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Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III by Altadis U.S.A.
At the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, Altadis U.S.A. introduced the Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III. As the name indicates, this is the third installment of the Montecristo Grupo de Maestros line, a limited edition series from Altadis U.S.A. The Grupo de Maestros team represents some of Altadis’ most skilled cigar makers and they have been involved with some high-profile Altadis releases. With the Montecristo Grupo de Maestros, some private blends that have been created by the team have been made available for a one time release under the Montecristo brand. Today, we take a closer look at the Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III.
Until Rafael Nodal joined the Altadis U.S.A. team in 2017, Altadis was a company that had not previously relied on a “face” for the brand. Altadis U.S.A.’s approach has been to let the brands in its portfolio speak for themselves. As a part of the story of the brands, the Grupo de Maestros works behind the scenes. Altadis U.S.A has touted this team as an experienced group with more than 250 years combined experience. The company describes the group as follows:
Alone, the cigar experience of each member is impressive. Combined, their experience is unparalleled. The group draws from their different individual backgrounds and preferences but is united by one goal: to create the world’s best premium cigars. While each member has the talent to blend their own cigars, this unique structure makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts.
The series was first announced late in 2014, and the first cigar, the Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch I, made its debut. The following spring, a second release, the Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch II, made its debut. As mentioned above, Private Batch III was launched at the 2017 IPCPR and subsequently was introduced into market. The packaging for the Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III also features a collectible cedar trunk similar to what was used for the previous two installments. The trunk will contain 100 cigars and a total of 250 numbered trunks (3,000 cigars) have been produced.
Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III (Packaging)
Blend Profile and Vitolas Available
Each installment of the Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch Series features a unique blend and is available in a single size.
Private Batch III had two firsts for the Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch series. It was the first in the series to feature an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. Secondly, it was the first in the series to use a belicoso format.
Private Batch III (2017)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican (Santo Domingo)
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan, Peruvian
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera de Garcia)
Belicoso: 6 1/8 x 52
Production Count: 300 Trunks of 100 Cigars (30,000 Cigars)
For completeness, we list the components of the previous two releases.
Private Batch II (2016)
The Private Batch II features an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over a combination of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos. The main release was a 6 x 50 Toro, but there also was a Churchill size offered at JR Cigar.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra Crop 2011
Binder: Nicaraguan Crop 2012
Filler: Dominican Piloto Crop 2009 and Nicaraguan Crop 2011
Country of Origin: Not disclosed
Toro: 6 x 50 and Churchill: 7 x 52
Production Count: 250 Trunks of 100 Cigars (25,000 Cigars)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra (2010 Oliva Los Rios Crop)
Binder: Dominican Olor 2010 (Villa Gonzalez Crop)
Filler: Criollo ’98 and Corojo ’99
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Toro: 6 x 54
Production Count: 250 Trunks of 100 Cigars (25,000 Cigars)
Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III – Close Up
Appearance
The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper of the Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III had a medium brown color. This was a wrapper that had some oil on it. While the wrapper was relatively smooth, there were still some visible veins. Any visible wrapper seams were minimal. The belicoso tip has a moderate taper toward the head of the cigar.
Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III – cedar sleeve removed
There are two parts to the band of the Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III. The upper portion has the design of the classic Montecristo brown label band. This section is all brown with white font. On this band is a fleur-de-lis surrounded by a white ring. Above the white ring is the text “MONTECRISTO”. There is an outer gold ring surrounding the white ring and text.
The lower portion of the band has a gold foil design giving the effect of a pseudo-secondary band. On the band is the text “Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III” in dark font.
The Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III has a cedar sleeve the goes from the footer and covers the band not he cigar. The cedar sleeve has a gold ribbon surrounding the lower portion. The upper portion replicates the band that is under the sleeve. On the sleeve is the text “PRIVATE BATCH III” stamped in black font. In addition, the text “1/250” is stamped in red font. The red stamp indicates the number of the trunk the cigar is from. The cigars for this assessment were samples from Altadis U.S.A., so we cannot confirm if this was from the trunk labeled “#1 of 250” or not.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
Prior to lighting up the Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III, I removed the cedar sleeve that covered the cigar. I placed a straight cut into the belicoso tip using my Credo Special T cutter with the 36 ring gauge hole. This allowed me to get a smaller ring gauge cut and to take advantage of the tapering near the cap of the cigar. From that point, I moved on to the pre-light draw. The dry draw delivered a mix of cedar, natural tobacco, and a slight floral note. This wasn’t the most exciting pre-light draw, but since its not factored into the score, there was no loss of points here. At this point, I was ready to light up the Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III and see what the smoking phase would have in store.
