Montecristo!!! An amazing brand with a long standing history of producing some of the worlds finest cigars. You literally almost have to agree that each offering is amazing. The Epic is one of the strongest profile cigars that the brand has made. They always aim to have something for everyone.
STATS: Brand: Montecristo Cigar: Epic Profile: Full Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan Length: 6 inches Gauge: 52
Shape: Toro
Country: Dominican Republic
Pricing: (Box of 10) - $149.99
(per stick) - $14.99
First Impression:
It goes without question I am a Monte fan. My first impression of any long standing brand that I enjoy is always sky high. Although, I did like the fact that this is a full profile cigar. Something that most Montecristo's are not.
Pre-Smoke Ritual:
5 days in the humidor is the rest that this got. I would have smoked it sooner, but life is busy. The aroma was very pleasant coming form the wrapper. I made my cut and prepared to light up the Monte.
Lighting, Draw, and Burn: This cigar took extended time to light. I did smoke two and the same thing happened. It was not an issue just odd for the brand overall. Nothing to be concerned about, but worth noting. The draw was on point. There isn't much more to say. It was near perfection. The burn was on the faster side and started off uneven. Halfway into the first third it sorted itself out and no touch-ups were needed.
Flavor: I got an initial black of pepper right out of the gate. Good thing I like that flavor because it was all I could taste for the first few puffs. The pepper soon became and background note while the flavors of coffee, tobacco, nuts, and cedar took over. There was also notes of what I could only describe as a lemon flavor. As I went into the second third the pepper had almost disappeared. It was only slightly present intermittently. The lemon like flavor was still there, but fading. The coffee and cedar flavors seemed to take a spot in the front of the line while the nut and tobacco flavor got less intense. They were still very relevant just not the boldest. The finial third had some intense transitions. The lemon flavor was gone along with the pepper. The coffee took over with a layer of creaminess that was extremely pleasant. The cedar and nut flavor were strong notes while the tobacco flavor hung around in the far background.
My Preference:
5 days in the humidor was what I decided on. I used a Colibri 1928 v-cutter to make my cut. I used a Dissim Inverted lighter for my source of fire (soft flame).
Final Thoughts: I could literally cut and paste my thoughts on the entire Monte brand. I already enjoy so many cigars that they have produced that I just keep adding to the list and the humidor. This is a solid cigar to have on hand for several occasions. I would however recommend getting the 12 cigar Toro sampler to enjoy a tasting of 6 different cigars in the line-up.