The last in the trilogy of cigars made for the Mexican market is the Edmundo Dantes Conde belicoso. The previous two releases where Edmundo Dantes Conde 109 & 54. These cigars are now sought after smokes that are consistently getting better with age. I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy boxes of the two and sadly I now have very few. The Edmundo Dantes brand was created as a Regional Cigar for Mexico. I have found the blends to smoke wonderful right off the bat and stellar over time. I recently reached for another Belicoso out of my box to see how it is holding up. Enjoy.

Blend Specifics

• Wrapper: Cuba
• Binder: Cuba
• Filler: Cuba
• Size: 5 1/2″ x 52″ Belicoso

Appearance and Construction

A lovely milk chocolate colored wrapper with only slight veins. The primary label reads “Edmundo Dantes” which looks very similar to the Montecristo band however it is NOT a Montecristo brand or blend in any fashion. This is merely a nod to the character in “The Count Of Montecristo”.  The secondary band reads “Exclusivo Mexico” marking the fact it is a regional cigar for the country.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

The Conde Belicoso starts off drying but then turns into a bracing hit of cocoa. Copious amounts of smoke surround this cigar and the gray ash is firm. A bit of tea and pencil lead midway along with pronounced notes of coffee.  All the while this cigar has maintained a medium bodied profile.

The last third of this cigar gives off a leather character with an earthy finish.  I removed the bands at this point as I was enjoying the development of flavor. There was a slight savory note in the last few puffs although the finish was a bit short.

Conclusion

Whereas the Edmundo Dantes Conde 109 & 54 seemed like epic smokes right out of the box the Edmundo Dantes Belicoso although a very enjoyable cigar hasn’t reached that level yet. The good news is I do not doubt this will develop into something substantial as the blend and tobaccos are of high quality. The unfortunate part of this vitola is that the other two cigars where so good that the expectations on the third were very high. Regardless I recommend picking up a box or two to try and for aging purposes. I believe they can still be had via the Casa del Habano’s in Mexico. I know Moises is the man that runs them and his service to his customers is exceptional. I’m glad I have another box and a half  myself to lay down and enjoy in the future.

Digging through my humidor looking for an afternoon cigar to relax with during a cold and blustery afternoon I came upon a Cuban Regional Edition from El Rey del Mundo called the Petit Compania. I remember several years ago I picked these up in Paris at La Civette tobacco shop. They have quite a selection of Habanas there albeit at less then modest prices. This cigar was a 2009 Regional Edition via Cuba for France. I enjoyed this cigar quite a bit walking the Champs-Elysees on a warm summer afternoon at that time.  Since I haven’t had one in a while I decided to light one up. Enjoy!

Blend Specifics

• Wrapper: Cuba
• Binder: Cuba
• Filler: Cuba
• Size: 5″ x 50″ Petit Piramide

Appearance and Construction

There’s a velvety feel to this wrapper that has two pronounced veins along side with a soft spot toward the label. The silver and red secondary band reads “Exclusivo Francia” denoting its regional designation. The size is attractive if you are looking for an afternoon smoke that will not take up your whole day.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

An initial blast of spice comes through that dissipated after a few puffs. The Peitit Compania offers a good deal of smoke along with leather rounded out by a creaminess on the palate. Midway the cigars dark gray ash gets crooked however the smoking experience was not diminished.

As the cigar progressed notes of graham cracker spices came through with refined tobacco flavors. Age has done this cigar well. As I was enjoying the smoke I removed the secondary band. The last third gave a richness that comes with well aged tobacco interspersed with a floral character along with nougat and a creamy long finish. A wonderfully complex ending to the cigar.

Conclusion

I’ve smoked a lot of Regional cigars and they can be hit or miss. Inevitably the argument of cost versus quality always comes up. My opinion is if you are enjoying the cigar you purchased then regardless of price it is worth it to me.  When a cigar falls short on quality I take issue with this. I don’t subscribe to comparing any cigars price to another cigar in terms of how the cigar tasted. If you bought that cigar and the quality was there then it was a quality smoke. Of course you can buy lesser cigars that are of fine quality but for me its about tasting as much as I can and creating those pleasant experiences.  For me the El Rey del Mundo Exclusivo Francia Petit Compania was a quality smoke well worth the money and since they now have some age on them you can experience what fine tobacco can be like. I believe these are still available so it isn’t some rare cigar that is impossible to acquire. If you can grab a box I think you’ll be happy with the purchase.

In the tenth installment of Pete Johnson’s Monster Series which is a homage to horror films and now a seasonal Halloween treat we have “The Michael”.  Pete has stated that “The Chuck” and “Tiff” from the Pudgy Monsters are considered a part of the series making this addition number twelve. Having smoked all of these since their inception and discussing it with Pete numerous times the purist in me is sticking with this cigar as number ten.  Named after the knife wielding mental institution escapee Micheal Myers of the Halloween films, this cigar sports a size that attempts to represent the weapon of choice used in the films to deliver the carnage that makes these movies classics. To me it looks simply like a long Toro or a Toro Extra. It must be difficult rolling or creating cigars to represent these characters and with The Michael I am not feeling “Monster” here. No matter, lets get to the Tatuaje Michael review shall we?

Blend Specifics

Vitola:  6 ½ x 52- Toro Extra

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler:  Nicaraguan

Appearance

Slight veins adorn this milk chocolate colored wrapper. The label is black with a slight blueish hue with the words “Tatuaje” scripted along with “”HALLOWEEN” and “MONSTER” in print. The cigar is well rolled with no discerning soft spots.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The Micheal starts off with notes of wood, hay and muted spice. The spice picks up a bit giving the cigar a little more character however nothing substantial. The medium body seems to stay there without much variation.

Midway the cigar offers some sweet cream with a bit of coconut. The spice returns with flinty notes on its finish. The cigar struggled to stay lit several times which affected its flavor. During this time I picked up a bit of earthiness which quickly dissipated. The body of this cigar has been medium at this point throughout.

The Final third yielded more hay, spice and earth. The ash held its own here and the cigar was well constructed. The flinty notes came and went and the finish fell short for me. The cigar never strayed from its medium bodied profile and the changes in its complexity were minimal.

Conclusion

Having smoked the entire Monster Series from the beginning I give a lot of credit to Pete for creating a themed cigar that has made cigar smokers go crazy for dress boxes to collect and these cigars to acquire. Admittedly I was as excited as any of the lot who enjoyed Pete and Pepin creating magical cigars and when “The Frank” came out I bought two dress boxes straight away. Having said that I feel “The Michael” falls short in creativity and more importantly complexity in a cigar.  In my experience my top  three Monster Series cigars are “The Frank” when it was first released (I acquired another box not long ago and they do not age well, save your money), “The Mummy” possesses quite a unique flavor profile and I’ve found “The Jekyll” just gets better over time. On a side note if you ever get your hands on a “Boris” which is not a Monster Series cigar but was released along side “The Drac” grab them as they age phenomenally. With “The Michael” as with any horror franchise that usually goes beyond its shelf life it tends to become less interesting, dull or simply ridiculous.  Although I wouldn’t say “The Michael” is a bad cigar it just wasn’t as interesting or creative as I’ve seen from Pete. However as a diehard horror fan I’ve watched those sequels and I’ve bought this cigar regardless and if you are of that ilk you will probably do the same.