Montecristo Platinum Mini Belicoso review

[moki]

I picked up a box of Montecristo Platinum Mini Belicoso's while in Puerto Rico. They are made in the Dominican Republic, and come in a pretty cool box that has scenes from Havana painted on it. The box also doubles as a humidor, since it is quite sturdy, cedar-lined, and is fairly air-tight.

I enjoy a nice thick cigar, and I thought these would be great to have when I wanted a smoke, but not a terribly long one. The construction of the cigars is quite good, and I really wanted to like them, but alas they are not worth the expense in my opinion.

If they cost about $4-5 a cigar, I'd consider it money well spent -- the cigars are tasty, quite smokable, rather mild in character, and they have a nice fruity scent/taste to the tobacco. They burn very evenly, with a nice ash that hangs around quite long. Alas, they are not $4 a cigar, they are significantly more expensive at about $9 a cigar if you buy the box of 14.

It seems like Montecristo is using premium packaging, and a premium price, for a cigar that while enjoyable, is not a premium cigar. If someone gives you one of these cigars, you will absolutely enjoy smoking it. If you purchase a box of them at retail price, though, I'm afraid the price tag sets a standard that they don't quite reach.

I enjoyed smoking these cigars, and I still have a few in my humidor. The most damning thing in my judgment is that I don't really have any desire to pull one out and smoke it. They are quite pleasant, but just rather forgettable, which is not what you'd expect for the money.

On a positive note, they seem to be developing a bit of bloom already, which is nice to see. Perhaps if I age them a bit longer, it'll bring out some more interesting character.