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This post is reminiscent of that great sitcom “Soap” :-D
In a previous episode we received a 10 count box of Montecristo No 2’s. Well rolled cigars but packed by a Cuban with either a great sense of humour or a colour disorder.
Struggling with ways to justify my existence to the Queen of Darkness (Lisa), I concocted an experiment whereby I would taste both a dark and light wrapper Monte 2 and then swap wrappers and run a taste test again in an effort to add further evidence to the age old Havanophile question as to how much influence the wrapper has on the taste of a cigar. This box of Montecristo No 2’s provided the perfect opportunity as we have both light and dark wrappers within the same box hence same box code, same production run.
Enter Yasmel our Cuban roller with a penchant for XXXX beer, blonde women, heavy metal music and big steaks. After having posted my initial tastings on the light and dark wrappered cigars, I had him swap wrappers on cigars from the box of Montecristo No 2’s. When swapping wrappers he did not “wet them down” in order that further moisture did alter the final tasting.
It is pertinent to read the initial reviews here.
http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/board_entr...id=64936#p64936
In summary of the initial tastings.
Dark Wrapper Monte 2
The cigar holds its flavour profile right to the very end. It has all the characteristics of a Monte 2 but as stated previously perhaps missing a few % in the body stakes. It has complexity, good burn, great aroma. I would certainly smoke this cigar on a regular basis when I wanted a sweeter profile cigar. There are days that I yearn for cocoa and chocolate in a cigar. This Monte 2 reminds me of a lighter version of the Cohiba Maduro 5 Genios but with 30% less body.
I enjoyed it. 89
Lighter wrapper Monte 2
This cigar is now fuller than the darker Monte 2 at the same point. In many ways it is a more complex cigar but it is not as well balanced. I can only guess that it has a great deal of improvement left in it and I couldn't say the same for "Monte Dark". The Lighter Monte is still evolving...still trying to work out what it wants to be when it grows up. Its darker brother has already got its career planned and knows exactly what it wants to be.
In the last few inches the Monte throws a tantrum. Medium bodied still but the Cream, shortbread and milk coffee have their party crashed by a return of sourness and her sister bitterness. I am not overly disappointed as I like a little rebellion in a young cigar. Keeps me guessing as to whether we have a flawed genius in the making or a dud who will self destruct later in life.
87
Summary
The darker wrapper of the initial tasting imparted a sweet cocoa note which was its strength and its Achilles heel. Light medium bodied, the cigar was both smooth and sweet very reminiscent of a lighter styled Cohiba Maduro 5 Genios pr a fuller bodied Padron Anniversario. I enjoyed it but wondered as to its ageing ability.
The lighter wrapper Montecristo No 2 was fuller in body with a cloaked complexity, cloaked essentially by a predominant sourness but toward the mid point the cigar showed cream, biscuit, milk coffee, mushrooms and dry grass stalks before the sourness returned in the back third to ruin the experience. I liked the light wrappered Monte 2’s ageing potential more.
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Fast forward to today’s experiment.
I tasted the re wrappered Light and Dark Montecristo Number 2 over consecutive days.
I was intrigued to see whether:
1. The sourness initially experienced by the light wrappered Monte 2 was indeed attributed to the lighter wrapper used.
2. The cocoa laden flavours could be attributed to the darker wrapper.
3. Was there a blend difference in the cigars remembering that there was certainly a difference in body and strength (Lighter –fuller stronger than the darker)?
4. Would we end up with completely different smoking experiences?
Conclusion
Having smoked both re wrappered cigars I am stunned to say the least. I didn’t expect to find what I did and there is no reason to go into lengthy reviews of both tastings.
What found was that the initial tastings were completely reversed. The application of the lighter wrapper on the darker wrappered cigar had the same flavours and dominant sourness of my initial light wrapper tastings. The body of the cigar was fuller, the flavours muted but came good in the second third with predominant cream, shortbread, milk coffee, mushrooms and dry grass before the sourness returned into the final third accompanied by a slight bitterness. I would have scored the cigar an 87 with high potential for ageing.
The application of the dark wrapper on the original lighter wrappered cigar had the mirror opposite effect! The cigar was all cocoa and cream in a light medium bodied style. The aroma was all sweet chocolate spices. No great complexity but very enjoyable. I would have no problem rating it an 89 with a caveat of questionable ageing potential on the basis of its lighter bodied style.
I can conclude that the blend was 99% the same used in the four cigars from this box. The flavour and body differences are 100% attributable to the differing wrappers alone.
What I cannot conclude is which will age better. But having three each of the differing wrappered cigars remaining, I will do follow up tastings at 12 month intervals.
