So my next door neighbors just got back from Cuba.

While there he bought a bundle of hand rolled Montecristo #4s (apparently Che's favorite) and gave me a few and I finally got around to smoking one.

Keep in mind that I am no expert, but I've often enjoyed the occasional cigar and all my life I've heard tales of the wonder that is Cuban cigars.


It was much smoother than I expected (I guess I expected it to be very rustic, if not harsh). But it also wasn't tremendously flavorful either. It was impeccably rolled. I cut the end off with an x-acto since I don't have a proper cutter, but it stayed together nicely and burned evenly and I didn't end up with a mouthful of chew.

Overall impression is that it was a good cigar ... not a great cigar, but good. I guess I'm mildly disappointed as I expected it to be more than it was, but maybe that was just several decades of expectation and hype.


Anyway, I'm glad I got the opportunity to smoke a real Cuban cigar (and I'll enjoy sharing the couple I have left with friends) but I wouldn't fly to Cuba to buy them

Years ago I worked with an old guy that used to live in Galveston and he'd go down to Havana often (before the revolution) and he said Fidel ruined the Cuban cigar industry so maybe there was a time when this would have lived up to the hype.