San Cristobal (Nic.) Monumento

This cigar delivers a real punch. I'd venture to guess no matter what you had for dinner, this one is a shoo-in for a great after dinner smoke. Yes, it is on the strong side.

This cigar looked impressive from the unusually firm torpedo end to the impeccably constructed rich brown smooth yet slightly toothy beautiful wrapper. I liked the combination of a torpedo with a churchill length too. On to the smoke! Smoke it did. burned like a Pedron with enough smoke and resistance so it seemed to go on and on.. The flavor? Started very spicy and settled it to a great toasty and woody combination. Strong, yet smoothly done and with the occassional nuance of the spice returning now and again. The ash was nice and white and I kept deciding to knock it off since it could get quite long at times. I'd say it was a complete success and I recommend it to those who have moved on to stronger smokes without reservation.

Great cigar! Throughly enjoyed, great full-bodied cigar, but probably due to length (&/or gauge) there were times when the smoke was not copious and flavorful as the guadjiro or robusto. very nice long experience though with richness. Interesting shape on the cap and burned nicely throughout. see reviews on guadjiro and robusto.

I must have gotten the runt of the litter. One dimensional smoke, very woody and smooth, but one dimensional. Certainly no VSG or ESG for that matter. Sorry Fuente didn't blend this one for Ashton.

A very impressive looking cigar. Notes of dry cocoa bean and nuts and most definitely a sweet overtone. It was surprisingly mild though out the cigar and was expecting no less than med body. The wrapper was coming apart near the cap as I smoked it however, ashes stay firm and straight. Nice and long finish which lingers for hours.

The flavor is one of the best I have had, but it is very strongly dictated by the clip. If the dry draw is hard then clip until little resistance is noticed. You need to get a lot of the smoke to get your money worth. Chocolate is predominate with some sweet notes that get less definitive the more you smoke it. There is also the obligitory pepper and wood as would be found with most Nicaraguan sticks. A little expensive but definately worth it.

The flavor profile's more complex, with deeper, toastier flavors than the usual run of Pepin smokes ( not that I have a problem with the "usual run" ). A very satisfying long and well constructed smoke.

A newcomer, this cigar has all the goods. Great construction, a beautiful, eye-catching band and flavor that brings you up short. Great, balanced flavor with nuanced depth.

Right off the bat you can tell this is a pepin, very strong pepper and a flavor only he can create. This is the first cigar that Ashton has came out with that Fuente had nothing to do with. Yes fuente was great with the VSG but they are really falling off if you look at where they used to be, and where all of the blenders are now such as pepin,padron, litto gomez, oliva, and patel. This was a very smart move by Ashton, and i think they got the best blender in the cigar industry today. There are so many people out there that try to create that pepin taste, but no one comes close. This cigar starts out just like every pepin, very peppery, they hits you with heavy chocolate, strong earthy and and nut notes. The finish was beautiful. The burn was just like the VSG, getting a very thick lip where it burnt. High recommend you getting one.

A gorgeous cigar with a unique and lovely band. A flavor-packed powerful smoke for the experienced aficionado. Flavor reminded me somewhat of the Padron 1964 line. This strikes me as the perfect after-dinner cigar. I dream of having a box of these.

I've tried two and both were youngish (I couldn't help myself). This, with the Guajiro might be the finest of the line. The potential for aging is extreme. It seemed to me a truly wonderful, perhaps more mellow than expected, sweet tobacco with slight floral hints, latte chocolaty piece of heaven. One of mine swelled slightly near the band and eventually split, but I persevered with pleasure and knew it to be youth and not construction. A memorable experience.

All the San Cristobal cigars I've tried have been impressive, and this is the best yet. Draw, taste and construction are superb.

Pepin+Ashton (aghm, Fuente), add a slightly heavy price tag, some incredible art work and you have to have extremely high expectations. they were met. The Churchill size in the line give this smoke time to really settle, before exploding in flavor, then receeding and then exploding again for the finale. It wasnt as oily in its youth as it will be and the akward looking tappered head feels good in the mouth, just like a belicoso.

Great balance as no one single note was detected but even better complexity because it was evidant they were there. A classic.

Very shortly after lighting this cigar I knew I had a winner! The wrapper had that special "look" to it as it burned. I'm not sure how to describe it but I new it was high quality like a few other great cigars I had in the past. From there the cigar did NOT disappoint. Great taste with lots of smoke that produced a fine aroma. Very well made cigar I would highly recommend.