Altadis Iconic Brand Assortment

Montecristo Platinum Series

Repeated review. A pretty simple cigar, but it's an easy & enjoyable smoke. The notes include wood tones and some light pepper coming through the retro. The draw was rather smooth as well with the burn needing minor touchups.

H. Upmann The Banker

H. Upmann The Banker

Hints of pepper, oak and leather. Mild to medium strength, not many changes from one third to the next. 7 months in the humidor.

Romeo y Julieta 1875

Repeated review. This one is sitting at about 20 months of rest. The flavor includes leather with subtle hints of spice and wood. The draw and burn are both very consistent due to solid construction in the roll.

Romeo y Julieta 1875

This one gets better with rest, sitting at about 18 months on this one. The flavor brings out leather with subtle hints of spice and wood. The draw and burn are both very consistent due to solid construction in the roll.

Montecristo Platinum Series

Last time I smoked one of these the burn was off, but this time it was very even. Although this is a pretty simple cigar, it's an easy enjoyable smoke. The notes are of wood and some light pepper coming through the retro. The draw was rather smooth as well.

Montecristo Platinum Series

This Dominican capa wrapper stick was incredibly good. This fell in the medium category. It had subtle hints of espresso, leather, and a touch of spice. It was slightly plugged but smoked exceptionally well, producing a satisfyingly chewy smoke output.

Montecristo Platinum Series

Better than the last try, where the burn was absolutely horrible. This is still a pretty simple cigar. The only notes are of wood and some light pepper coming through the retro. The draw was smooth, however.

Montecristo Platinum Series

The platinum name doesn't fit, as this is a simple cigar. The only notes are really of wood and pepper, with the matter coming through the retro mostly. The draw was smooth, but the burn was horrible, even with a year of rest since purchase.

H. Upmann The Banker

Mostly spice to start and then mellowed out. I'd smoke ag but nothing I would seek out.

H. Upmann 1844 Reserve

Romeo y Julieta 1875

Barrington Levy

Romeo y Julieta 1875

I’ve had these sitting for about 9 months and they are even more enjoyable now than before. I don’t have a ton of time to sit back and smoke but these have come in handy for small moments of repose

Romeo y Julieta 1875

Nothing amazing, but a good casual smoke. The flavor leans towards leather with subtle hints of spice and maybe a little wood. The draw and burn are both consistent though due to solid construction in the roll.

H. Upmann The Banker

Good Cig, But no adding to Humidor

H. Upmann 1844 Reserve

Aged 3mo. Burn a little uneven. Draw was great after drilling through the rock hard packed head. Medium cigar with flavor of earth, nut and cedar. It’s balanced and flavorful. Paired great with the citrus Blue Moon.

Romeo y Julieta 1875

TL;DR - smokes great and tastes like burned vegetables. Pass. 5 mos aged. ⏳️ Prelight is hay with light honey. Tastes of light leather. Goldilocks draw with impeccable outer construction. Wrapper is a little spotty. Lights up perfectly. Starting off, there's a Woody undertone that's paired with a grassy experience. Retrohale is a bit grassy also. Now, grassy-vegetable is settling on the palate. Not great. I'm guessing it's the Indonesian wrapper that's doing this. It's a first impression for me and not a good one. First third is complete, and I'm not seeing that this is going to change. For a similar experience, maybe chew some burnt Bok Choy and Kale. Early discard.

Montecristo Monte

2mo rested. Draw real tight used Perfecdraw. 1st third didn't burn well. A few touches before finally straightening out. Medium bodied has rich flavors of cedar, coffee, and a slight nuttiness. Paired well with a bourbon cask scotch.

Montecristo Classic

Prelight was pleasant, though nothing special. Physically, the cigar is firm to the touch, but gives slightly. No soft spots. Essentially, the construction seems like it's good. I kept it 4 months in the humidor and gave it a 5 hour dry boxing to prepare it for the smoke. That's the last good thing I have to say about this cigar. Trying to get this cigar lit was nothing less than a fight. What I discovered about 1 and 1/2 inches into the cigar is that there was a center core that was not burning properly, and this was causing an uncontrollable runner. Every puff was Char. If you like to suck on charcoal, this cigar may be for you. To me, this cigar is garbage. Early discard. I will not be buying any more.

H. Upmann 1844 Reserve

In humidor 1 month. Burn is good. Had to use perfecdraw. Mostly cedar and almond flavor with a touch of spice. A little boring. Paired with matcha tea.