Montecristo Espada

I mentioned in my review of the Montecristo Media Noche that I would have to follow up with a review of one of my long-time favorite cigars, and my favorite Montecristo, the Espada (Spanish for “sword”), to see if it could hold its place as my favorite Montecristo blend, so... here we are.

Espada is a collaboration between Montecristo and the Plasencia family blenders, to create a unique Montecristo blend.

I don't want to waste time, so let's just do this.

Cigar: Montecristo Espada

Vitola: Ricasso (Robusto, 5” x 54)

Price: $12/stick

Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Jalapa Valley Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Body: Medium

Rating (out of 10): 9.9

Appearance:
The most striking thing about this cigar is the triple band, which covers nearly the entire stick. Front and center is a pair of crossed swords, the cigar's namesake, and a note indicating the origin of the cigarm which was blended by the Group de Maestros, some of the finest cigar blenders in the world. Of course, there's also the classic “Montecristo brown band” both below the shoulder and at the foot of the stick.

Removing these reveals a soft, golden-brown Habano wrapper with light veins and absolutely invisible seams, and just the faintest hint of tooth.

Construction:
Construction on this is absolutely perfect. The seams are absolutely impossible to find, making it difficult to see where the perfectly-fitted cap begins.

Aroma:
The length of the stick smells faintly of Spanish cedar, with soft floral notes. At the foot, the scent of chocolate is unmistakable, again with some floral underpinnings.

First Third:
The cold draw here is somewhat earthy, and I can definitely taste those floral notes as well.

The first few puffs after lighting give a distinct taste of sweet tobacco, with soft touches of pepper on the finish. I'm trying to detect the chocolate I smelled at the foot, but it seems to exist in aroma only.

The peppery spice begins to intensify just somewhat as the cigar burns. It's not overwhelming; not a firecracker like a Jaime Garcia blend, but it's just enough to remind you that this is most definitely a Nicaraguan smoke.

After a short peppery introduction, the profile becomes more of a citrusy flavor, soft and gentle on the palate. There is, of course, still the occasional zing of cracked pepper every now and again.

The burn is perfectly even, with a solid near-white ash column. The smoke itself is rich with flavor, but milder in body, more of a medium-bodied, chewy kind of smoke.

Second Third:
Sill burning perfectly as I roll into the second third, now tasting sweet floral tones along with that citrus.

A little more of that tobacco sweetness creeping back in around the half. Peppery zip here and there, and a nice touch of salt on the finish.

The retrohale is absolutely perfect, smooth and sweet, floral and just a little nutty.

Final Third:
Hints of cedar creep into the flavor in the last third, as the citrus slowly wanes.

Nearing the end, the profile is one of cedar and sweet tobacco, coming full circle. Expertly blended.

Perfect burn the whole way through.

Just like the Media Noche, this one stays nice and cool to the last, so I can keep smoking until there's virtually nothing left.

And just like the Media Noche, I'm kicking myself for only bringing one of these back from Guam with me.

Closing Thoughts:
Esapada easily defended its title as my favorite Montecristo blend tonight. Even better, both the Media Noche and the Espada lines come in at a much more manageable price than the standard Montes, coming in around $12 a stick instead of the usual $20.