Montecristo No 5: All the hits in one budget cigar

Some cigars can take you on a trip down memory lane. This is the case for me with the Montecristo No 5. As one of the first hand rolled cigars I smoked, this little cigar is probably responsible for truly kickstarting my love affair with premium tobacco.

What first caught my eye about this particular Monte No. 5 was its slightly box-pressed shape. Being honest this made me smile a little bit more as I do enjoy a box-pressed cigar. On closer inspection I also noticed a difference in colour between the filler and binder at the foot of the cigar.

Familiar aromas of cocoa, leather, coffee and cedar tickled my nose enticing me to cut and light this petit corona. Using my straight cut on this 40 ring gauge cigar I was met with a cold draw of leather and cocoa and it wasn’t long before I grabbed my matches and lit up.

That familiar oiliness was the first thing to greet my taste buds with coffee closely following. Upon releasing the smoke there was a fleeting hint of flowers, but this wasn’t distinct and didn’t hang around for very long either. The smoke itself was creamy, light and smooth, and soon the room was filled with luscious aromas of sweet cinnamon.

Smoking my way towards the middle of the cigar I was reminded of the first time I smoked a Montecristo cigar. The flavours of coffee, creamy peppercorn sauce and hazelnut pralines were all very familiar but in the petit corona vitola of this Montecristo No 5 they were all very transient and left me wanting more. That being said, I really did enjoy each draw that I took.

Beyond the middle of the cigar, the Montecristo No 5 became a lot more savoury and forthright. Alongside the wet autumn leaves, there was also a distinct meaty flavour with hints of bitter vanilla. Even though the flavour didn’t present me with the full three course meal that I have enjoyed with larger Montecristo vitolas, it was still a very satisfying cigar to smoke, and with a final smoke time of a little over 40 minutes, I run the risk of loosing my reputation as a slow smoker.

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Montecristo No 5 Cigar Details