Monte No.1 from 98

[Mr. D]

Just cracked a box I've been saving for any good reason Saturday and my first was plugged. The second was smoked last night and was well worth the wait

These are a wonderful shade of deep brown and surprisingly oily for Monte No.1s. From my experience only the No.2s seem to come in with that oily sheen.

The box looked so good when opened I hated to remove the first one but my Brother-in-law wasted no time. The cut was perfect and the light took half a match as if the thing was craving to be lit. It smoked near perfect due to it's age and great construction and gave out a fair amount of rich, chocolate tasting smoke. I won't get into all the nuances risking sounding like a CA reviewer but as far as Montecristos go this was good enough that I have another box on it's way! Top shelf smoke.

I smoked alot of No.4s because they seem like a great value for the size but those lonsdales are pulling me in for more.

I've got to polish my reviewing skills (unless something else needs polishing).