A Brief Cigar Review - Cuban Montecristo Petit Edmundo

Accounting for 50% of all Cuban cigar exports, Montecristo is the most popular Havana brand. I tend to think the Monte #2 is the most loved cigar in the brand, it has a pyramid shape and is 6 x 52 in size. The Petit Edmundo is a great shorter smoke with the same ring size, at half the price of the popular Montecristo #2.

Wrapper: Cuba
Binder:  Cuba
Filler:  Cuba
Size: 4.3 x 52
MSRP: $7.60  

I first was going to review the Montecristo #3, which has a small 42 ring gauge. As many know, Cuban cigars can be tight and sometimes plugged, the #3 was one of those. I cut it, no draw, poked it, barley a draw at all.., as if I were trying to drinking a milkshake with those tiny coffee straws.
I will have to "dry-box" it. For those wondering, dry-boxing is the process of taking a cigar out of the humidor and placing it in an old cigar box, that doesn't have humidification, for hours or even days. It will draw out some of the moisture and presumably shrink the leaves and open up the draw. The most common cigars this is done to is, you guessed it, Cubans. 

Time to digress..., The review is now for the larger ring, less tightly rolled Montecristo Petit Edmundo. In fact, rolled loose enough that a small punch cut produced a very open draw, a relief indeed. 

The pre-light aroma is sweet barnyard, and pepper that tickles the nose. A cold draw only gives some hints of sweet tobacco.

I notice the usual Cuban cigar nuance of anise/black licorice, but lacking is the other note I find in most Cuban tobacco; A rich flavor of pungent, aged mustiness. I know that sounds odd and unpleasant, but it is actually quite good. Some describe it as "cuban funk". Along with the anise I enjoy a charred marshmallow, dark caramel, and dark roasted cashew as the main tasting notes. 

After an earlier whiskey and coke, I decided to pair the Petit Edmundo with a local IPA. Bridgeport Brewing, located in Portland Oregon, produces some fine beer, but so do the thirty million other local craft breweries. 

The burn line begins to get wonky after the first 20 minutes. I don't know if I would pin this on poor Cuban quality control, possibly if all sticks from the box did the same thing. It just happens, sometimes for no reason, but rarely with quality premium cigars. Oh well, a little touch up with a single flame torch does the trick.

After the halfway point, a potpourri note makes an appearance. It is almost soapy, but not too intense that it becomes unpleasant. I much prefer the sweeter floral note that some cigars have, which is more mellow like rose petals. I am not sure what to think of the potpourri, it doesn't seem to jive well with the other toasty flavors. Maybe it's the beer pairing weird, skewing the taste buds?

Overall, the Montecristo Petit Edmundo is a great cigar and the price is right. It didn't seem to be rushed out of the factory like many Cubans, it was properly aged as far as I could sense. The flavor profile was nice, even with the potpourri.., it made the smoke interesting without being a distraction. However, the construction left more to be desired with the uneven burn. 

I score it 8/10

A cigar FAQ:
Cigar sizes, what do the numbers mean?
The first number is the length of the cigar. It is measured in inches.
The second number is the width of the cigar, or ring gauge. The ring gauge is measured in 64ths of an inch.
So for example, a 5x50 cigar is 5 inches long, and 50/64 of an inch wide.

I appreciate your views, upvotes, follows, and resteems.
Feel free to comment.., I dig interacting with fellow cigar smokers, or any who find interest in it. -Greg