Montecristo No. 5

[SteveGriff]

Tonight's Cigar is the Montecristo #5, a Tres Petit Cigar measuring in at 40 ring gage by four inches long. Of the five traditional Montecristo releases, this is the smallest. I'm expecting around fifty minutes smoking time.

With the Montecristo #5, I'm pairing the Cigar with the Talisker ten year Scotch Whiskey. One of my favourite Single Malts, not overpowering like the more peaty Whiskey's, yet it has a distinctive 'bite'.

Appearance

The colorado wrapper, light brown in colour. Classic Montecristo. There's nothing too special here. Montecristo No. 2, Montecristo No. 4, they all have the similar type of colour. So you know you're in good company.

Draw & Burn

Cutting the Cigar, I found it quite effortless. Maybe a little too effortless... No resistance on the cut. The Cigar didn't feel that packed, and it kind of showed. Taking a draw on the Cigar before lighting, I can detect that the Cigar was rolled a little too loose. I would like a little more resistance on the draw, but I'm not expecting any significant issues from the looseness. Maybe the issue where the roller's who are assigned to the Montecristo No. 4 and No. 5 range, are the ones that are starting out. The newbies. Or possibly because these Cigars are extremely popular, therefore too many of them are being manufactured, making the quality suffer.

Lighting the Montecristo is no issue at all. Because of the loose draw, I can get the little fella lit up quite quickly. Throughout the smoke, there's no real issue. The burn is fine. Throughout the smoke, I never needed to touch it up once. I could see the burn swaying to one side a few times, but the Cigar corrected itself without the need of any intervention from my behalf. Just to note, I'm not expecting perfection when it comes to the burn. As long as it doesn't canoe I'm not going to take any marks away.

Flavour & Complexity

Right off the bat, typical Montecristo flavours. Tangy tobacco notes with creamy coffee. Medium strength, not overpowering. Very nice. It's a little harsh; as Rob from Friends of Habanos would say, there's a little 'mongrel' in there. There's roughness. It's not a bad thing. It's telling you that 'I'm here, I may be small but pay attention!'

The Talisker may be just a little too strong for the Monty #5. The kick that the alcohol overpowers the flavours of the Cigar. I think I may have been better off pairing this Cigar with a coffee or a beer.

Throughout the first third and into half way throughout the Montecristo No. 5, the base flavours stay the same. Those flavours are there. I wasn't expecting anything gobsmacking and that's what I got.

Into the final third of the Cigar and the Montecristo is starting to get a little hot. Because of the size and the looseness of the Cigar the flavours became a little harsh and therefore I had to let it go at just under an inch to go. In total, this Cigar gave me forty minutes of smoking time.

Conclusion

This Cigar is all Montecristo. If you're looking for a smaller version of a No. 3 or even a No. 2 that you wish to smoke under forty five minutes then this may exactly be what you're looking for.

The Montecristo #5 is not a bad Cigar at all. There's going to be better Cigars, but I can't think of many other Cigars in the Tres Petit Corona vitola that is much better than this. The only Cigar that always scores highly is the Partagas Short. But that blockbuster of a little Cigar is not for everyone. You'll need a palette that can handle the peppery, leather bomb of flavours that the Short relentlessly throws in your way.

The only disappointment was the draw. I've heard many good things about this Cigar in the past year or so and I've been impressed that such a small Cigar, that is overshadowed by the Montecristo No. 4, the world's most popular Cuban Cigar gets it right most of the time. It may be a good thing that the Montecristo No. 4 soaks up the limelight...

So, decent Cigar, not a blockbuster. If you like the Montecristo range, or a small smoke that isn't overpowering, then I would suggest that you purchase a few singles.

Appearance: 12/15

Draw & Burn: 15/20

Flavour & Complexity: 25/30

Overall: 32/35

Total: 84/100

[ksblazer]

Nice review on one of my favorites in the Monte line up. The No.5's can be great right out of the box, but sometimes require a little age to mellow and smooth them out around the edges.

[bassman]

I actually find the MC#5 to be pretty mild. Good little cigar, but I prefer the Boli CJ.

[Vortigan]

Nice review,thanks for posting.I'm working on a box of these from Sept '10 and they're getting better all the time.

[Wil]

I actually find the MC#5 to be pretty mild. Good little cigar, but I prefer the Boli CJ.

I agree. Love the Boli CJ and Party shorts - both great short cigars.

Great review - thanks.

[#2 man]

Nice review great photos

[maverickdrinker]

nice review. will have to add these to the list.