The Monte by Montecristo

Monte by Montecristo

At the 2013 IPCPR Altadis had a large and varied presence as it represents a number of well-known brands such as H Upman,  Romeo y Julieta, Saint Luis Rey  and Montecristo. However,  Altadis is just a division of Imperial Tobacco, a $9.3 billion tobacco colossus based in the UK. Imperial is also the exclusive seller of luxury Cuban cigars worldwide (per their 2012 Annual Report) handling Cohiba, Davidoff, Partagas and Hoyo de Monterrey – a tremendous pedigree for any cigar company.

Altadis used the OPCPR to introduce a “revolutionary twist on a beloved classic” in its new offering, the Monte, a series of  premium cigars in 3 sizes (the Conde 5.5 X 48, the Monte 6 X 60 and the Jacoba #2  6 1/8 X 54) .  These cigars have an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, a filler of aged Dominican tobaccos and a double binder of Dominican Olor and Vintage Nicaraguan tobacco.

I selected the 6 X 60 Monte to review as I like larger cigars.  The Monte is a beautiful cigar with a wonderful earthy aroma. The double label (Montecristo and Monte) assures you that Montecristo’s penchant for quality is behind the cigar. The feel was slightly firm but not enough to suggest a problem.

The first draw after lighting convinced me that this was a very good cigar.  The creamy smoke was a delicious blend of coffee and nuts and the draw was extremely easy and cool. There is no point in dividing the review into thirds as this stick was the same throughout – a beautiful smoke!  The shapely ash confirmed the fine quality. With about 1 ¼ inches left, I put the stick down and checked my stopwatch.  A very pleasant hour and 51 minutes had passed by while I read and smoked. This is my kind of cigar to relax with.

The Monte comes 16 to a box and has a SRP of approximately $9.5, representing an excellent value for me. I rate it a 4.5 out of 5 in all categories.