Montecristo No. 2 (Cuban) Cigar Review — Score & Tasting Notes

If the Cohiba is the political cigar—debated endlessly, divisive by nature—then the Montecristo No. 2 is the cultural cigar. Its torpedo silhouette is the shape people imagine when they think "cigar." It appears in films, advertisements, and the hands of statesmen. Created in 1935, it has spent nearly a century earning its place on the short list of all-time greats.

The torpedo format is not merely aesthetic. That tapered head concentrates the smoke, delivering a more nuanced experience than a straight-sided cigar can offer. It also makes the Monte No. 2 one of the few cigars where the first third is genuinely the most delicate and the final third the most intense—a narrative arc that keeps you engaged from first light to last puff.

The opening is rich and inviting: coffee and chocolate with light spice, bold yet balanced, with cream and licorice providing an immediate sense of luxury. This is unmistakably Cuban tobacco—there's a sweetness and complexity to the smoke that the DR and Nicaragua can approximate but never quite replicate.

The second third introduces cedar and leather alongside cocoa, honey, sweet red bell pepper, and cinnamon. The flavors don't so much transition as accumulate—each new note joins the ensemble without displacing what came before. By the halfway point, you're experiencing a full orchestra of Cuban tobacco at its finest.

The final third delivers stronger pepper and earth with dark chocolate sweetness lingering, full creaminess without harshness. The retrohale is tangy wood, cinnamon, and nutmeg with that distinctive Cuban sweetness that haunts your palate for hours afterward.

The caveat is the same as with all Cuban cigars: consistency varies, and you need a trustworthy source. A well-aged Monte No. 2 from a reliable vendor is one of the peak experiences in cigar smoking. A fresh, poorly stored one from a questionable source is a $40 disappointment. Choose wisely, age patiently, and this cigar will reward you with an experience few others can match.

We rested our Montecristo No. 2s for a full year before this review—patience that proved essential. A freshly purchased Monte No. 2 tastes tight, one-dimensional, and sharp. Give it twelve months in a properly maintained humidor (65-67% RH, 65-67°F), and it transforms into the cigar that earned its legendary reputation. This is the single most important piece of advice for Cuban cigar smokers: age your Cubans. The cigar you smoke today is not the cigar the manufacturer intended you to smoke.

Among Cuban options, the Monte No. 2 offers more consistent quality than the Cohiba Robusto at a lower price, making it our default Cuban recommendation. But the non-Cuban world offers formidable alternatives: Padron 1964 Anniversary at $16 delivers comparable complexity with guaranteed consistency, and Oliva Serie V Melanio at $14 offers a torpedo experience that rivals the Monte's flavor evolution at a third of the price. The Cuban cigar experience is unique and worth having—just know that excellent alternatives exist if the sourcing, pricing, or inconsistency proves frustrating.