is enough food left over so there is no worries about cooking either. Luckily, I wasn’t dragged into a mad shopping spree to catch the sales early in the morning, so today is all about being lazy… Oh, and the most important part of the day? A nice Lonsdale.

The Lonsdale I will be smoking today is a Montecristo No.1. The Montecristo No.1 is a Cervante, measuring 6.5″ in length by 42 ring gauge and is considered one of the Cuban classics… A few decades ago, when Lonsdales were one of the most popular sizes in the market, the No.1 was one of Cuba’s top exported vitolas. Nowadays, although not a top seller, the Monte No.1 has many loyal followers. The cigar I will be reviewing today is young, possibly from ‘08 or ‘09.

Appearance 13 / 15

Very well constructed cigar, with a light brown claro wrapper, which is free of prominent veins and wrinkles. It is slightly squared and spongy, with a couple of hard spots. The cap is rounded and well applied. A mild scent of black pepper is present on the foot of the cigar. The prelight draw is on the tighter side.

Flavour & Body 23 / 25

The initial draw is pleasant, with earthy, leathery and sweet flavours. The No.1 does not produce a lot of smoke, and thus, the body is almost empty. There is a lot of flavours there, not easily distinguished, mainly from the fact that the smoke is very thin. I can find paprika, leather and chocolate, but only in hints, as the main flavour is… air! On the second third, the cigar finally opens up, with its flavours bursting on every puff, through the thick and ample smoke. Sweet flavours of chocolate and vanilla dominate, followed by coffee, earth, cedar, leather and tobacco. Very complex and balanced, with a medium body and a long, lingering finish, the No.1 tastes great in the 2^nd third. On the last third the cigar gets fuller, with flavours of salted almonds, cedar and coffee taking the stage. The body is medium to full now and the finish is long and sweet/spicy. I am smoking this to the butt, even though it starts getting a little too hot…

Draw & Burn 22 / 25

A lot of problems on the front end of the cigar, with the combustion not being good, and as a result, there is very little smoke coming through. The burn is uneven, but gets better from the middle and onwards. The draw and burn open up in the middle also. The ash is grey and reaches more than an inch in length before falling, to reveal a flat, but effective coal. From the second third onwards, the cigar draws and burns perfectly.

Overall 32 /35

I have said it in my previous posts and I will say it again; I am not a great fan of the Montecristo standard line, and this is based on my views on 4 of the 5 cigars. This is my first No.1, and I was impressed. It had all the Montecristo flavours, but it was never as harsh as the No.2 can sometimes be. The beginning was terrible, but this could have been a construction error, as that part felt too packed. The rest of the cigar was delicious and after this, I will be getting back to the No.1 more often, and hopefully they will score even higher.

Total 90 / 100