Monte by Montecristo Archives - Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando

Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez

Jeremy Hensley — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 14:30:20 +0000

AJ Fernandez has certainly made a name for himself in the industry and this has not gone unnoticed by the cigar giants and newcomers alike. He may be the most sought after manufacturer right now as several 2017 releases from Altadis USA would attest to. A few weeks back, I lit up the original Monte and was very pleased with the results. Since neither Tony nor Jeff got around to the Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez, I figured I would take this opportunity to share my thoughts on the latest addition to the line.

Manufactured in Nicaragua at Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua, the new Monte is available in four vitolas: Corona (4 by 44), Robusto (4 1/4 by 54), Toro (6 by 55), and Belicoso (6 1/8 by 54). The cigars come packaged in 20 counts boxes and will range from $10.50 and $11.25 per cigar.

You can purchase the Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez from our good friends over at Famous Smoke Shop. Use coupon code “CASASAVINGS” to get $15 off your order of $100 or more.

THE FACTS

Price: $11.00
Vitola: Toro
Size: 6 by 55
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan Criollo ’98
Filler:Nicaraguan Criollo ’98 and Dominican Piloto Cubano
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 20 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez is dressed in a medium brown Ecuadorian Habano leaf that is consistent in color. Some light oils and small veins can be seen on the box-pressed cigar. The cigar is very smooth to the touch and evenly filled from head to foot with only a slight give.

Bringing the wrapper of the cigar to my nose, I pick up an aroma of cardboard, earth, and sweet grass. The cardboard and earth are on the foot of the cigar with an added touch of black pepper. The lines on the double cap are nice and straight. Upon clipping, the draw has hardly any resistance as flavors of cardboard, rich cedar, and cinnamon greet my palate. A medium heat lingers in the mouth after the cold draw.

FIRST THIRD

The rich cedar from the cold draw translates right over to the smoke followed by some sweetness and a sharp pepper. There is also salt and citrus flavors. The Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez is producing a crazy amount of resting smoke. Even though the flavors and spice are full, the smoke feels somewhat thin in the mouth. As I make my way through the first third, the wrapper struggles to burn with the rest of the tobaccos.

MIDDLE THIRD

As I enter the second third of the Monte, the rich cedar has evolved to more of a pine flavor. The pepper is not as sharp and the sweetness has stepped down a notch. There is also charred flavor on the finish of the smoke. The citrus is still hanging around in the background of the profile and later in the third the sweetness creeps back around.

FINAL THIRD

The burn has been jagged for the majority of the Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez, but has been able to self-correct. The charred wood takes a more dominant role, with the pine flavor and black pepper trailing.

WRAP-UP

The Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez was a tale of two cigars. Two completely different smoking experiences from one sample to the next. The sample smoked for the written portion of the review presented an off-balanced profile with a sharp spice and burnt flavors that began in the second third and held to the end. The sample smoked for the photos was more consistent throughout with well rounded flavors and, rather than the pine and char, I found a nice sweet wood flavor that tied all the flavors together. Both samples showed medium to full flavors with a decent amount of strength. The competition is fierce at $11.00 and I am not even sure if the good experience would justify the price.

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Monte by Montecristo Conde

Jeremy Hensley — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 13:30:04 +0000

If someone is talking about the Montecristo brand this year, it more than likely they are talking about the new Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez. Like all cigars that AJ has his hands in, the new Monte has certainly created a lot of buzz. But, since we have not reviewed the original Monte here on Casas Fumando, I figured I would get a review of the original up before Tony or Jeff take a stab at the latest edition to the line.

The original Monte by Montecristo was first introduced in 2013 as a full-bodied departure from the more traditional, milder Montecristo cigars. The cigar features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over dual binders of Dominican Olor and Nicaraguan Corojo tobaccos. The filler tobaccos are derived from the Dominican Republic. Manufactured at Tabacalera De Garcia, three vitolas are available in the original Monte line to include Conde (5 ½ by 48), Jacopo No. 2 (6 ⅛ by 54), and Monte (6 by 60).

You can purchase the Monte by Montecristo from our good friends at Famous Smoke Shop.

THE FACTS

Price: $9.85
Vitola: Conde
Size: 5 ½ by 48
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican Olor and Nicaraguan Corojo
Filler: Dominican
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 20 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The Monte by Montecristo Conde is dressed in a milk chocolate Ecuadorian Habano wrapper that has a nice oily sheen. There is a good amount of veins and bumps on the leaf and the cigar is rolled evenly and firmly from head to foot.

There is an aroma of barnyard and chocolate on the wrapper, while a generic wood flavor and chocolate come across from the foot. The cigar comes to an end with a small pig-tailed cap. There is chocolate and potpourri spices on the cold draw that is a bit firm and a spice tingle lingers on my lips.

FIRST THIRD

The Monte Conde comes out of the gate with thick flavors on the palate. The flavors are on the darker end spectrum including notes of coffee, pencil shavings, and charred wood. These flavors are being complimented by a natural tobacco sweetness and sour grapefruit flavor. The spice is tame at this point with only a mild spice heat felt in my mouth. The cigar is burning evenly as a white ash forms.

MIDDLE THIRD

The Monte by Montecristo is burning along well producing a satisfying amount of smoke. Coffee and charred wood remain and a new yeast joins in. There is still the contrasting sweetness that has stepped up a notch and that interesting sour grapefruit is still hanging around. The smoke is even more chewy and thick than it was at the start. As I near the end of the second third, the burn is out of whack requiring a quick hit with my lighter.

FINAL THIRD

The charred wood has become the most dominant flavor as I enter the final third of the cigar. The spice heat has only moved up to medium in the mouth, but it is closer to full in the sinuses as I retro-hale the smoke. The sweetness has taken a backseat to the sourness and the pepper flavor is more defined than it was earlier. The Monte by Montecristo comes to close with no further burn problems.

WRAP-UP

I will be the first to admit, Montecristo cigars don’t do a whole lot for me. But there is no doubt that Altadis USA is trying to keep the brand in step with today’s consumer seeking fuller bodied smokes. And while I wouldn’t classify the Monte by Montecristo as full-bodied, but more medium, the cigar was still intriguing and satisfying. The darker flavors were balanced out by the sweetness and even the sour grapefruit worked well. There was only a single burn issue over the 1 hour and 20 minute journey. After this experience, I cannot wait to see where AJ has taken the Monte line with the Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez.

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