Montesino

The Montesino turned out to be a somewhat mixed experience for me. While the cigar performed fairly well mechanically, the overall flavor profile and lingering finish ultimately kept it from being a smoke I would revisit.

From the start, the cigar burned evenly and produced a smooth, consistent draw throughout the experience. Construction seemed solid enough, and the smoke output remained steady from beginning to end. In terms of basic performance, I really had very little to complain about.

Flavor-wise, however, the cigar came across fairly light and somewhat lacking in depth. There were mild tobacco and woody notes present, but very little complexity or richness developed as the smoke progressed. Adding to that was a faint harshness lingering underneath the profile that occasionally distracted from what otherwise could have been a relaxing, mild smoke.

The biggest issue for me, though, was the aftertaste.

Long after finishing the cigar — several hours later, in fact — there remained a lingering taste on my tongue that I simply did not enjoy. It was one of those lingering finishes that overstays its welcome and ultimately affects your memory of the entire experience more than the smoke itself.

That is unfortunate because the cigar itself was not terrible while smoking it. It burned well, drew nicely, and remained reasonably smooth overall. But cigars are as much about the finish and after-experience as they are the smoke itself, and in this case, the lingering aftertaste really hurt the overall impression for me.

Not a terrible cigar… just not one I would personally return to.