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Saturday, January 8, 2011

08 Montecristo No.2

Kerblammo.  UGLY wrapper,  Looks like those hideous,  hairless dogs you see in Mexico that people always claim is chupacabra, 
Oily and brown with few red tones, it draws medium-firm with a 1/4 inch diameter cut/hole.  I might cut it again later if the draw tightens any. 

The photo cannot apprach the ugliness of the wrapper.  It looks like a person's back that has peeled from two straight weeks of separate sunburns.  I wasn't in a real photography mood last night.
As I stated, kerblammo, just a rush of lush fruity notes, raisiny and a touch of white wine.  The finish is as thick and rich on the tongue as any cigar I've smoked this year.   There is a suggestion of chocolate and butter on the tongue, but incomplete.  That would be trouble if I had let it dry a bit before smoking.  It might be much richer dry.  There are fading hints on the finish of wet, juicy citrus fruit that is amazingly refreshing on the tongue.  The cigar is very well behaved on the burn, and smokes very little on the lit end, which is great, since I am inside, haha. 


After one inch it is still flavorful without too much complexity.  It has a serious, lingering trait that is interesting, like a creamy Rose tea if there was such a thing.  And I say it has not much complexity, but that is hardly what I described with all of my commas and adjectives above.  There is a great range of funny hints and good flavors.  1.25 inches is hardly time to claim a lack of complex changes.  But as the cigar burned down,  I was never struck by a ramp up in flavor or strength, it just powered along doing it's thing.  So it was a good cigar, but not a monumental find.  It was very entertaining to be so refreshed by a cigar.  This says a lot for the balance and perhaps any potential it might have for enjoyment in 10-20 years.  I have tasted citrus in a cigar before, but mostly a zest thing.  This citrus tang, coupled with the salivary response it elicited in me and the excellent way it stayed out of the dry zone, mingled to create a juice illusion. 

So high marks for this one, but still looking for the white whale I guess, in terms of the perfect Monte No.2.  I am not as hell-bent as some, but I'd like to have a 98-100 one day.  This one, a happy 87.  Continued on it for another 1/2 inch from the last photo.

3 comments:

James said...

Are suggesting that the Monte #2s can be 97-100 when they are only 2 years old? Or are you saying that maybe with a couple of decades they can turn into that?

Honestly, I have had a rough going with the Monte #2s from terrible draw to flavorless smoke. I realize that I do just need to go out and try more, but I am still skeptical that these are as goods as some people claim that they are.

On a slightly unrelated note, I love it when ugly cigars taste good. Don't know what it is, but it is really satisfying.

OLS said...

No james, I am saying that I am always looking for the perfect Monte No.2 that achieves the level of perfection to which the reputation suggests it can rise. This cigar never made it out of the 80s, although the score was a high 80. But YES, I think that it is quie possible to find a 98-100 in a fresh box, or a two year old box. Never found one, but it should be possible. In 5 years, I am looking for a 95+ cigar out of this box. Sad, but this cigar is VERY spotty in performance over it's recent history. :(

James said...

Thanks for the clarification!