Montecristo H2000 series Review

[LT Rich]

I am (read: was) not a big fan of the Montecristo NC brand with the exception of the "White" label. For this reason when i recieved a Montecristo Tubo labled "Magnum" in a bomb from one of the BOTLs here i was not in a big hurry to smoke it. It sat in my humidor for months, through the winter.

I recently started doing PT with one of my privates trying to improve his run time for promotion. We took a day of rest and agreed to walk out on the track and smoke a cigar. I thought that while walking i would not get the full appreciation of a cigar because my most cherished part of smoking a ciagr is the aroma and as we walked i would not get this aspect of the smoke.

I did the logical thing and grabbed the cigar which i thought i would find average and not miss too much from my humi. The selcted cigar was the Montecristo H2000 Magnum. I had to admit at the time that the presentation was very nice indeed. It has a glass tubo and is wrapped in cedar with the word Magnum toasted into the cedar.

Well i touched a flame to it as we stepped off and right away i was aware that this was far from the "just average" cigar that i was aiming for. To put it concisly it was outstanding. After a lap or two i told the private that that was enough walking and it was time to sit and enjoy our stogies.

The cigar was a great mellow blend of flavors, from a touch of cedar to a nice mellow earth tone that was just right. Well to make a long story less long I went back to my room and bought a sample pack of the H2000 series including 2 smokes from 4 different sizes.

Upon recieving them in the mail i sat down the next day and pulled out the smaller of the sizes, a 5 x 50 Xanadu. Afraid that the one smoke was a fluke and this one was going to dissapoint, i touched the flame to it and smoked it to a satisfying nub. It too was amazing. Same flavor profile of its bigger brother except in a smaller package.

Well today i broke down and grabbed a larger size out of the humi, the 7 x 50 Talisman. WOW... someone stop me from the wrath of my wife, for i am about to buy a box of every size i can find! I need help! the first half of this cigar was extreamely mellow and earthy with some wood tones. I had some burn problems and had to relight with about 1/3 of the cigar to go, and i was about to put it out around the band when on my "last draw" i got hit in the mouth with a cedar roundhouse! It was fantastic. needless to say i am going to have to go to the TMC (Troop Medical Center) to treat the finger burns that ensued!

Why is it that I had never heard of these and they are very hard to find. The only place that i was able to track them down in stock was http://www.jrcigars.com/index.cfm?page=cigars and they are all under $7 a stick. Has anyone else had any experience with this brand? It is not often that i find a stick that i get this wrapped up in... is it just me?

LT

[pistol]

I'm with you, I either really like the NC montes or really dislike them, but I know of at least one person that really likes the cigars in their line-up that I don't like! Although I'm not as partial to the H2000, I am a HUGE fan of the afrique (the machame is my favorite size). Speaking of pulling out montes that you didn't think you were going to like, I smoked one of my club cabinet #30's the other day after resting for just an additional month or so since the last one that I smoked (I thought it was mediocre a month ago). Well, I don't know if the month did that much good for the cigar, or my taste buds changed, because it was great! My experience with monte is like them or dislike them, they are constructed perfectly and are very consistent within their lineups. Great review and I understand your problems about buying in every size. I'm in the process of doing it with my Gurkha Legends!

[Dr. Stogie Fresh]

Nice looking smoke. I haven't had one but I enjoy the H2000 wrappers.

Great review. Thanks for sharing.

Doc

[punch]

The H-2000 line is excellent when they have rested. I have had harshness problems with fresh batches. After six months to a year in the humidor, it is hard to beat them. These, like the Afrique line and the Club Cabinets, are made by the makers of Montecristo for Cigars by Santa Clara (Lew Rothman). Santa Clara then sells these to others. Some people don't like Lew and will not carry any cigars associated with him. I have a local B&M that is that way. For my part, the three cigars above are my favorites and are the main reason that I do not make box purchases from B&Ms. If I buy a cigar by the box, it will be either a Punch or one of the Santa Clara Montecristos. The H-2000 cigars can also be purchased at Holts cigars. I normally get the H-2000 and Afriques for JR Cigars, but the Club Cabinet No. 10s that I like come from Holts. I don't think they move them as fast as JR and the last several batches that I have purchased had quite a bit of age on them. Pure heaven!