Flavor Profile
The Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III started out with a mix of natural tobacco, cedar, fruit sweetness and black pepper. The natural tobacco notes became primary early on with the fruit sweetness and pepper settling into the background. While the black pepper was a background note on the tongue, it was more prominent on the retro-hale. As the Private Batch III moved through the first third, an herbal note surfaced in the background.
As the Private Batch III entered the second third, the herbal note became more prominent and before the midway point, it joined the natural tobacco and cedar in the forefront. Meanwhile, at times I also detected some earthy notes floating between the background and forefront. The black pepper and fruit notes also remained in the background. Toward the latter part of the second third, the cedar notes increased.
The last third saw the cedar take over as the dominant flavor. The natural tobacco and herbal notes had receded into the background. There was an increase in the black pepper, but it also remained in the background. This is the way the Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn and Draw
Burn-wise, the Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III performed quite well. It maintained a straight burn path and had a relatively straight burn line. The resulting ash had a silvery gray color with some darker spots mixed in. This was an ash that wasn’t overly firm, but it was neither loose nor flaky. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both were ideal.
Burn of the Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III
The draw to the Private Batch III had some resistance to it. While normally I like resistance on a draw, there was a little more on this cigar than I preferred. Still, this wasn’t a draw that was plugged by any means. At the same time, despite a snug draw, this cigar still produced ample amount of smoke.
Strength and Body
The Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III is a cigar that is dialed back. Strengthwise, the Private Batch III was in the mild to medium range. I didn’t find much variance in the strength level throughout the smoking experience. The Private Batch III also started out mild to medium-bodied. The body does gradually increase and by the last third, I found the Private Batch to deliver medium-bodied flavors.
In terms of strength versus body, I found the body had the edge throughout the smoking experience.
Final Thoughts
There were two things that I liked about this blend. First up, I found the dialed back profile worked quite well with this blend. From the sweet herbal qualities, there is no doubt there is Peruvian tobacco in this blend – however, I liked how it didn’t overpower the blend. Secondly, I liked that this cigar offered more in the way of complexity in terms of flavor nuances and flavor changes.
On the other hand, despite a dialed back profile and a nice amount of complexity, there just wasn’t a lot else I found going on with this cigar. While this was a not a bad cigar, I was just looking for something more. It’s still a cigar I’d encourage a novice or experienced person to smoke, but at $16.00, it’s a pricier cigar. I’d recommend that you try a sample if you can to see if it’s a fit before deciding whether to put it in your humidor.
Summary
Key Flavors: Herbal Notes, Natural Tobacco, Cedar, Earth, Black Pepper, Fruit
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium to High
Strength: Mild to Medium
Body: Mild to Medium (1st 2/3), Medium (Remainder)
Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: Try a Sample
Score: 88
References
News: Montecristo Grupo de Maestros Private Batch III Unveiled at 2017 IPCPR
Price: $16.00
Source: Altadis U.S.A.
Brand Reference: Montecristo
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
Quick Review
Overall, I enjoyed this Monte by Montecristo, it had a few construction issues at the beginning that I powered through. The flavors were very enjoyable. Nothing too overpowering but consistent and enjoyable to the end.
Stogie Specs
- Made By:Tabacalera de Garcia
- Wrapper:Ecuador
- Binder:Nicaragua, Dom. Rep.
- Filler:Dominican Republic
- Average Price:$9
- Ring Gauge:48
- Length:5 1/2'
Flavor Wheel
Initial Thoughts
So I’ve been on a kick recently, trying to smoke some of the bigger name brands in cigars and stay away from some of the boutique stuff. You know, names that have been around for awhile. The last time I popped into a store I was met with the Montecristo section. Now I have smoked a couple Montecristos from back in the day, and earlier in the summer I had a Cuban Montecristo #4. I had been seeing this Monte by Montecristo around in the shop for a while and I was intrigued. So I figured hey why not pick it up and give it a shot? That’s exactly what I did.
I always like to see what’s unique and different about a cigar when I’m smoking it. I like to understand why the company / brand released it. So for this Monte by Montecristo I went to their website and I found this:
The MONTE’s signature feature is the inclusion of two binders: a spicy Dominican Olor combined with a strong and aromatic Nicaraguan Corojo which adds strength, firmness and complexity.
Monte by Montecristo – Barrel
Pretty interesting to me. When I was researching the specs for this cigar I kept seeing people having a double binder listed and it didn’t make sense to me until I read this on the Montecristo site. So now that we have that out of the way I think it’s time to hop into the review and see what this double binded cigar has to offer.
Looks
There is one thing that you’re always going to get with a Montecristo cigar. That is the Flor de Lis symbol on the band. To me it’s classic and iconic. I personally love the simplicity of the logo and its always easy to find in any shop. The thing that I love about this Monte by Montecristo packaging is how modern and sleek it looks without having diverted from it’s roots. You have the Flor de Lis on the top band, but on the secondary band it has a very modern look to it. The secondary band is where the cigar states that this isn’t a typical Montecristo. It has “Monte” written in large curved letters across it. This lower band has a dark black background which is a nice contrast with red lettering that really makes that Monte pop out at you. Personally, I love the contrast of the secondary band from the primary, classic band above it.
