Why is the Montecristo Espada one of the best smokes of all time? 

For starters, the Espada is the only Montecristo cigar that is a Nicaraguan Puro. Released in 2014, the Espada is exquisitely vintage with every element of its construction. If you are looking for an authentic taste of vintage elegance backed by the signature Montecristo strength, then the Montecristo Espada is the cigar to smoke.

History of Montecristo Espada

For the first time in the history of making award-worthy cigars, Montecristo decided to partner with the cigar conglomerate, the Plasencia Family. Plasencia’s cigar guru, Nestor Plasencia is arguably the most influential tobacco grower in the stogie industry. By their own right, Montecristo is a force to be reckoned with thanks to their exceptional blending team, the Grupo de Maestros. The partnership allowed the Grupo de Maestros access to Plasencia’s vast inventory of tobaccos so they can find the perfect blend of tobaccos to make an impeccable cigar. After months and countless blend samples, the Espada was created. The Espada is a blend of Nicaraguan Habano (Jalapa) Viso Ometepe Vintage 2008, Nicaraguan Habano (Jalapa) Seco Vintage 2008, and the Nicaraguan Habano (Condega) Ligero Vintage 2008. The binder is a Nicaraguan Habano (Jalapa) Vintage 2009, and the wrapper is a Nicaraguan Habana (Jalapa) Vintage 2010. Clearly, this is not your everyday stogie. It is relatively 10 years in the making, and due to the care and expertise applied in blending and wrapping it, it is without a doubt a cigar meant for a special occasion.

The Plasencia Family

The Plasencia Family is one of the largest and most distinguished tobacco growing and cigar making companies in the world. As the name suggests, Plasencia is a family-owned company headed by Nestor Plasencia. The Plasencia family started in the tobacco business in Cuba. The revolution caused them to flee to Nicaragua in 1959 where they set up their new tobacco farms. In the early 1980s, the Sandinista revolution cost the Plasencia Family their tobacco farms. Consequently, they looked to Honduras as their new business location. Although a new regime in Nicaragua reverted their tobacco farms to them, the Plasencia Family retained the principal business operations in Honduras. Now they have factories in both countries.

The Plasencia Family produces well over 30 million cigars annually. In addition to their own brand of cigars, Plasencia makes cigars for some of the other major brands including Rocky Patel, Casa Magna, Bonacquisti Cigars, Cuba Libre, Padilla, Nestor, Cu Avana, Crux Cigar Company, and Alec Bradley just to name a few. The Honduran and Nicaraguan soils coupled with Plasencia’s Cuban and Connecticut seeds produce some of the best tobacco strains on the market. Plasencia utilizes the different climatic conditions and soil profiles found in Nicaragua to create the different flavors in their tobacco. For instance, Ometepe is a volcanic island in the middle of Nicaragua Lake that produces distinctive tobacco with a strong profile while Jalapa is a mountainous region with sandy soil that produces mild-tempered tobacco. Both Condega and Ocotal also produce powerful tobacco profiles with different flavor palates. Every cigar company in the world agrees that the Plasencia Family know their tobacco and are a formidable force in the tobacco industry.

How Does the Montecristo Espada Burn?

Even though the Espada is still fairly new in the market, stogie fanatics know a good cigar when they see one. As one of the fans of the Espada, I would love to share my experience.

Pre-light

The Espada presents with a silky-smooth wrapper, barely visible veins and well-concealed seams. It has three labels-which can seem intimidating at first mainly because of the risk of damaging the wrapper as you remove them. I found that it’s easier to slide them off rather than to peel them off. However, carefully peeling the labels off will not damage the wrapper either. This stogie is firmly packed with no soft spots or bulges. It felt smooth and smelled like delicate wet hay with notes of roasted nuts. The cold draw gave a leathery buttery taste, coupled with light, sweet, cedar and a woody, earthy feel.

First Third

The first draw was smooth with medium to ample smoke output. There was just enough resistance to make it a comfortable draw. I could taste semi-sweet, citrusy notes with a pronounced bang of white pepper. There was dry wood, buttery flavors with heavy undertones of roasted nuts and the signature Nicaraguan taste. At this stage, the Espada is a medium strength stogie, at best. The sweetness is all in the front of the palate while the peppery undertones last until the next draw. The burn is slightly fast but razor-sharp.

Middle Third

The flavor profile does not change through the middle of this stogie. The strength kicks up a notch, and the smoke output improves. The sweet notes at the start of the draw linger longer than in the first third. The peppery notes are quite pronounced now while the nutty undertones and woody cedar flavors sit heavily at the back of the flavor palate. At this point, the Espada is a dense medium leaning on a full-strength cigar.

Final Third

The final third is where the bang of the Espada lies. The sweet citrus cedar flavors in the front of the palate grow stronger. The nutty, buttery tangs previously felt disappear and, in their place, massive woody, earthy, flavorful tobacco undertones take over. The cigar graduates to a full-body stogie as the robust Ligero sneaks up on you. The draw towards the nub is warm but not hot. From the middle third all the way to the final third the Espada burns quite slowly making it a solid 2-hour cigar. The burn is sharp all through the cigar, and the ash holds up quite well.

Consistency and Flavor of the Montecristo Espada

The Montecristo Espada has a complex flavor profile as discussed above. The blend of all three Nicaraguan fillers come together perfectly. The transition of flavors in this stogie is so smooth that you don’t feel the dramatic changes, but at the same time, the tang stays interesting throughout the smoke. The strength consistency is exquisitely balanced so that the beginning feels like a light-medium which builds up steadily to a full-body by the end of the smoke. This allows the smoker to enjoy full-flavor throughout the cigar with consistently growing strength.

Why Montecristo Espada is One of the Best Cigars Ever Made

As an avid cigar smoker, I come across a lot of different cigars. Flavors and strengths aside, there is something to be said about a well-orchestrated stogie. The Espada is one such cigar. From the full-flavor that works but does not overwhelm to the sneaky bang at the end, this is a cigar that you will not want to share. Additionally, it is a stogie that keeps you guessing throughout your smoke. Don’t rush it, relax and enjoy this 2-hour adventure full of sneaky, zesty, and delightful surprises.