Montecristo No. 4 Cigar - Box of 25

Reviewed by Russell Jones (July 2003) The cigar was part of a gift from my sister. I have been sort of waiting for a decent occasion to smoke one of these. This was to be my very first time with an ISOM and I wanted it to be perfect. Also, I have been a little concerned with some of the life-altering effects of the ISOMs I have read on this and other boards. I decided my expectations were unrealistic and threw caution to the wind....The story begins with me on my back stoop on a gorgeous sunny evening around 7:15 pm EST. It was about 73 degrees and a slight breeze blowing almost perfect, but my chair was wet from morning rain so I was forced to stand. I also had a nice cup Kenyan coffee to compliment the cigar....... The construction was very nice with a few veins, but what the hell do I know about that stuff....The cut, with a cheap-ass two-blade guillotine cutter, was without incident and the pre-light draw was very nice. There was an unfamiliar earthy/leathery taste mixed with a rush of anticipation to fire that baby up! The light went well and I was engulfed with a mountain of beautiful grey smoke. There was a hint of woody-ness mixed with the leathery earth taste that was surprisingly appealing. As the first third began to melt way with a dark grey ash that refused to crack and fall, I noticed a blue jay dive-bombing my neighbours cats right in front of me, that was hilarious...but I digress... The first half ended with a shift in the taste to a more pepper and spicy taste with only a hint of the leathery-wood remaining. The descriptions of these tastes always made me think it was not an appealing taste, but as usual I was dead wrong...There was a tremendous volume of smoke that never thought about being harsh, no matter how quickly I drew on that baby. The spicy flavor began to over power the other flavors by the last two inches or so. I was very much pleased with the smoke to this point. i wish I had taken it a little easier earlier in the smoke as my head was beginning to spin slightly. I noticed the 'buzz' as I was searching for something to hold the cigars as my fingers were charred. I finally decided enough and let the last inch and a half die a quiet death by itself. I thoroughly enjoyed me very first ISOM. I would rate this cigar itself around an 88. I rate the overall experience and the relaxation a 200. I shall surely have to try more ISOMs, but where does a guy start. I certainly would recommend this cigar to a newbie at ISOMs. It spun my head a little, but probably because I was too impatient with the last couple of inches. It was a medium bodied, full-flavored smoke IMHO. I shall be back with another review real soon. This was a very nice review. There was a good description of flavors and character of the cigar, with a pleasant background of the cigar. Additional info (time, temp, conditions, etc) was a nice touch. Rated 8.5 of 10 Rated by Frodo ISOM" is insulting to some, and it the reviewer's repeated use of it, rather than "Cuban cigar" taints the entire review. Score: 4/10 Reviewed by Van55 I like that someone new to cubans comes right out and says it, and doesn't pretend to have experience with them that he doesn't have. As I look over the description, I find all of the information that I would look for, though it possibly could have been organized a bit better. Rating: 8/10 Reviewed by James R aka John Shaft OVERALL SCORE: 20.5/30

Reviewed by Don Ciambotti (August 2003) I just smoked a Montecristo #4 from Feb. 03. First of all, I admit. I suck at reviews. But, if I was any good at reviews, I could say... I went to the patio to watch the All-Star game. I poured a glass of wine, an Italian white. A pinot grigio from Mezza Corona to be exact. Then I could tell you about the wrapper. Shiny, oily, a nice reddish brown color. No veins. To the touch, somewhat springy. I punched the signature triple cap. I prefer to punch corona sizes. I get a better taste of the wrapper that way. I could tell you about the aroma, which was rich, warm and pleasant. I could go on to tell you that the ash was flaky, kind of greyish black. Reminiscent of a piece of charred maple at the end of a campfire. If I was any good at reviews, I'd tell you that the taste was very complex for such a young cigar. The first third had overtones of caramel with hints of vanilla. The second third changed to sweet cocoa, dark chocolate, and I swear I tasted hints of cinnamon. The last third - WOW- opened up into a very intense cedar taste with the unmistakable 'twang' that we all know. Now, remember I suck at this...I'll could tell you about the smoke. Not hoards of smoke, but rather a rich, white-grey color. Burn, a slight canoe effect that rectified itself about an inch in then burned very straight. If I'd done this before, I'd tell you that the strength was more medium than full. The flavor of this petite corona never exploded, but I didn't really expect it to. Give it a year or two and it will. If I had done a review before, I'd explain that this young cocoon of the leaf will be fabulous in a year, and is very good right now. A sweet mix of flavors that I will have a hard time laying off of, even though I know that I will be rewarded handsomely if I do. But, since I suck at review I'll just say this. Smoke 'em up boys...they're READY!! Don Ciambotti A great review which I would agree with wholeheartedly...covered all the basic clearly strength,flavour,aroma and construction.Well written...humorous and concise - Score 9/10 Reviewed by Smokeymo Wish Don had been more descriptive about the cigar since the Montecristo # 4 is one of my go to cigars. All I could remember is that he sucks at reviews. Possibly a tongue in cheek approach but I found it to be distracting. Score 4/10 Reviewed by Stephen Mazzuca Yep, he sucks at writing cigar reviews. Score 4/10 Reviewed by Matt Rousey OVERALL SCORE: 17/30

Quite a good smoke but made my head spin (hence the 2 ) . Prefer R & J Cedros de luxe No 3

There is nothing I can say here that hasn't already been covered, but when I buy my no.4's from this site they always seem to be better quality than other stores. My favourite smoke by far.

So far been the best cigar I've ever smoked! Had a nice even draw, earthy spicy flavours, not too powerful. Tried my first one on the roof of my hotel in Rome, overlooking the Colosseum with a glass of Scotch. I'll never forget my first Monty 4!