Cigar Weekly

Montecristo, now one of the more famous Cuban brands was started in 1935 by Menendez, Garcia y Cia., then the owners of the H. Upmann brand. The name is reported to have been inspired by Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel Le Comte de Monte Cristo.

In 1997, the Montecristo #4 was reported to be the best selling Cuban cigar in the world.

The Montecristo is made, primarily in the same factory where was originated, the old H. Upmann factory in Havana, called José Martí since the revolution in 1959. To meet demand, the Montecristo is also made in most of the export factories.

* prices may vary depending on the country where purchased

Pre-Smoke Comments

Brian Combs: Two of the three cigars had some rough seams. Two had a triple cap, while one had a quadruple cap! Traditional p.c. size (129mm long by approx. 16mm wide). Very smooth; absolutely no tooth. One of the cigars has some bloom. Pre-light taste had a slight honeyed sweetness. No soft or hard sports on any of the samples.

Chris Johnson (ÞFirefarmer£): Well made petite corona size (5x38). Brown veiny wrapper with nice smooth cap. Light earthy aroma and perfect pre-light draw.

Keith Sprouse (Keith_S): This was a nice-looking petite corona that sported a medium-brown wrapper with no visible defects and fairly light veining. The construction was good, with no soft or overly tight spots to be found. The cigar lit easily, burned well, and showed no construction problems during the smoke.

Steve Faccenda (£TOJEÞ): Size was a petite corona: approx 5 x 42. Overall appearence was a little on the rough side with moderate veining! With a med-firm roll.

Will Denton (WDENT): The cigar looked beautiful. It had a great shape and was filled perfectly. It also had a great triple cap with a perfectly flat end. I think I am going to enjoy smoking this cigar if it smokes as good as it looks.

Smoke Comments

Brian Combs: Initial flavor was quite peppery with a bit of sweetness in the background. I'm guessing that I can't get this at my local tobacconist. Except for the size, I'd swear it was a Partagas Short. Aftertaste is pure pepper (very nice!) and medium in length. Large volume of smoke from such a small cigar. Draw was perfect on two, but a bit tight on one. All three cigars started to run at first, but quickly evened out. Body is medium and strength is a bit less than medium.

Chris Johnson (ÞFirefarmer£): Nice little mild cigar to start the day with. Well made not too firm or too soft. Burned even, perfect draw and had mild spice and earthy tobacco flavors.

Keith Sprouse (Keith_S): I was impressed by the flavor of the cigar which started off with a nice amount of zippy peppery spice and then developed into a solid mild-medium bodied smoke with evident woody flavor and some milder leather notes. Toward the half-way point, some hints of anise made a brief appearance. All in all, the cigar packed quite a bit of flavor into a small package and even managed a respectable amount of complexity for such a small vitola.

Steve Faccenda (£TOJEÞ): It first light I knew we had a winner!! wohoooo! The ash was almost jet black but a little on the flaky side. Draw was smooth and easy with PLENTY of spice.... the flavors grew with every puff, almost to the point where I had to sit down from the boldness! My kinda cigar!!

Will Denton (WDENT): This cigar smoked like a dream. It had volumes of smoke and flavor. The flavor was a great med to full taste and it was very earthy and coffee like. The burn was razor sharp on one cigar with a solid ash and the other sample had a slight run that was easily corrected. The ash was very dark and solid. The cigar left a slight aftertaste that was pleasant and they went very well with a good tequila on the rocks.

Summary Comments

Brian Combs: Very nice. This would make a great morning cigar for those who like to start the day with a good amount of flavor. There were some construction problems, but they were mostly asthetic in nature. Due to its similarity in taste to the Partagas Short, I'm guessing that this is a Partagas Petit Corona, although I've never actually had that stick.

Chris Johnson (ÞFirefarmer£): Very enjoyable mild cigar for a morning smoke. Had a distinct taste similiar to some cigars I've had from an island south of Miami!! Would buy these for those mild yet tasty moods if the price is reasonable.

Keith Sprouse (Keith_S): This petite corona packs a big cigar flavor and complexity into a small package. I would definitely recommend this cigar to anyone who is looking for a short smoke that is tall on flavor.

Steve Faccenda (£TOJEÞ): This cigar had ALOT of complex flavors and very full of cigar taste! This is not for the light weight smoker! JMO! This little vitola finished with a MULE KICK that made my head spin! The only thing I would like to see different on this cigar is that it have alittle firmer roll! A BIG THUMBS UP!! Where can I get more??? I gots ta know!!

Will Denton (WDENT): This is one of the better cigars that I have smoked in a while. I would not hesitate to by a box of these if I could find them. I would like to thank Cigar Weekly for the opportunity to smoke this cigar. If I had to guess the cigar brand it would be a well aged Ramone Allones Small Club Corona.

Scores

Review Results
Final Score: 39.6 out of 50

4 Star -- Excellent                             

For this, our first Cuban cigar review, we chose the Montecristo No. 4, one of the most popular of Cuban cigars. Why is it so popular? It's widely available, it's reasonably priced, and it is consistently mild yet flavorful. It's a favorite among those new to Cuban cigars as well as all but the most hardcore of aficionados.