Video review HERE.
(Description taken from Cigar-coop.com website)
2020 marks the 85th anniversary of the Montecristo brand – and Altadis USA has announced a cigar to commemorate the occasion with the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua. It’s described as a collaboration between the famed Grupo de Maestros, Tabacalera USA Director of Product Capability Rafael Nodal, and master blender AJ Fernandez.
The first Montecristo was produced back in 1935 and with the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua, it is described by Altadis USA as using a blend of aged tobaccos meant to pay homage to the original tobaccos used in the first Montecristo cigar.
In the end, the blend consisted of 100% Nicaraguan tobaccos produced in four soft-pressed sizes: Toro (6 x 54), No. 2 (6 1/8 x 52), Churchill (7 x 52) and Demi (5 1/2 x 46). Each is presented in 10-count boxes except the Demi which is in 20-count boxes. According to Cigar Aficionado production for the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua is being handled out of AJ Fernandez’s San Lotano factory in Ocatel, Nicaragua.
“To honor the age-old tradition of soft-pressing cigars, the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua will be introduced as a soft-pressed series of four sizes,” commented Nodal in a press release, “The cigar offers a luxury showcase from seed to smoke that combines classic craftsmanship and extra-aged estate tobaccos from Nicaragua’s best growing regions.”
Blend and Origin
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: San Lotano
Vitolas Offered
Demi: 5 1/2 x 46
Toro: 6 x 54
No. 2: 6 1/8 x 52 REVIEWED TODAY
Churchill: 7 x 52
The cigar is very nice looking. The band is shiny gold foil and really stands out. The cigar is referenced as a soft box press but it's actually quite sharp. It also has a nice feel in the hand.
The test draw after cutting the cap was a bit firm so I used the PerfecDraw tool to open the torpedo cap a little. The initial flavors at light up were a nice cedar/citrus combination, brown sugar, nutmeg, worn leather, and black coffee. There was a tremendous amount of black pepper initially rated at 8 1/2. The flavors remind me of AJ Fernandez's cigars. Nice start.
At the first third (36 minutes) I still had the cedar but now there are notes of creamy nutmeg, brown sugar, quite a bit of worn leather, and a lot of black coffee. There is still a lot of black pepper but it has toned down to around 7 1/2. The finish is creamy nutmeg, residue of brown sugar, and quite a bit of black coffee. There is also a lot of lingering black pepper. The cigar is medium to full bodied at this point. The cigar has sweetness but it has more leather and black coffee. I rated the first third 94.
Moving through the second third (1 hour 11 minutes) the cigar moved up to full bodied. There is a heavy leather presence. There is now cedar, orange peel (a minor amount), brown sugar, nutmeg intertwined with the leather, and a lot of black coffee. The finish is also heavy on the leather, light brown sugar notes, and a lot of black coffee. The lingering black pepper is still very good. With the uptick in leather I lowered the score to 93.
The cigar lasted an impressive 1 hour 45 minutes. The leather did not increase any more and the sweeter notes made a slight increase. The nutmeg was in check and did not take away from the cigar. There is still quite a bit of leather, black coffee, and black pepper. The cigar is still full bodied. The finish is unchanged. The cigar seemed to get slightly better but not enough to change the score. I held the score of 93 for the final third. Good full bodied, dark noted cigar.
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