How to say this; Montecristo Cigars are some of the finest premium cigars that one can enjoy today. With a long and colorful history spanning back several generations, a widespread and well-enjoyed fame and repute, and a cool name to tie it all together, Montecristos are beloved by many and respected by many more.
Named for the fact that traditionally, readers would read The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas’ Magnum Opus - to the cigar rollers, the Montecristo brand now enjoys a famous name and a well-earned reputation that hinges on consistent quality.
Whether your personal favorite is a Monte by Montecristo, a Montecristo White Label, or if you’ve never had a cigar before in your life and you just want to know how to smoke one, you’re in the right place.
Start with this short little guide and then call us up if you want more pointers - we’re glad to share them.
Selecting a Cigar and Visual Inspection
First, you’ll have to choose a cigar. Naturally, you can take the advice of a trusted friend or your local tobacconist, or you can just stroll into a tobacco shop and pick one out based on its visual appearance. You won’t be able to tell just by looking at a cigar how it will taste or smoke, but there are a few things that you can tell from the visual observation that you might want to know before starting.
Cigars typically range in color; this color is a product of the nature of their wrappers. Some cigars are called “jades” or “claros” though these are rare today - they have a pale green wrapper that is near to the natural color of the tobacco.
More commonly you will come across wrappers that range from very light brown through rich, brick red to dark brown, nearly black. Connecticut shade wrappers tend to be lighter, Corojo wrappers tend to be reddish-brick colored, and Maduro wrappers are usually the darkest of the bunch, being dark brown to nearly black.
We’ll save a subjective assessment of the types of wrappers for an article to come down the line. While Montecristo cigars are well-known and widely lauded for their construction, here are some things to look for when visually inspecting.
●Look for cigars that exhibit good symmetry and appear to be well and evenly rolled and wrapped.
●Avoid cigars that appear lumpy or have bulges or bumps in the wrappers.
●Some consider large, visible veins in the tobacco leaves a hindrance to the smoke. They burn at a different rate and temperature than the rest of the leaf and so you may want to avoid these.
●The color of the wrapper of the cigar should be nearly uniform.
●Sometimes there are small blemishes or dots in the wrapper; avoid these if you see them.
●Avoid cigars that have specks or holes in the wrappers, as well as any with visible cracks, tears, or scars.
As stated, you probably won’t have a problem with Montecristo cigars as they are one of the most highly respected cigar brands in the world and their quality control is commendable. However, it’s still good to follow the above points as good practice.
Sense of Touch: Construction
Once you’ve selected a cigar and bought it, you can take your visual inspection to the next level. After visual inspection, you can get onto feeling the cigar; this is where the intimate experience of cigar smoking truly begins.
If the cigar is wrapped in cellophane or plastic, you can carefully unwrap it. Continuing your inspection of the cigar, you can roll it between your fingers. Unless it is box-pressed, it should roll gently across your fingers.
Despite having the appearance of dry leaves, the wrapper should not feel brittle or dry at all. It should feel supple, almost oily. Squeeze the cigar gently; it should give slightly between your fingers and bounce back into shape. When you apply pressure to the cigar, it should not feel as if there are hard and soft sports; the cigar’s consistency should be uniform.
If you have a cigar that is uniform and well wrapped, as well as one that has been cared for properly in a humidor, it should meet all of these points.
Pre-Light Notes
After feeling the cigar you can take note of the pre-light notes by smelling the wrapper of the cigar. You can do this as soon as you open it and before you even feel it, if you desire, as the notes will be strongest when the cigar has just been exposed to the air.
The pre-light notes are the scents that you can detect just by smelling the tobacco itself, without tasting it. It is important to note that the pre-light notes of a cigar may be very different from the cold draw notes and actual flavors that the tobacco produces as you smoke it.
Common pre-light notes include but are not limited to:
●Notes of leather
●Woods like oak and cedar
●Earthy notes such as those of hay or grass
●Nuts such as almonds and cashews
●Rich, bitter notes of coffees, chocolate or cocoa
●Spices like cinnamon or black or red pepper
●Sweet notes, such as molasses or caramel
●And many others
After you have identified some of the pre-light notes, you can proceed with cutting, cold draw, and smoking.
Cutting Montecristo Cigars
Cutting a cigar is essential to smoking because most cigars cannot be smoked until they are punched or cut. It is the process of removing a small piece or plug from the head of the cigar so that air can be drawn through the cigar. Cutting Montecristo cigars is not by right any different from cutting and preparing any other type of cigar.
