The original Dominican Montecristo’s were all highly rated, yet they mostly all fell into the mellow to medium body category.  In 2013, that all changed with the introduction of the Monte by Montecristo.  This is a straight-up, spicy, flavorful, full-bodied smoke and the perfect cigar to showcase Montecristo to the new age cigar smoker.

It uses aged Dominican filler tobaccos followed by a dual binder; a Dominican Olor leaf and a spicy Nicaraguan Corojo leaf.  The finishing touch is an intensely flavorful Ecuadorian Habano wrapper.  It offers up notes of black pepper, a dash of coffee, cinnamon, and leather.

Up to that point, it was not only the strongest Montecristo available but among the most flavorful.  The Monte by Montecristo set the tone for all future Montecristo releases.

I find the Montecristo Platinum to not only be one of the best Montecristo cigars, but also one of the most underrated cigars ever created.  While it is not as strong as later releases, the Platinum was the first Montecristo to really leave the mellow realm and add some more strength and flavor.

The Montecristo Platinum is also among the more unique products from the brand when discussing its blend.  It uses a combination of filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Nicaragua, giving it an incredibly complex core.  The real gem here is the wrapper.  AUSA took the legendary Habana 2000 seed and grew it in the San Andres Valley in Mexico.

The result is a solid medium body that is sweet, rich, spicy and earthy all at once.  Even though it is one of the core Montecristo lines, the platinum doesn’t get the recognition of the other lines, and that’s a damn shame.

The Montecristo Epic Craft Cured is, in my opinion, the most well-rounded Montecristo ever created.  It ranks highly in every aspect: flavor, body, construction, and packaging.  It is also the highest-rated Montecristo ever reviewed by HalfWheel, scoring a 91 rating.  This cigar was a collaboration between AUSA and the legendary Plasencia family, giving it the best aspects of both companies.

The Epic Craft Cured is hand-rolled by Plasencia Cigars and is a straight Nicaraguan puro.  It uses three different Nicaraguan filler tobaccos, a rich and robust binder from Ometepe, and a 2006 Rosado Oscuro wrapper, with a signature reddish hue.

This medium to full-bodied smoker offers up a tremendous combination of flavors including white pepper, vanilla cake, peanuts, and espresso.  By combining a top-notch blend, near-perfect construction, and simple yet elegant packaging, the Montecristo Epic Craft Cured is a must-have for any cigar smoker.

This year marks the 50^th anniversary of Tabacalera de Garcia, the AUSA factory that has been responsible for creating the Dominican versions of Montecristo, H.Upmann and Romeo y Julieta.  The brand decided to celebrate in style and created a high-end, limited Montecristo to mark the occasion.

The Montecristo Cincuenta turned out to be one of the best cigars of 2019.  It is also considered by many to be the best cigar to ever come out of Tabacalera de Garcia.  It is crafted with aged Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos, a Dominican binder, and a luscious Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper.

Its flavor profile consists of notes of creamy coffee, rich earthy tones, leather, and a nutty center.  While this may be the most expensive Dominican Montecristo ever released, it is definitely worth the price.