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.”

H. Upmann Regalias

The H. Upmann Regalias is the third of four planned releases that will comprise the new Linea Retro from Habanos and, as it has been made with H. Upmann’s signature light-to-medium blend, it is the lightest in the series to date.

All four releases are Mareva size cigars (5 1/8” x 42) presented in retro tins of five, in a style fashionable during the 1970s.

Each pack is subtly different and the H. Upmann Regalias tin has a removable top, a yellow interior and a curved edge reminiscent of  a hipflask.

Until its discontinuation in 2002, the H. Upmann Regalias was a machine-made cigar not found in the UK. However, it has since been reintroduced as a long-filler handmade cigar and is available for the first time in Britain in this new presentation. It is expected that labelled boxes of 25 cigars will be available in the near future.

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 Petit Coronas

The Cigar

A mellow, well-balanced, pressed cigar, which, along with its round counterpart the No.2 tube, is by far the most popular Romeo size.

VITOLA: Mareva
RING GAUGE: 42
LENGTH: 5 1/8 inches - 129 mm
FLAVOUR: Medium

Rafael Gonzalez Petit Coronas

The Cigar

A light, elegant Petit Corona with a taste that makes it an ideal way to start the day.

Por Larranaga Petit Corona

The Cigar:

The single standard bearer for Por Larrañaga’s regular range in the UK. It carries the brand’s traditional colours well with its creamy, light to medium flavour.

Montecristo No.4

The Cigar:

Simply the most popular individual handmade cigar in the world. Its rich, tangy, medium to full flavour acts as the benchmark for most smokers embarking on the journey to find their preferred Habano. Many return to it.

The Cigar:

The unique ‘extra fermentation’ that is conducted on the Seco and Legero of all Cohibas lasts for eighteen months and is conducted at the factory in cedar barrels. This extra age creates a unique taste. The famous Cohiba flavour is most often described as ‘Grassy’, although others have noticed tones of vanilla, cocoa and coffee. It is often noted how this extra fermentation makes the taste ‘smoother’ and more refined.

Min Ron NEE, in his book An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars says of the Siglo range “Mild, creamy sweetness, medium bean flavour, subtle ‘Cohiba’ Grassy taste, mild floral and herbal flavours.”.

The American publication Cigar Aficionado scored this cigar an impressive 93 out of 100 in a recent review, saying “Oily, firm and well made, with a fine draw and an even burn. The cigar is spicy and rich, with complex flavours of dark chocolate, coffee and leather. A full bodied masterpiece”

Line: La Linea 1492
Flavour: Medium
Vitola: Mareva
Ring Gauge: 42
Length: 5 1/8 Inches / 129mm

Bolivar Petit Coronas

The Cigar:

Simon Bolivar was one of the great historic figures of the 19th Century who liberated much of South America from Spanish rule.

The Bolivar brand was created in 1902 and is based today in the Partagas factory which is in the heart of Havana. 

It is perhaps not surprising that a Habano named after such a powerful figure is blended to match his might. Bolivar is among the strongest, most full bodied of all Habanos. It boasts an unrivalled richness of flavour in its blend of Vuelta Abajo zone filler and binder tobacco that makes it one of the most sought-after marques amongst experienced smokers. 

Length: 5 1/8" 
Ring Gauge: 42
Flavour: Full
Vitola: Mareva