Cigar Review: Montechristo No 4

This is a classic cigar, apparently the most popular Cuban cigar (by numbers sold) in the world. So I thought to myself I had better try one and see why everyone seems to buy them. I tried this cigar with a glass of Highland Park 18 yr.

Appearance 8/10

The wrapper is a lovely light brown, with a few small veins, overall the look is very nice, it also has a good oily sheen.

Construction & Draw 8/10

The No4 is well constructed, with a good packing of tobacco. The draw can be just a little tight just after you light it, but the tightness does not last long. The burn on this cigar is even throughout its length.

Flavour 9/10

This is the most important part of the equation, and the No4 does not disappoint. It has a lovely earthy taste to begin with, and produces a good volume of smoke. As you get further through the cigar you will pick up more complex tones, including chocolate and coffee, as you would expect as you get closer to the cap of the cigar the flavours get more intensive.

Value 8.5/10

This is a great cigar for the money, the flavour changes as you smoke the stick, and you really can taste the various flavour transitions.

Summary 8.5/10

All in all a great cigar at a good price, and perfect when you have 45 – 60 minutes to yourself, or when you have a good single malt. This would probably make a good “starter” cigar for someone who has not smoked cigars before, its not too strong but its packed with flavour.

Review: Montecristo Open Eagle

This is a cigar that I have had in the humidor for a while, on the run up to Christmas I had a number of very hard weeks at work, so once the carnage had backed off a little I decided to treat myself to something a little special. I popped into my local merchant, and picked up the Montecristo Open Eagle.

I was hoping for a couple of hours in the company of a great cigar, but unfortunately this was not to be.

Appearance 9.0/10

This is a truly beautiful cigar, the tube is well made and protects the cigar really well. The Cigar itself is a lovely medium brown, with only a few tiny long veins, it feels great between your fingers, and has a fantastic aroma.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

The construction of this cigar is excellent,  it has a nice springy feel as you roll it between your fingers. As well as the standard Monte band it has a really good looking gold and green band. The construction of the cap is perfect, and you cant see any joins between the cap and the cigar body.

The burn on this cigar is pretty much perfect, all the way down it was straight, and the draw was absolutely top notch, the cigar also produces a lot of pleasant smelling smoke.

Flavour 6.0/10

This is a light to medium cigar, and as such I did not expect a lot of body and depth, and that’s fine, as when I initially bought it I was looking for a nice relaxing smoke. The problem is that this cigar starts light, with not a lot of flavour, there is a little hint of vanilla, and a little woody taste, but it was pretty flat. Normally you expect things to pick up the further you go down a stick, but the Monte did not get any more complex, and the flavours did not change throughout the entire smoke.

In summary the flavour of this cigar is really one dimensional, yes its a light to medium cigar, but that does not mean you cant have a good flavour profile.

Value 5.0/10

This cigar is just too expensive for the experience, yes it looks gorgeous, but you just expect a lot more for the money. Flash with no substance.

Summary 6.0/10

This is a wonderful looking cigar, but the smoking experience does not live up to the looks. At around 16 GBP tubed there is just not much going on, its a fairly one dimensional smoke, it never offends, but its totally forgettable, and at this price there are so many excellent cigars that you could choose from.

Because this is a light – medium cigar it might suit the very new smoker who is looking for a large cigar that will not over power them, but I would still suggest that there are a number of better cheaper options out there.

This is not a cigar that will find a home in my humidor.