Montecristo 75th Anniversario No.2

Brand of Cigar: Montecristo

Name of Cigar: 75th Anniversario No.2
Vitola: 6 1/8 X 52 Torpedo
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan & Honduran
Body: Medium
Time of Smoke: 1:30

MSRP Price: $14.70-16.65
Purchase Price: $8.00

Place of Purchase: Puff N' Stuff


Intro:

I made my way back to Pennsylvania this week to get together with my fellow Cigarnivore so we could smoke some cigars and try and get this site up and running. About an hour into my five hour drive I realized I had forgotten my sticks in my humidor in Ohio. What was I to do? The obvious answer was to go grab some more cigars at the local cigar shop, Puff N' Stuff. Unlike the other local cigar shops in the area, this place actually keeps their cigars pretty well and are relatively inexpensive. I managed leaving the shop with this 75th Anniversario Cristo for $8.00, to say I was excited to smoke this stick would be an understatement. Because I was in a bind, I didn't have time to age this cigar, but I know that the store has had these for at least the last six months so I figured I'd be alright. I took this one out to the back deck with my fellow Cigarnivore (who had a Siglo) and got ready to enjoy my purchase.

Appearance/Construction: (23/25)
When I picked this cigar up, I couldn't help but think it was a great looking cigar. It was a great sized cigar (6X52) for my liking (I prefer a cigar over a 50 ring). It also came packaged in a nice dark chocolatey wrapper. It also had a nice oily coating on it. I didn't see any major veins running through the stick and overall it looked to be a very smooth stick that was rolled with quality. This is pretty typical of Montecristo as I haven't had too many that weren't put together well. The Band reminded me a lot of the Cristo Cabinet Selection bands, however the 75th Anniversario added a sense of nostalgia to it. Once I saw the 75th Anniversario I was naturally suckered into making the purchase.

Smoking Experience: (25/30)

After getting this thing out of the plastic and cracking open a nice cold Red-Stripe to accompany it, I looked for the pre-light characteristics and noticed the usual earthy tones along with a sweet hint to it. I lit this bad boy up and was immediatly engulfed in smoke. The heavy smoke that came from this stick was certainly a plus, and I had no problem with the draw. I must say I thought I was in for a classic, the smoke and draw were good and I was getting hints of mocha and some sweeter tastes. Throughout the first third, all was well, the sweetness continued with some earthy tones and I had a dark one inch ash clinging to the end of the stick. Once the ash fell, this cigar started to fall off a little however. I had to touch up the stick on three different occasions, which I personally don't think should be happening with a $15.00 MSRP Cristo. The cigar never did get harsh, but with a little over an inch left, the Cristo started tunneling and I decided to call it quits.



Value: (17/20)

I personally enjoyed the flavor profile of this particular cigar, but the touch ups and tunneling shouldn't be present in a quality stick such as this. I don't think I would purchase this cigar at the MSRP, but I may give it another try at the $8.00 price tag and age it in my humidor for a little while. This was by no means a bad cigar, I think with a little aging it could be fine.  If I do grab another I'll be sure to keep it awhile and update this review if I find a difference.


Overall Rating: (22/25)This one may be a little overpriced in my opinion, at least at the MSRP price. The cigar did have a nice flavor profile and a thick smoke that I enjoyed. This one is a little tough for me in the overall rating because although it tunneled on me, I couldn't help but keep looking at it and say "damn this is a nice looking cigar". Overall the cigar was solid other than the tunneling and touch-ups, but I will have to take off for those for now. Like I said if I grab another and give it time to age, I'm sure I will bump up this particular stick in a few categories.

The Montecristo 75th Anniversario No. 2 Torpedo recieves a rating of 87.