Top 5 Regular Production Montecristo?

[Puff Scotty]

Lot's of posts lately on Monte's...my top 5 regular production cigars are..in order;

1) Especial No.1
2) Especial No.2
3) No.1
4) PE
5) No.3

The Monte No.2 would have been absolute top of this list except for recent inconsistency.

Your lists please gentlemen...

[DavidD]

Good morning Scotty - I can only list the three I smoke. In order : 3 ; 1 ; 2. I suppose that's because I smoke the No. 3 as a regular daytime cigar and tend to smoke other brands in the evenings, only occasionally opting for a Monte. My range experience isn't the best to judge.

[tippexx]

1) Especial
2) Especial No.2
3) No.1
4) No.2
5) No.5

No longer in production, but would be interested to hear if anyone's smoked a No 6 or 7.

[Puff Scotty]

Never had a No.6 or No.7..when they were available I was into the larger RG's & my other sources (Dad & Grandad) didn't leave me any!...

[monkey66]

1. Especial
2. Especial No2
3. PE
4. No1
5. No2

I have just scored some '98 and '05 especials

Thinking about it Monte is one of the few marcas that has really maintained it's blend identity over the years. When they are good, they are great.

[TJCoro]

Not A Big Fan....Yet!

What? No. 4 no good?


Names BJ, BJ Coro, and I don't smoke too many Montys.

[monkey66]

What? No. 4 no good?


Names BJ, BJ Coro, and I don't smoke too many Montys.

Great if you can get good ones but hit and miss due to the production volume ...like the 2's. But when you hit a good box they can be stunning.

[Manning]

Ive only tried four montys , i hope open counts as regular production:

1)No 5
2)Open regata
3)No 2
4)No 4

[tippexx]

Great if you can get good ones but hit and miss due to the production volume ...like the 2's. But when you hit a good box they can be stunning.

Sad but true .... and shouldn't really be the case .... imagine saying the same thing about Budweiser or Mr Kipling's Bakewell Tarts .... doesn't really happen does it!

[monkey66]

Sad but true .... and shouldn't really be the case .... imagine saying the same thing about Budweiser or Mr Kipling's Bakewell Tarts .... doesn't really happen does it!

Nope, it shoudn't, but we still buy 'em

Still probably not fair comparisons as mass brewery and baking are industrial, scientifically controlled formulas these days.

Cuban cigars are rolled bundles of tobacco that has been blended by eye, and quantity of leaves judged by eye (and a lot of eyes). The shapes of the leaves aren't uniform and they then dry out in scientifically unpredictable ways (from an internal structure point of view). We then judge this fairly random bunch of leaves after five or ten years of varying storage and humidity on whether it has 'perfect draw'?

Let's not forget 'it's Cuba'.

The more I think about it, it is a wonder any of them draw at all

On the other hand we pay a lot of money and can expect a premium product, just won't always get it.

Still there are plenty of New World cigars, with better QC and far less plugging problems ...I mean it's not like anyone is holding a gun to our head

[Puff Scotty]

So the drawmaster doesn't work any more?? That's why we get plugged sticks..

[TJCoro]

Monkey Shines!

...I mean it's not like anyone is holding a gun to our head

Oh really? Look Again, Gringo!




Just wait 'til the Yanks get in there (Cuba) ....They'll straighten things out!


Perro, el Perro

[DavidD]

If (when) the yanks get into Cuba they will bugger up everything - just as they always do. Monkey makes a very valid point when he says that there's no gun to our heads. That's one of the reasons I'm delving into NCs and my initial reaction is that I wish I had done so earlier. Apart from Don Tomas, Ashton and the occasional Davidoff, I stuck to Cubans but I now realise - from 4" 60g to 7" 40g there really are some good smokes out there - beyond Cuba. I'll probably be criticised for deviation but Montes haven't ALL improved and that's the problem.

[monkey66]

So the drawmaster doesn't work any more?? That's why we get plugged sticks..

Not sure how the drawmaster is going to predict what happens once the cigar is capped and drying. I was under the impression it is testing the cigars wet, pre-capping.

[Puff Scotty]

Not sure how the drawmaster is going to predict what happens once the cigar is capped and drying. I was under the impression it is testing the cigars wet, pre-capping.

So if it draws wet..drying to some extent will plug it..I don't think so...