Montecristo - No 2 - Single
Montecristo - No 2 - Single
A single cigar, the ideal way to try this size before committing to a box.
Perhaps the most famous torpedo in the world. The tapered head concentrates the smoke, and the flavour builds steadily from a spicy start to a rich, sweet finish. A benchmark Havana.
Montecristo was created in Havana in 1935 and takes its name from Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo, a favourite of the lectores who read aloud to the rollers as they worked. From 1937 the brand was made alongside H. Upmann, and its original five sizes, No.1 to No.5, are all still in production. Every Montecristo is long filler and totally handmade with tobacco from the Vuelta Abajo, and Habanos class the marque as medium to full in flavour. In the UK it is a perennial favourite: Hunters & Frankau name the No.4 as the country's best-selling Havana.
Connoisseurs' notes
Published reviewers commonly describe the No.2 as having coffee bean and earth with leather and warm baking spice, finishing sweet and woody.
Summarised from published tasting notes (Cigar Aficionado and specialist tobacconists).
Recognition
- Cigar Aficionado 96 – Cigar of the Year 2013
Specifications
| Marque | Montecristo |
|---|---|
| Factory size (vitola) | Pirámides |
| Shape | Pirámide (torpedo) |
| Length | 156 mm (6⅛") |
| Ring gauge | 52 |
| Strength | Medium to Full (Habanos classification) |
| Smoking time | 50–60 minutes (approx.) |
| Introduced | 1935 |
| Origin | Cuba · tobacco from the Vuelta Abajo |
Storage & smoking
Keep in a humidor at 65–70% relative humidity and around 16–18°C. Cut just above the cap line and toast the foot gently before lighting; smoke slowly and let it rest between draws.
Genuine Habanos, supplied through Hunters & Frankau, the official UK importer. You must be 18 or over to purchase tobacco products.