Montecristo (Cuba) Especial No. 2

A really great smoke when aged for several years. Leathery and spicey hints in a full body smoke.

oh man, was this good
wish i had a bunch of these!!

This is finest cigar I have smoked.

not the usual shape, a bit old fashioned but the flavor is all in here

I bought a sampler with two of these. The first one left me somewhat dissappointed. This one sat in my humi for a couple of months. This seemed to improve it. It started off very mild, but enough taste to keep you interested. Into the second 1/4 the flavors intensified to a rich, yet smooth smoke. Went out twice when I left it briefly, but burned perfectly with normal puff intervals. Last 1/4 was difficult to keep lit and taste became harsh, so quit at that point.
Definitely enjoyed, but there are other CC's out there for that price I would prefer.

I can't recommend this cigar. It has a mild start but a very bitter finish that stings the sinuses. For the money you're better to stick with a Cohiba.

Smoke a few of these from a box of 2002. This cigar is a great smoke on a hot day as its draw is better when the cigar is slightly dry. The smoke is typical old school with lots of coffee and chocolate. Classic leathery finish. Tried one from a box of 04 and the taste is quite different, a bit harsh as compared to the 02.

Smoked this quite a while ago, but forgot to rate it. Very pleasant surprise for a somewhat small cigar. Was also pretty inexpensive for a Cuban. I liked the #2 quite a bit better, but this would be good if not much time for a smoke.

This slender and elegant stick with box code OSU 7/01 is clothed in a Colorado wrapper with minimal veins and very fine tooth. The traditional triple cap is present. A pigtail waves hi. Solid construction without soft spots. Easy light. Very firm draw, but not officially plugged. Even burn with the need for one relight (I got a phone call and it self-extinguished), but careful attention had to be paid through the entirety of the stick to prevent it from going out – almost like a dying, sputtering motor crying out for a push on the accelerator every few minutes or so. Gray ash. Started with mild tobacco and nuts. The first third was almost so subtle I couldn’t detect anything! I have not encountered that problem before, and got a little worried. I finally found hints and whispers of paper, grass, and warm leather, along with a slight menthol taste. These all really appeared towards the end of the first third. Up to that point, however, it was bland. The middle third saw an increase in flavor, but still nothing prominent, per se. It started with a very mild woodsy and herbal flavor, which intensified somewhat as it was smoked, but was only there in the shadows. A mild tanginess and nutty flavor also seemed to dance in and out. The last third saw a continuation of the herbal and woodsiness, with an increase in the menthol-like flavor. A slight tannic quality also came to the forefront – unusual in that I normally detect this in the first third, when it is noticed. All in all, this extremely mild-bodied, one-hour smoke was disappointing. I tried to use a slower, more deliberate smoking technique, given its ring gauge and size to prevent over burning, but as mentioned above, this was a very labor-intensive stick to keep lit without constantly having to relight. The flavors were extremely subtle all the way around. I kept waiting for it to open up but alas it never did, which left me unsatisfied – like being hungry and smelling a great dinner being cooked, sitting down at the table, and being served a piece of plain toast.

medium bodied. Excellent taste. easy draw.

in response to the lengthy first review: It is simply not fare to rate or analize a entire line of cigars when one has only smoked one. I have smoke an entire box of these and they are great cigar, with cocoa and vanilla notes. I have never detected any grassy, green notes. sounds to me like a cuban imposter. A large percentage of all cubans purchased in the US are fakes. So put that in your pipe and smoke on it.

Having only smoked a handful of ISOMs, I submit this review for others, who, like me, are not yet experienced with them, and it may be that this review isn't really fair because I need to try a few more of these. However, since one of the great features of Top 25 is the honesty of the reviewers, here goes: I tried to light this Monte, but it was so plugged it wouldn't draw. I was forced to pierce it with a skewer to get any smoke, because I damn sure wasn't chucking a $10 cigar. Unfortunately, this mechanical solution cracked the wrapper, which was very messy, and the stick kept re-plugging anyway. About a year ago someone told me Canary Islands cigars tasted "grassy". I now understand what that means. But there were also hints of sweet vanilla, and I hope, after letting these sit, that the rest of the box will develop into really pleasant smokes. What I found a bit disturbing is that I've smoked non-Cuban closeout cigars at about a tenth the price which tasted really close to the few nice flavor characteristics I derived from this. I suppose I should have rated the "overall experience" a 10 just for how much this cigar has given me to think about.

Picked up a 5 year old Especial No. 2. Beautiful cigar, clipped it with my Palio, pulled a 2 inch piece of string out, and lit it up. Draw was geat, burn was just perfect. Taste was just wonderful, creamy, wood, leather, earth, some spice.

Ok I am now a convert. After having some less than stellar monte's I broke down and bought a box of my own and hit a homerun. Now I see why this is considered a great cigar. Great even burn well made with a nice creamy flavor building to a mild spicey flavor for the finish. I did not want this cigar experience to end. Obviously consistency is a Cuban problem but if you get a good box you can't beat this smoke.

Was expecting much after reading many good reviews on this site and others, and definately got what I hoped for! Try it and you won't be dissapointed(If you like spicy cigars that are not boring and have a huge variety of tastes in em, that is.....)