Tony and I did a joint review of the
Montecristo No. 2 a short while back, check that out for some more details about the Montecristo company and it’s history. The way they decided on the name was always an interesting topic to me.

This cigar comes in as a short robusto size, which was historically not too common to see in the Cuban market. Recently a few brands have started coming out with their version of a short robusto as well. I purchased a box of 10 of these a while ago with a box date of Feb 09, the cigar reviewed below comes from that particular box so it had just over a year of age on it.

Cigar: Montecristo Petit Edmundo
Drink: Mill Street Brewery Coffee Porter
Vitola: Short Robusto (4 x 50)
Wrapper: Cuban
Binder: Cuban
Filler: Cuban
Price: $7-8 in Cuba
Burn Time: 1.25 Hours

Construction:
• Fairly even diameter throughout
• One large vein but it doesn’t look like it will cause problems
• Clean triple cap
• Nice and firm throughout with a perfect spring to it
• Foot looks very well packed
• Cut was firm but very clean
• Small crack in wrapper near the foot, was due to transit and not manufacturing
• Great draw, perfect resistance

Burn:
• Toasting was perfectly even with absolutely no dark spots
• Slight waviness at start, mostly due to the small crack
• After clearing the crack effortlessly, the burn has been razor sharp through the first half

Smoke & Ash:
• Lots of smoke right from the first draw
• Abundant resting smoke with a nice cedar aroma
• Ash is very white with gray highlights
• Seems to be holding strong and no flaking
• Ash held a little past one inch and fell off in the ashtray as I set the cigar down, perfect timing

Tasting Notes:
• Wrapper aroma is faint, just a slight hint of sweet tobacco
• Foot has a sweet citrus-like aroma and a touch of cinnamon spice
• Pre-light draw is more of that citrus-like sweetness with a hint of coffee notes
• Initial draws taste of cedar and coffee, the sweet and spice seems to have disappeared
• Body is starting in the mild-medium range
• Retrohale is fairly mild with a smooth cedar finish, no bite at all
• As I approach the half-way mark, the cedar is making a strong appearance and that initial cinnamon spice I detected is coming in slowly
• Along with the cinnamon, the slight sweetness also is making an appearance ever so slightly around the half-way point
• Also picking up some earthy flavors here and there
• cigar started approaching the Medium-Full range near the last 1.5 inches but it stayed nice and smooth
• The last inch of this cigar was all cedar, still very enjoyable and I nubbed it right to the end

Final Thoughts:
Most Cuban’s have a distinct flavor that they share and it’s usually pretty easy for me to pick out. I’ve found that with this stick I can never seem to find it. This is definitely not a bad thing. It’s one of the few Cuban’s I’ve had recently that is very unique in comparison to others. If you’ve ever had the Edmundo and compare it to the Petit Edmundo, you will find they are quite a different cigar. I’ve enjoyed every one of these I’ve had and they also seem to be quite consistent in construction quality as well. It doesn’t change flavors all that much but it is a short vitola and I enjoyed every bit of it. This is definitely on my top 10 list along with it’s larger brother, the Montecristo No. 2 (Click to read the joint review Tony and I did) and is a must-try to everyone who hasn’t had one yet.

Pairings:
You’ve seen this brew on many of my reviews and it is still one of my favorites. The dark porter mixed with great coffee flavors make it a perfect match for many occasions and cigars. It matched very well with this cigar since it had some nice coffee undertones and the brew really brought those out. Click here for a full review I did on this brew. This cigar also pairs excellently with Tawny Port, Coffee, Cuban Coffee, Scotch and sweet tea. It’s one of those diverse cigars that can pair well with nearly everything.

Mill Street Brewing Coffee Porter

The Brewery: Mill Street Brewery

The Beer: Coffee Porter

The Brewers Home: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Situation: Relaxing on the couch

Mill Street Brewing Coffee Porter

The Story:

Mill Street Brewery was one of Toronto’s first commercial breweries and has been open for over 100 years.  The company does make a few mass produced beers and also satisfies the beer enthusiast with some small-batch craft beers.  They have earned many awards and currently have 13 brews in their inventory.  You can read more about them at http://www.millstreetbrewery.com or follow them on twitter @MillStreetBrew.

 The Bottle:

This slim dark brown bottle is slightly on the small side, holding 341ml(11.5oz).  The bottle design is quite appealing, having an embossed front and back.  The embossing on the front states “MILL STREET BREWERY” in black text and the rear embossing containing a circular logo, initials and a line stating “Quality Brewing”.  There is also some text on the front:

“Beer Brewed with Coffee”

And some on the back:

“Mill Street Porter is a wonderfully sinful blend of Balzac’s own dark roasted coffee, brewed to perfection with a full-bodied traditional porter.  We know you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this delicious and satisfying combination.”

Mill Street Brewing Coffee Porter

 The Eyes:

The porter is dark with a moderate amount of froth.  The glass is completely opaque and filled with a dark golden-ruby color.  Even holding it up to a light, it barely penetrates the liquid I’m about to enjoy.

 The Nose:

A refreshing aroma comes off this dark porter.  The nose picks up scents of malt and a sweet yet mild coffee tone.  It’s very a pleasing aroma that begs you to drink it and enjoy.

 The Tongue:

As expected, the first sips give a strong taste of coffee with an added sweetness.  The malt flavor also shines through.  The coffee flavor is more akin to something along the lines of espresso or a very strong brewed coffee.

The taste is till refreshing despite it’s fully flavored brew.  The flavor lingers on the palate after swallowing and leaves a pleasant after taste with little to no bitterness.

Mill Street Brewing Coffee Porter

 The Final Drop:

This is a great beer.  Whether you enjoy a full bodied porter or a beer infused with the flavor of a great coffee you will enjoy this.  This brew will also appeal to those not used to drinking a dark beer since it has a great tasting and refreshing finish.  The Coffee Porter would also make a great pairing for nearly any cigar although I would probably recommend it with a medium or full bodied cigar since the full flavor of the beer may drown out a mild cigar.