You can use a punch or a cutter for this. Take the cigar and hold it firmly. If you are using a punch, simply press the circular blade into the cap at the head of the cigar, twist gently to press it into the cigar, and then remove it. A small plug of tobacco should be withdrawn from the cigar.
If using a cutter, open the blades and then remove a small cap from the head of the cigar; you don’t want to remove too much. It will depend on the shape and size of the cigar, but generally, you don’t need to remove any more tobacco from the cigar than will afford you about an opening of about a quarter of an inch.
Cold Draw
The cold draw notes are similar to the pre-light notes but are rarely the same. The cold draw notes are the flavors and scents that you can taste and smell, respectively, when you draw through the cigar before you light it.
Place the head of the cigar in your mouth and draw through the length of it. Your mouth, nose, and sinuses will be filled with air suffused with the flavor of the tobacco. Take a moment to reflect on some of the tasting notes you can observe. Also recognize that the top notes may fade quickly, giving way to strong foundational flavors and finishes that may differ from the flavors mentioned above - though there may be many others.
Lighting a Cigar
Once you have taken a few moments to appreciate the notes of the cold draw, you can light the cigar. There are many ways to go about this, including the use of a table lighter, a match, or a butane torch lighter. In this article, we will focus on the traditional method of lighting using a strip of cedar.
Sometimes cigars come wrapped in a strip of cedar, and sometimes the box they ship in has a cedar strip as well. If not, your tobacconist may be able to furnish you with one.
Light the end of the cedar strip. Allow it to burn for a half a second to a second, then, with the cigar in your mouth, bring the strip up to the foot of the cigar; allowing the yellow flame to contact the open foot.
Draw in through your mouth into your cheeks but not into your throat or lungs, as though you are sucking in through a straw. Draw methodically and do not pull too aggressively on the cigar. The flame should be pulled into the foot of the cigar. If you want, to achieve an even, uniform light, you can rotate the cigar in your mouth as you draw. Soon, you will have a bright, even ember (pipe smokers would call it a cherry) at the end of your cigar.
Tasting and Retro-haling
With the cigar lit, you can begin tasting the notes of the cigar, as well as retro-haling, if you desire; not all smokers retro-hale, but those that do know it allows them to experience different flavors.
Right out of the gate we need to clear one thing up - do not draw too frequently or aggressively. As a good rule of thumb, you should not draw more than once per minute, or you risk overheating the cigar and embittering the flavor.
That aside, draw gently into your mouth and allow it to coat the surface of your tongue and cheeks. You can even ‘chew’ on the smoke to experience the flavors. You will notice top notes as well as flavors that you will be able to taste in certain areas of your mouth but will not be able to detect in others.
To retro-hale, draw the smoke into your mouth and keep your mouth closed. Then, vent the smoke from your mouth through the back of your throat and out of your nose. This will allow you to taste different flavors in your sinuses that you wouldn’t be able to detect with your taste buds alone.
After you have drawn and released smoke, you can begin to pick up on the notes that remain behind after the smoke has left your mouth - this is the finish of the smoke.
Additionally, if you are in an area without a lot of air movement, you will be able to develop a wreath of smoke about your head. This will enable you to smell and taste what is known as the ‘room note’ of the tobacco. It is often very different from the flavors you will experience on the palate.
Developing a Foot of Ash
As you smoke the cigar and savor its essence, which will include many of the notes that you can see at the top of this article, you will start to develop a foot of ash at the end of the cigar. A tight, white, even ash is one of the signs of good construction in a cigar, and you should not be too eager to knock it off.
Allow your ash to develop because it will insulate the foot of the cigar and help to keep the smoke cool. Ash the cigar only once it becomes cumbersome to maintain.
First Third, Second and Final Thirds
As you smoke the cigar, taking care not to draw too frequently, you will notice that the cigar’s complexity will develop and the flavors may change as you progress through it.
Many cigar smokers claim that the life of a cigar can be divided into thirds, being the first, second, and final ‘thirds’ of the cigar. You may notice that some flavors develop whereas others drop off as you smoke through the cigar. Also, you may find that the cigar smokes hotter in its final third of life. If this is the case, you can simply slow down the rate at which you are smoking a cigar.
Call Us for More Information
There you have your first basic introduction into how to enjoy Montecristo Cigars - although this guide will serve you well no matter what your preference is.
You’re also in the right place to find your next favorite cigar. Check out our collection of the finest cigar brands via the link at the top of this article and don’t miss a chance to check out our collection of cigar accessories including cigar cutters, lighters, ashtrays, and much more - right here in our store.
If you have any questions, whether it’s for picking out a cigar or a lighter, give us a call today at 800-887-7877 and we’d be happy to help.