Montecristo Petit Edmundo Cuban Cigar Review

Montecristo Petit Edmundo Look & Feel

• Wrapper Hue: Nutmeg
• Rolling Consistency: Mostly Straight
• Spring: Slightly Hard
• Aromas: Earth, Fig, Straw

First of all, I’m going to address the spring. There are both firm and some soft spots, which can cause some burn issues, which I’ll discuss later. The sheen of the cigar, there is a bit of a dull sheen. The wrapper is a nice cocoa brown. There are also some veins, too.

With regard to the aroma on the foot and the body, there’s some earthiness, a touch of sweetness, maybe a little bit of fig dried fruit, as well as a tiny bit of barnyard as well.

Montecristo Petit Edmundo Review

This particular box of Montecristo Petit Edmundo is from the August 2017 box. Since it was received in March, it has been stored in a large Boveda bag as I’m currently travelling. Typically, we use a Boveda acrylic humidor but these provide a similar storage environment. Meanwhile, I used 65% RH packs as these are best adapted to storing Cuban cigars.

Pre-Lighting Experience

• Draw: Ideal
• Aromas: Fig, Straw, Cocoa

The draw is very nice, but it’s a little on the loose end. That said, I prefer it on the loose end than being too hard like a lot of Cubans cigars, especially in smaller ring gauges. As for the pre-light flavor profile, I’d say I’m getting some kind of fig dried fruit sweetness, some earth and a little hint of cocoa.

1st Third Smoking Experience

• Notes: Bitter Chocolate, Cedar, Flora
• Retrohale: Cedar

The Petit Edmundo often starts with an uneven burn line, but the sample reviewed evened itself up and quickly became nice and straight. It can start off quite bitter, but it develops a nice chocolate flavour after about 10 minutes or so. Expect some cedar flavors as well as subtle floral notes, especially on the retrohale.

2nd Third Smoking Experience

• Notes: Dark Chocolate, Cedar, Brine
• Retrohale: Floral

It’s definitely evolved more into a much smoother blend within the second third while it produces a medium-bodied fullness. The smoothness on the mouth and the palate has definitely calmed down.

I’ve lost a lot of the bitterness of the initial dark chocolate. Yet, there’s still that hint of cocoa as well as some nice cedar flavors. There’s a mild floral quality, but what I’m really picking up here is kind of a salty brininess, especially on the retrohale.

Final Third Smoking Experience

• Notes: Cedar, Earth, Herb
• Retrohale: Floral

This has been actually a very enjoyable smoke. I’ve smoked a few of these before this review and been quite disappointed with how linear the flavor has been. However, I seem to have picked a winner for the review!

It has offered a nice evolution. In the final third, you can expect some really nice earthy tones, some cedar as well as a hint of floralness, and that brine still on the retrohale. Meanwhile, the body remains in the medium to medium-plus range.

It doesn’t offer too much of a lingering finish after you finish the cigar. However, it really picks up in harmony and complexity and smoothness across the palate as you enjoy the duration of the smoke.

Overall Burn

• Ash Quality: Strong
• Burn Angle: Very Wavy
• Temperature: Cool
• Draw: Ideal
• Final Smoking Time: 40 Minutes

The cigar has produced an excellent ash stack and the burn line evened out considerably. There is a slight curve in the ash, but it’s solid when broken off. Similarly, the draw has been ideal, which is certainly one of the better ones that I’ve sampled.

My only complaint with this cigar is that there are sometimes a few construction issues. Nevertheless, it appears that this one is an exception to the rule. With regard to the temperature, the smoke has been relatively cool. Although I do know from others that I sampled that it can heat up in the nub.

With regard to the smoke time, expect around 40 minutes until it’s finished. You might want to refrain from over-smoking it as it gets particularly hot in the nub.

Overall Experience

The box features a typical Cuban construction. We have a nice wooden box with the embossed Montecristo logo. On the front, we have the Republica de Cuba stickers, as well as those from Montecristo and Habanos.

When we go to open it, there’s a nice latch with additional text on the underside of the lid. One last thing we want to take a quick look at is the band itself in that nice Montecristo brown with Montecristo Habana, and also the gold inlay with the fleur-de-lys and the band around the sides as well.

With regard to formality, I’d say this is a relatively formal cigar, but the price point allows it to be more accessible. It’s around $10 so I think you’d be more than happy to take this to a fancy dinner. If you’re particularly fond of its flavor profile, consider it as an everyday smoke, too.

Montecristo Petit Edmundo Pairings

I’d say the cigars perfect for an evening smoke after maybe a hearty meal, such as red meat, or maybe a red-sauced pasta. I think it’s going to pair really well with a medium to full-bodied red wine, as well as your favourite dram of either single malt Scotch whisky, or rum.

If you’re fond of rum, consider a relatively full-bodied expression that isn’t too sweet.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, I’ve been extremely happy with this cigar and the only letdown has been the construction, which is reflected in the final score. However, I’ve given an A for value for money because it has a cheaper price point compared to most Cuban cigars.

It’s definitely a cigar that evolves over time from bitter chocolate and earth to cedar with some touch of floral notes. It doesn’t have any spice in its flavor profile, though. Therefore, if you see these, pick them up, maybe age them a little while so to really mellow them out, too.

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