The Montecristo Brand

Montecristo is a famous brand of premium cigars that has been around for decades. It is owned by Altadis USA. Montecristo is known for its hand-rolled cigars that utilize high-quality tobacco blends. Many of Montecristo’s cigars are made in Cuba. Of course, these cigars cannot be sold legally in the US. However, Montecristo’s American parent brand ensures that the brand has cigars made elsewhere that can be sold in the USA. One of these is the Espada.

The Montecristo Espada rating is quite impressive. Cigar Aficionado gave it a 92-rating. It was even named to the magazine’s Top 25 Cigars of 2015 list, finishing in 20th place. Read on to learn more about the Montecristo Espada.

Where & How the Montecristo Espada is Made

As previously mentioned, the Montecristo Espada is not made in Cuba, where most Montecristo cigars are made. Instead, it is made in Nicaragua. This comes as little surprise, as most premium cigars made outside of Cuba are produced in Nicaragua. Specifically, the Espada is rolled in the Plasencia factory, which is known as one of the top cigar factories in the country. Not only does Plasencia roll the cigar, the also worked with Altadis to come up with theEspada’s unique blend of tobacco. Of course, the Espada is rolled with this tobacco by hand, as are all premium cigars.

The Types of Tobacco Used in the Montecristo Espada

The Montecristo Espada is a puro, which means that all of its tobacco comes from the same country. As the Espada is rolled in Nicaragua, it should come as no surprise that all of its tobacco comes from the country. The wrapper and binder of the Espada are both composed of Habano Jalapa Vintage tobacco. The filler is actually composed of three different types of Habano tobacco: Habano Jalapa Viso Ometepe Vintage, Habano Condega Ligero Vintage, and Habano Jalapa Seco Vintage. The fact that three different types of tobacco are used in the filler alone shows that this cigar has a complex and carefully crafted blend.

Montecristo Espada Tasting Notes Pre-Light

The Espada comes packaged in unique suede boxes that each contain 10 cigars. When you take a cigar out of the box, the first thing you’ll notice are the three large bands around the cigar. There’s the distinctive Montecristo band, a certificate around the middle of the cigar, and an “Espada” band wrapped around the foot of this cigar.

Upon first inspection, the Espada looks like a typical premium cigar. Its wrapper has a medium- brown color, and there is a slight sheen of oil. There is some visible veining, but not too much. The cigar is firm and tightly rolled.

The Espada’s aroma is earthy with a hint of spice. Unsurprisingly, the pre-light draw of the Espada is also earthy, with some spicy undertones and a hint of sweet tobacco.

First Third

The first few draws after lighting the Espada are exactly what you’d expect: the earthy and spicy flavors from the pre-light draw return, only stronger than they were before lighting the cigar. The first few draws also provide flavors of sweet tobacco, citrus, and white pepper. The white pepper flavor has an appealing kick to it that is reminiscent of jalapeno.

As the cigar reaches the midst of its first third, the citrus and pepper flavors get stronger and the sweet tobacco flavor fades into the background. Around this time, hints of coffee start to balance out the Montecristo’s flavor profile.

Once the first third of the cigar nears its conclusion, the coffee and sweet tobacco flavors strengthened from background notes to the foremost flavors in the cigar. The coffee and sweet tobacco flavors continued to intensify as the cigar transitioned into its mid-third portion.

Mid-Third

Its in the mid-third part of the Espada that the cigar really shines and shows why it is so highly rated. At the beginning of the mid-third, the citrus and pepper notes have faded to background flavors while the coffee and sweet tobacco flavors dominate. The pepper notes were less spicy than they were in the first third of the cigar, with a taste more reminiscent of white pepper than of jalapeno. As the Espada passes through its mid-third portion, the delicious natural sweetness of its high-quality tobacco provides a delectable background to the notes of pepper, coffee, and citrus.

Final Third

As the Espada starts to near its conclusion, the delicious sweet tobacco flavor fades a little, and the peppery notes take center stage. The coffee and sweet tobacco flavors are still present, and serve to balance the Espada’s flavor profile. The majority of the citrus flavor fades in the Espada’s final third, though it is still detectable at times.

The Espada burns cleanly and evenly right down to the nub. The smoke does not get hot, and the nub does not get mushy.

The Montecristo Espada is Worth Trying for Fans of the Brand

In conclusion, the Montecristo Espada is quite different than what most cigar lovers expect from Montecristo. The origin is different, the blend is unique, and even the look is distinctive. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. The Montecristo Espada is on the top shelf of cigars, exactly where you’d expect a Montecristo to be. It breathes fresh life into a prestigious brand that had started to get a little stale. The Espada is certainly worth smoking for fans of Montecristo cigars.