Cuban Cigars

Montecristo Edmundo Reserva Cosecha 2018

The Montecristo Edmundo Reserva was originally intended as a 2022 release and is the nineth Reserva release, since the launch of the series in 2003 with the Cohiba Reserva Selección. It is also the second time that Montecristo has been selected to create a Reserva, following the Montecristo No.4 in 2007.

These rare cigars are presented in numbered luxury boîte nature boxes containing twenty cigars and each one is decorated with a second silver and black Reserva band. Just 5,000 numbered boxes (100,000 cigars) have been produced for the worldwide market and all the tobaccos used in their creation has been aged in bales for three years prior to rolling. In this instance, the Montecristo Edmundo Reserva has been made exclusively using tobacco from the 2018 harvest (cosecha).

The Edmundo Reserva has been blended to the classic medium to full bodied Montecristo taste that many people consider the benchmark against which all other Havanas are measured. Established in 1935, today Montecristo is the world’s most popular Habanos brand and, in the UK, the Montecristo No.4 is one of the bestselling Havana cigars.

The original Edmundo - 5 1/3” (135mm) x 52 ring gauge - was released in 2004 and has since been joined by the Petit Edmundo (2006), Double Edmundo (2013) and Wide Edmundo (2021). In 2010 the Montecristo Edición Limitada (a Cañonazo size) was named the Grand Edmundo. 

The name Edmundo is inspired by Edmundo Dantes, the eponymous hero of Alexandre Dumas’s novel, The Count of Montecristo “All Montecristo are ‘tripa larga, totalmente a mano’ – long filler, totally handmade and use only the finest leaves from the Vuelta Abajo zone in Pinar del Rio, Cuba. The finest tobacco in the world.”

Bolivar Belicosos Finos Reserva Cosecha 2016

The Cigar

This is the first time that Bolívar has been selected to create a Reserva and it is perhaps no surprise that they have chosen their most iconic vitola (size) to do so: The Belicoso Fino.

The Reserva classification signifies that all the tobacco used has been aged in bales for three years before being rolled into cigars. The leaves used for this particular release were all harvested in 2016.

Production method: Totally handmade using long filler with all leaves sourced from the Vuelta Abajo region of Cuba

Partagas Serie D No.4 Reserva 2005

The Cigar

The power and intensity is still in abundance but the extra aged tobaccos used in this cigar provide a rare smoothness and subtlety to the smoke. An iron fist in a velvet glove.

FLAVOUR: Full
VITOLA: Robusto
RING GAUGE: 50
LENGTH: 4 7/8 Inches / 124mm 

Montecristo No.4 Reserva 2007

The Cigar

To take one of the most ubiquitous Havana cigars in the world and refine it to this level is an extraordinary ambition and one that, thankfully, is pulled off with aplomb. The quality of the tobacco shines through and elevates this classic cigar to a remarkable new height.

FLAVOUR: Medium to Full
VITOLA: Mareva
RING GAUGE: 42
LENGTH: 5 1/8 Inches / 129mm 

Romeo y Julieta Churchill Reserva 2012

The Cigar

Once one of the largest cigars available, this gentle giant now cuts a decidedly elegant and refined figure. It is at heart a polished cigar full of charm and grace. A wonderful way to celebrate Britain’s most famous cigar smoker.

FLAVOUR: Medium to Full
VITOLA: Julieta No.2 
RING GAUGE: 47
LENGTH: 7 Inches / 178mm 

H. Upmann No.2 Reserva 2014

The Cigar

A clean, cultivated and congenial blend, this often overlooked light to medium flavoured cigar is full of nuance and subtlety for those who know where to look. Anything but simple.

FLAVOUR: Light to Medium
VITOLA: Piramide 
RING GAUGE: 52
LENGTH: 6 1/8 Inches / 156mm 

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2 Reserva 2016

The Cigar

For many people the Epicure No.2 is a long-established favourite and a popular ‘turn to’ cigar. So it is perhaps a little surprising it has taken so long to see the first Hoyo Reserva. On the evidence so far from its delayed appearance in 2018, it has been well worth the wait.

FLAVOUR: Light to Medium
VITOLA: Robusto
RING GAUGE: 50
LENGTH: 4 7/8 Inches / 124mm 

Cohiba Robusto Reserva

The Cigar

This classic vitola (shape) from the most prestigious Habanos brand is, for many smokers, the pinnacle of modern cigar-making in Cuba. Medium to Full bodied but the extra bale-aged tobaccos impart a depth and elegance that will draw you in and capture your attention for every minute of the half hour or so it takes to enjoy. A difficult to find but glorious cigar.

FLAVOUR: Medium to Full
VITOLA: Robusto
RING GAUGE: 50
LENGTH: 4 7/8 Inches / 124mm