The Montecristo line of cigars are some of the most popular in the world and the Montecristo No. 2 ranks right up there with the best. According to legend, a lector would read to the torcedores (cigar rollers) each day to pass the time, with The Count of Monte Cristo being among their favorite book. Thus, the Montecristo was born.

This cigar is manufactured in both Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Since Cubans are still unavailable in the U.S., this review is based on the Dominican version. With a light brown, Connecticut wrapper and a mild/medium strength (leaning more toward medium), this is a great cigar for the beginner cigar smoker looking to take his game to the next level.

As with most items of quality, this stick just gets better with age. If you have the patience for it, leave a few in your humidor for a year or more to get an almost perfect blend of taste and aroma. You won’t be sorry.

The Montecristo No. 2 has a rich and creamy flavor, with cedar undertones and just a hint of roasted almonds and even coconut. Because these are a bit on the pricey side (about $12 apiece) they aren’t going to be your everyday smoke, but if you’re putting a poker game together or having some buddies over to chill out on the back patio then you’ll want a few in the humidor to impress the guys.

Pros

• most popular brand in the world
• mild/medium flavor makes it easy to introduce friends to your hobby
• very consistent, smooth draw
• burns evenly with high quality filler tobacco

Cons

• somewhat pricey
• because of high demand, aren’t always available and are sometimes backordered

The No. 2 only comes as a torpedo and can be found at the following outlets at reasonable prices.

Pricing

JRCigars.com
ThompsonCigar.com
Famous-Smoke.com
BestCigarPrices.com