Vitola: Demi- 5.5” x 46 ring gauge
- ~$11.50
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
One of my favorite things that happened here on Leaf Enthusiast in the last few years was the “Who Got It Right?” Series, wherein I (and sometimes some comrades) took a look at cigars that won “Cigar of the Year” honors from other outlets and judged whether they were really deserving. The best of those was a take-down of Cigar Aficionado’s choice for COTY in 2019, the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua, which turned out to be a perfectly pedestrian cigar…and let’s just say that years later, I’ve never heard anyone say it was all that good…other bloggers, shop owners, regular-old-cigar-smokers…no one.
Anyway, I thought I would revisit the idea with the latest American-market cigar that got one of the top honors at Cigar Aficionado recently, the Number 2 cigar of 2021: Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua. The magazine went with the #2 vitola, a belicoso, but since I’m never a fan of those as much as I am of other vitolas, I elected to go with a size that should really be just as good, if not better…depending on the blend, the blender, and the actually rollers on the job, that is.
This blend was overseen by Group de Maestros, including Rafael Nodal and A.J. Fernandez. They sought to transport us “back to that iconic moment in history with a first-ever interpretation of the original blend that made Montecristo the icon it is today.” The blend is all Nicaraguan tobacco.
I bought my sample at Burns Tobacconist in Chattanooga. I’ve had at least one or more samples before this review.
Prelight
The band features a very classy black and gold foil presentation with the traditional Montecristo logo as the centerpiece with the bottom expanded to including “1935 Anniversary” very prominently. Along with the box, it is a rich look that makes it clear this is a special cigar.
The wrapper was a dark chocolate brown with a smooth oiliness to the leaf and an aroma of rich earth and cocoa powder. The foot had more earth and cocoa, along with notes of hay, cedar, and dark chocolate.
I clipped the head and got a great prelight draw that featured tons of dark chocolate flavor overlaying earth and cedar, with a touch of pepper spice left on the lips.
Flavor
I fired up the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua and got a thick, full-bodied smoke right from the start. I detected earth and charred wood, along with a slight chocolate and dark fruit sweetness. The finish was black and red pepper spice, while the retrohale had tons of red pepper, some roasted nuts and char. The first third continued on with a pleasingly complex mix of earth and cocoa powder, dark cherry and red pepper flake.
As I got into the second third, the pepper spice started to ramp up and there was a little extra sweetness with dark chocolate taking over the lead from earthiness.
Deep into the last third, the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua continued to be chocolatey and sweet, while the pepper spice tapered off a bit. Cedar notes crept in from time to time and there was a little of that charred wood from the initial moments of the cigar.
Construction
The draw was just about perfect, the burn line was very straight, and the ash was solid.
Value
Like other Montecristo cigars, the price is elevated on this blend, but it was spectacular, so well worth it.
Conclusions
I’m happy to find a real winner in this Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua. It was full-bodied, rich, and complex. It’s also nice to get something I consider a 10/10 here in what looks like the final month of regular cigar reviews. Fantastic cigar and well worth seeking out.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 10/10
