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Welcome to Cigar Keep.
Trade Cigars. Smoking Room. Articles & Content.
This site displays content related to tobacco.
Another day and another cigar this time in the lounge of No6 Cavendish. I’ve been really wanting to try the PL Monte Carlo and I wasn’t disappointed. The length is lovely giving a nice cool smoke for the first third that does intensify as the smoke continues. I love the slim frame of the 33 ring gauge and I must admit for the price it’s really a great cigar. It will be rotated into my morning smoke roster! Only problem is they are getting harder to find now :)
Por Larranaga is one of my favorite cigar brands, and I always refer the Montecarlo as a highly underrated and cost-effective cigar from their selection. The unique vitola measures 6 1/4" x 33 (Delicisos), and despite its slim appearance, it feels substantial and elegant when held. The flavor profile is rich and nuanced, offering a delightful smoking experience. However, towards the final third, the intensity becomes more robust and stimulating, prompting me to usually set it aside after enjoying about two-thirds of it.
I had the pleasure of smoking one of these bad boys last Friday after I had finished my day of working from home.
I bought three of them after watching a Kirby Allison video with Max Foulkes. I like the slimmer ring gauge cigars and at 6 1/4" is the perfect size for what I like to smoke. Its an old school looking cigar in my view and the stick did not disappoint. The burn was perfect and I had a very long ash before it fell off. I've heard the draw on these can be hit and miss but I was lucky that I had no problems there. I sat on my back balcony over looking a local golf course with a glass of Glenfiddich Fire and Cane and enjoyed this by myself enjoying the late summer afternoon here in Australia.
The cigar took roughly 55-60 mins to smoke as I was not in a rush.
The weird thing I found and I've never experience this before but the flavours changed and developed in my mouth after I had finished smoking for the next three or so hours. I got a very creamy and coffee like smooth flavour after the fact, I'm not sure if that was the whiskeys doing but I enjoyed it, enjoyed it so much my wife and son purchased a box of 25 for me for my 40th birthday in a couple of days.
I feel like I will be hoarding these and being very selective of who I share these with.
Thanks for the recommendation Max and Kirby.
Keep the content coming.
A fantastic cigar which I personally feel think needs to be enjoyed slowly. I nursed mine to about 45 minutes.
Full flavour but light on strength. I would recommend you be careful what you drink with this.
I have only had one so cannot profess to be an expert, but the burn was somewhat troublesome, but if you don't mind adjusting then it is no big issue. The draw was somewhat restricted but by no means difficult.
The flavour overall is not too sweet and has a salty or somewhat savory edge. For me, you could get away with having this in the evening so long as the said evening has not been too 'heavy'.
A cigar that, despite its supposedly unpopular vitola, is often enjoyed by those starting their journey into the world of Cuban cigars and aficionados alike. A find it such an elegant size and believe it to be a cigar that would have been better suited to life in the 1970s, had it had a candela wrapper.
Its full flavour is not to be confused with strength. I don't find it to be a sweet cigar although there are sweet aspects incorporated into its overall savoury profile. There is an unmistakable piquancy to this cigar that can often be misconstrued as youth. This tartness gives way to a gamey flavour that I find not dissimilar to that of a Bolivar. Notes of earth and coffee prevail in the last third.
Incredibly good value for the money and a cigar I can derive almost as much enjoyment from looking at as well as smoking.
Buenos Dias
While coffee and cigars are pleasant companions all during the day, the first coffee with the first cigar is truly a treasured moment.
The Monte Carlo, and the I believe extinct Panatela are perfect selections. The aroma of the unlit cigar is where I begin. Followed by the aroma of the Cafe Bustello. Back and forth between the two until they become one in a note of Cocoa. Once the cigar is ongoing, again Cocoa dominates the palate..without the coffee I find I pronounced cedar, and with a touch of almond. Nicotine content is below medium.
Beautiful to look at, and easy to love.
The Monte Carlo is quite often tight….just be patient…smoking 5 and 6 year olds now.
1 year ago
Hi there.
I'm at the beginning of my jouney into the cigar world. I've had a bad experience with a tight Monte Carlo. I wasn't able to go past the first tier. Would you recommend waiting for it to age in my humidor or was I unlucky and should give a go to another one?
1 year ago (edited on 3rd January 2023 20:24)
Totally agree with this review. Full flavour yet quite light in strength. I have 8 left from a box from 2018. Currently smoking them every couple of months as they are difficult to come by in the UK. If it were possible for me I would smoke one every morning but due to it’s rarity it’s not possible so I have the Rafael Gonzalez Panatela Extra instead, which have a similar flavour profile.
1 year ago
Max! Your reviews are the best. Like you, I have found myself enjoying slimmer ring gauge cigars lately! One of my latest favorites is the Partagas Aristocrat. I've enjoyed it so much, I though, why not try the Monte Carlo! So, just today, I've added two boxes of 25 to my Keep!
This is a splendid cigar. Great for the mid-morning or mid-afternoon smoke! And I thoroughly enjoy the thinner ring gauge and longer length. It really allows the tobacco to warm up and evolve beautifully! I look forward to smoking more of these!
1 year ago
JoshPUK
Couldn’t agree more Andrew!
6 months ago