Looking at the wrapper on this Monte by Montecristo it’s gorgeous as well. Incredibly smooth and sleek, the seams are barely noticeable. It has a nice chocolate brown wrapper that doesn’t look like it has too much age on it. It has a nice oily glow to it, but not velvety in feel. Just a very solid looking Ecuadorian wrapper. I’m definitely intrigued and I’m ready to get into this cigar and see what it has to offer.
Function
One thing that I noticed right off the bat about this cigar is that it has some sort of pig tail or flag cap on it. It’s not as pronounced of a cap as others I’ve seen. In fact it’s like it has been laid flat around the head of the cigar. So that makes it a little more difficult to determine if it is indeed a pig tail or not.
Monte by Montecristo – Foot
After I decided to stop worrying about whether this Monte by Montecristo had a pigtail or not I just went ahead and nipped the cap off. I was ready to get in there and test out the dry draw of this cigar. Unfortunately, the first snip wasn’t enough to really open it up. So I took off another little bit of the shoulder and it opened up a little bit more. Enough to at least test the draw.
While I was testing the dry draw I took breaks and rolled the cigar in between my fingers to see if there were any soft spots in it. It was fine when I picked it up from the store, but it had been resting in my humidor for about a week so I always like to double check. Nothing I can really do about it though if it has already changed. It’s always good to double check though, just incase you’re OCD or anything like that.
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Smoking
Alright, enough with the pre game. Let’s get this Monte by Montecristo lit up and smoking! Of course I’m using my Xikar stratosphere torch it’s fairly windy even though I’m in my garage. I haven’t been using matches lately, mainly because I’m running low on them and I haven’t been back to the shop in a while to pick up some new ones. However, I think this torch will work just fine. It takes a little coaxing, but this cigar finally takes to the flame and begins churning.
During the first third the filler began tunneling a bit. The outside wrapper wasn’t staying with the filler when it was burning. So I put the torch back to it and tried to even it out a bit and finally it started burning straight which I appreciated. That was really the only trouble I had during the first third.
Monte by Montecristo – 2nd Third
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Once I got into the 2nd third I was having a bit of trouble with the draw. So I took another nip off the head of the cigar and it opened up beautifully and the air was drawing right through it. So that was a delightful surprise.
The final third continued with the nice open draw and the smoke was just rolling out of this Monte by Montecristo. I’m sitting there thinking, it doesn’t get much better than this. So enough about all this, you want to know how does it taste, right?
Flavor
On the pre light draw this Monte by Montecristo was giving off some very nice tobacco notes and a hint of sweet molasses. On the foot I again picked up that molasses, but it was backed with some spice.
The first third started off with some really nice flavors I got a nice nutty flavor consistent with almonds. Some earthy tones as well. I even picked up some savory meaty notes and a couple hints of nougat along the way. However, the earthy and almond like notes were the dominant flavors.
The second third is where the spice began to build, especially on the retrohale. It wasn’t overpowering by any means, but it was definitely more pronounced than during the first third. It added a nice bit of depth and complexity to the this Monte by Montecristo overall which is always exciting.
The final third was more of the same, essentially a continuation from the 2nd third. The spice was there, followed by a nice savory note that helped balance everything out and keep the spice from overpowering everything else.
Monte by Montecristo – Nub
Overall I would say this is definitely a medium bodied cigar in terms of strength and flavor. It’s not overly strong in terms of strength, it can be enjoyed by nearly every level of cigar smoker. It also has a good mix and depth of body in terms of flavor. Not overpowering, but enough to make it enjoyable and complex.
Would I Buy It Again?
Absolutely, it’s a great stick, I’m just not sure it’s worth the $9 price tag.
Is It an Every Day Smoke?
Potentially, it’s one of those that you could smoke everyday if you wanted to. Definitely need to find a deal on a box though.
Would I Buy a Box?
Potentially, as I mentioned above, you need to find a good deal on a box so you’re not having to pay that full $9 per stick retail.
Conclusion
Overall, I’m very impressed with this Monte by Montecristo. I wasn’t sure how I’d enjoy it, but there’s a reason these guys have been in business for so long. They make a very consistent, enjoyable product. I gave it an 8 out of 10 because of the construction issues I had. Initially the draw was a little tougher than I wanted and it tunneled right out of the gate. Then during the 2nd third I had issues with the draw again. So that makes it a little bit more difficult to enjoy it all the way through. Either way, it’s worthy of smoking at least once to see if you enjoy it or not. I have a feeling most people will really enjoy this cigar.