Birthdays are always a time of celebration and making memories. Having the gang get together for Torry’s special day was more than reason enough for me to light up this very special cigar. This week’s cigar is the very rare @montecristo_usa Grupo de Maestros #PrivateBatchIII. It’s the brand’s 3rd release of unique cigars made by only their most senior, experienced master blenders. Only 300 boxes were made so to get my hands on one definitely calls for a celebration. The cigar is made of Nicaraguan, Peruvian and Dominican fillers, a Dominican Santo Domingo binder and encased in a blushing deep brown Ecuadorian Habano wrapper.
The cigar is very well constructed and packed tightly. The draw was slightly tighter than some of the cigars that I’ve had recently and I think this is why it took me some time to get a good char and light to it. A couple of quick pulls later and WHOA, the flavor is immediate. I instantly picked up on the cigar’s spice and pepper. It’s a solid delivery that has a creamy finish on the exhale. There is a woodiness that is introduced somewhere near the last bit of the 1st third along with an easier draw/inhale.
Now that the draw has opened up, I detected some additional details in the flavor profile. The woodiness gets deeper and more pronounces. The middle of cigar carries the most heft here by bringing in a deep tobacco note. The cigar is a very robust medium body at this point. It’s almost as if you can pick out each filler tobacco’s (Nicaraguan, Peruvian & Dominican) distinct flavors. You get the spice, cream, wood, and pepper…all together painting a profile that is charismatic with a pinch of bravado.
The last inch and a half of this cigar is perhaps my favorite. The cigar has fully opened up allowing me to just consume the entire bouquet of flavors and notes. The creamy finish that I mentioned being noticed on the exhale is still there and acts as a conduit allowing each of the richer notes to roll over the taste buds with ease. If you really take notice you will pick up each note separately. This is a great smoke.
