There are a couple Montecristo cigars that I really enjoy. One of them is the 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua, which was uncharacteristically bold and full of flavor when thinking about Montecristo cigars. Initially, when you look at a heritage brand like Montecristo you don’t expect anything too wild in the way of flavor. In my mind, they are a safe bet for anyone to hand out as a celebratory cigar to someone who is not necessarily familiar with the wide variety of choices the cigar industry has to offer. I was a bit taken back by the price of the Robusto vitola of the “M” so naturally I had high hopes for it.
OVERVIEW
VITOLA: Robusto
SIZE: 4-3/4″ x 54
ORIGIN: Nicaragua
FACTORY: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.
WRAPPER: Connecticut seed Ecuador
BINDER: Nicaragua
FILLER: Nicaragua
STRENGTH: Mild to Medium
SOURCE:
Retailer
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE:
Outside
WHEN:
July 1, 2025
DRINKS:
Water
WEATHER:
Overcast and hot
HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:
2
PRODUCTION
RELEASE TYPE Regular Production
ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE November 2024
TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size: Boxes of 20
Production Totals: Unknown
VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o Robusto (4-3/4″ x 54)
o Toro (6″ x 52)
o No. 2 (6-1/4″ x 52)
o Churchill (7″ x 50)
BAND DESIGN
When looking at the Montecristo, there isn’t a lot of variation in the banding. They are easy to spot in a humidor, and it is only the color scheme and secondary band that vary from cigar to cigar. I do like the boldness of the red “M” in the secondary band and the clean design that surrounds it. The shield leads one to believe that there is some amount of prestige to this cigar. It matches the clean construction quite well.
PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
The cigar looks perfect, and there is an extremely neat double cap. The veins are minimal throughout the body of the cigar seams are very tight. The wrapper is a very light brown with some green hues here and there, but most of it is uniform. It is a very nice-looking cigar, but taking cost into consideration, I expect stellar construction.
AROMA
Surprisingly enough, the aroma that comes off the body of the cigar is pretty strong. It’s almost like I a smelling a broadleaf wrapped cigar. Heavy hay and barnyard with some oak notes in there. There is also the faint fresh grass smell in the background. On the foot, in addition to the hay and barnyard, you get a little more pepper that stings the nostrils. There’s also a hint of a chocolate, a very dark chocolate.
COLD DRAW
There’s some restriction on the draw, a little more than I had hoped for. Lots of hay and cream notes coming off the cold draw. There is a bit of cinnamon and orange peel on the back end, but that’s about all the flavors that I can taste out of the cold draw.
SMOKING EXPERIENCE
LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: Straight
Fire: Torch
There are some bolder flavors right off of light-up, which is always surprising. Damp earth with some chocolate and almonds in the mix. The retro is super spicy right away with a blast of cayenne pepper that lasts for a long time. It is very unexpected. Right after the retro, as soon as the spiciness fades, you get a wave of black pepper that comes to the forefront of your palate. Right behind that is a nice creamy oak note. There is a little nutty sweetness, but that is promptly stomped out with the pepper and cream notes.
SMOKE
The smoke of the cigar is chewy. I wouldn’t say that it’s thick, but it feels substantial after each draw. You get an adequate amount of smoke after every draw so that’s good. There’s a bit of resistance, but not enough that it’s annoying and you don’t have to take a huge draw to get a good amount of smoke. Solid construction so far, the smoke smells a little sweet and leaves a pleasant room note. You can almost smell a bit of floral scent in the air.
FIRST THIRD
>> Earth, Hay, Pepper
The draw is great, tons of smoke production from a standard draw. There’s more smoke coming off in the first third than right off of light up, which is nice. The burn seems to have a little wave but no issues there, even with a shoddy light-up job. The cigar mellows out in the first third, all the bold and peppery notes experienced off light up dissipate. I can best describe this cigar as an amped up Connecticut. There are bolder cream notes that have a little bit of earth, hay, and chocolate mixed in. The retro is not nearly as spicy as light-up. It is less peppery, and it includes a sweet cream that balances out the cigar in a nice way. The texture of the smoke is really interesting, it’s like having caramel in your mouth minus a lot of the sweetness, and throw in some more earth, hay, and a little pepper. At this point, it is more on the medium side of the spectrum.
SECOND THIRD
>> Sweet Cream, Walnut, Dry Earth
This cigar continues to mellow out in the second third. The draw is great, but the burn did require some attention. You notice a lot more sweetness comes out in the second third. The cigar starts to move towards more mild Connecticut cigars everyone is familiar with, but with a small kick of bold pepper. Sweet cream with hay, walnut, and dry earth. The peppery retro disappears and offers some bold notes of oak, nutmeg, and earth mixed with heavy cream. The finish is earthy with some cinnamon and cream. The smoke is still thick and has a lot of texture.
FINAL THIRD
>> Cream, Hay, Pepper
The waviness continues into the last third, but the draw is still good. I haven’t had to touch the cigar up with my lighter, but I have had to doctor it up with my finger to make sure that one side does not burn faster than the other. The smoke is still thick and very chewy. The final third is less sweet than the previous third. To be honest, it is a letdown. This cigar is your standard run-of-the-mill mild to medium cigar. There are no notes that stand out or keep me interested. It has the hay and cream notes, and you still get remnants of that earth and pepper that have lasted throughout the entire cigar, just a little more muted now. The retro does get amped up in pepper a little bit, but in my mind, it still falls flat in flavor. I can say one thing that would keep someone interested in the cigar is the thick texture of the smoke. The finish is the same as the second third, no variation in flavor.
RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS
FLAVOR PROGRESSION
The flavor progression of the cigar fell short and wasn’t something I enjoyed. I was initially interested because of the bold pepper notes coming off of light up, but that didn’t last. The M fell into a category of cigars that are not bad, not good, but really nothing special. The flavors were consistent, and the second third is probably the highlight of the cigar, but you really have to dig for those flavors.
BURN EXPERIENCE
Construction was OK in the M. There was a lot of uneven burn throughout the cigar, especially getting into the second and last thirds. I didn’t have to use my lighter to do any burn touchups, so that is a positive. The draw was good, and the ash held on for an extended period of time.
RATING BREAKDOWN
0.75 / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.49 / 0.50 … Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50 / 0.50 … Lighting Process
5.75 / 7.70 … Smoking Experience
0.37 / 0.50 … Personal Enjoyment
COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES
- Good looking cigar
- Consistent flavors
- Not a lot of variation
- Not flavors really stood out
Mediocre Performance at a High Cost.
When I first started smoking cigars, Monte Cristo was an easy and safe choice because they were pretty consistent while offering a decent experience. Not to bash on people that will smoke Monte Cristo’s regularly, but this cigar is nothing special. It is your tried and true mild to medium bodied cigar that offers the usual flavors that you would expect out of a Connecticut wrapper. At a price point of almost $30 or more, there are a number of choices in the same wheelhouse that are worth trying at a lower price point. The Sobremesa Brûlée from Dunbarton is one that I confidently recommend if you want to experience an amped up Connecticut that offers a lot of flavor and value. The cigar I’m smoking as I finish this review, the J.C. Newman Diamond Crown also outperforms the M in every way. I don’t know if I would even recommend someone trying this cigar at least once, just because of the high price point.
