On The Cigar Authority podcast we smoked the 1935 Anniversary the latest cigar from Altadis USA. Like many recent cigars from the company, this one is made by AJ Fernandez who seems to have his hands on every brand with a Cuban heritage.
According to a press release from Altadis USA, ” The first Montecristo cigar was handcrafted in 1935 using a signature blend of tobaccos, which remains the standard by which the brand still lives up to today. Now, 85 years later, accomplishing a tribute of this magnitude required assembling a cast of some of the world’s leading tobacco experts. Working together, the famed Grupo de Maestros, Rafael Nodal and award-winning tobacco powerhouse AJ Fernandez have crafted the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaraguan. This precise and exquisite proprietary blend of aged tobaccos pays homage to the original tobaccos used in the first Montecristo cigar. The result is an exquisite blend of the finest Nicaraguan tobaccos the region has to offer that reflect the classic characteristics, construction and balanced flavors of the original 1935 Montecristo.”
Cigar Review: Montecristo 1935 Anniversary
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Size: 7″
Ring Gauge: 52
Size: Churchill
The Look: Packaged in 10 count boxes, the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary is boxed pressed with a flawless wrapper. The box press makes the cigar feel considerably smaller than the 52 ring advertised. Under the fingers the wrapper is coarse to the touch with a well packed foot that showcases some darker tobaccos in the filler.
The Notes: The cold draw of the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary serves up notes of sunflower seeds with a subtle fig sweetness and roasted coffee. The aroma from the foot of the cigar is cedar with a hint of cinnamon. Once the cigar is lit notes of coffee envelop the palate.
Smoking the first third it is hard to see where this could be similar to the original 1935 Montecristo seeing how cigars have changed over the years. If you asked someone what a cigar from that decade would be like, many, if not all would say mild. For me, that is a great thing as this full bodied cigar has notes of black pepper, cinnamon and espresso. The retrohale serves up leather with hints of cinnamon and leather on the finish.
In the second third the leather notes make it the palate becoming dominant at times, but the focal point of the cigar is strong espresso with a touch of cinnamon on the finish which is increasingly leathery. The retrohale sees notes of red pepper which lingers on the finish.
The last third continues to have notes of coffee and leather, with the leather becoming dominant as the cigar concludes. The finish of the cigar is long with notes of leather and earth while the retrohale has back pepper in abundance.
The Finish: We recently named the Perdomo 10th Anniversary Maduro as our Cigar of the Year on our podcast. When we smoked the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Toro on an earlier show we stated that this cigar could have been a contender if it was released earlier in the year. This classic Nicaraguan cigar offers a huge flavor profile and strength that grows as the cigar gets shorter. However, given the choice I would reach for the Toro or #2.
Score: 93
Price: $17.69 / $157.99
Montecristo 1935 Anniversary
Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Foot
Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Burn
