Montecristo - Open Series - Eagle - Box of 20

A box of 20 cigars, the connoisseur's choice for laying down and ageing.

The largest of the original Línea Open sizes: a broad 54 ring gauge toro with the Open line's lighter, easy-going character.

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. The Línea Open was launched in 2009 with a lighter blend, classed by Habanos as medium, conceived for relaxed smoking in the open air and for a new generation of Montecristo smokers.

Connoisseurs' notes

Published reviewers commonly describe the Open Eagle as having mild pepper, leather and cedar with a tangy, woody edge.

Summarised from published tasting notes (Cigar Aficionado and specialist tobacconists).

Recognition

• Cigar Aficionado 90 (December 2015)

Specifications

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.