2013 Montecristo Double Edmundo

My local LCDH just received these in and I decided to give one a try. Seems that the trend that is occurring at Habanos SA is to move to larger ring gauge cigars. A pity really as they are also discontinuing a lot of smaller vitolas. Hopefully, these trend will be temporary.

Let’s see how it is progressing…..

The 2013 Montecristo Double Edmundo is a large cigar. It comes in at a 50 ring gauge and is 6.1 inches in length. This is a new regular production release in 2013. I really don’t like this trend towards larger ring gauge cigars. Not a big fan of the redesigned band. Seems too commercialized. I like the rustic elegance of previous iterations.

The wrapper is a light hazelnut hue of brown. Nice and smooth to the touch. Looking good so far. Aromas of cream, milk chocolate and hazelnut.

The construction is good. Fairly solid throughout the cigar with a slight give when squeezed. Some areas feel a little under filled. I dryboxed this cigar for 3 days to get it ready. I hope that this is a case of over humidity than under filling. The triple is nicely rounded and the foot is packed.

A quick twist from my punch and we are ready to go.

The draw is slightly restricted. Will give it a whirl to see if it ends up ok. If not, it’s snippy snippy time with the Palio

Initial flavours are cream, earth, chocolate and a touch of cedar.

Time to take this to the flame….

First Third
Coffee, cream, earth, sourdough bread and that cuban twang comes out to say hi. Strength is mild to medium. Not very long on the palate.

Draw is a little restricted. Not as full as I would like it to be. Might have to give it a snip to open it up. The burn is razor sharp and the ash is a ‘Dirty’ greyish white. Smoke production is a little muted.

Retrohale is a little muted too. Not much going on. Very smooth but faint. Slight traces of earth, cocoa, and cream. Not as rich or lasting as I was expecting. Hopefully, this will change over time. The lack of strength is evident as it doesn’t have any oomph as it moves through the nasal passages.

The after finish leaves faster than a one night stand. No power or strength to support it. Hints of cocoa, earth, cream. Decent flavours but gone in a heart beat. The flavours are there but, seem shy to come out. Disappointing so far….

Second third
Starting to liven up a bit. Strength still in the mild to medium level but moving in the right direction. Flavours are still muted as well. Cocoa, cream, earth and hazelnut are trying to leave an impression but isn’t cutting the mustard.

The retrohale has no depth to it. No impact. Sort of boring.

The after finish is starting to come on. Still very short on the palate. Very fleeting. Too bad. I hope that this is an anomaly than the standard. The flavours are distinctive but not lasting. It teases you, makes you wonder if the strength will pick up and the flavours stay awhile. In and out. No questions asked or staying for a drink. Wham! Bam! Thank you Ma’am!

Final Third
Not much going on still. Very disappointing. No real change in both flavour profile and strength. Lacking complexity, depth and power. Too bad. The flavours are there but just way too fleeting on the retrohale and the palate. A pity as traditionally, initial releases of a new vitola typically shines…

Final Impressions
I am hoping that this is a one off than the standard. Will give it another try to see. The flavours are there but the lack of strength really impacts the experience. Quality tobacco but suspect rolling. The draw was just not there.

There seems to be a variance of quality in rolling with the 2013 vintage. Another 2013 cigar that I smoked recently was under filled. This one was slightly over filled and limited the draw. Will see how the overall quality of construction is as I smoke additional cigars from the 2013 vintage.