Montecristo Cigars Nicaragua Series (by AJ Fernandez)

Montecristo Nicaragua Series Robusto

Cigar Aficionado · Jan 1, 2019

Montecristo is one of the most iconic names in the cigar world, but let's be honest: choosing a Montecristo can be confusing. There are at least a dozen versions of this line available in the U.S., and the styles range from very mild to quite full bodied to everything in between. Sometimes, there can be too many choices. This year, however, the choice was clear. The Montecristo Nicaragua Series Robusto was the most balanced and dynamic Montecristo we encountered in 2018. The cigars are sold and distributed in the U.S. through Altadis U.S.A., a subsidiary of Tabacalera USA, which, in turn is owned by tobacco giant Imperial Brands PLC of Great Britain. While it may sound overly corporate, the people behind this brand are true cigar lovers with full understanding of the market, the industry and the reputation of a classic trademark like Montecristo. The cigar is a new one, launched in the summer of 2018. Its blend is a collaboration between Rafael Nodal, head of product capability for Altadis U.S.A., and cigarmaker A.J. Fernandez, who makes quite a few brands for Altadis, including this one. The result is a fine cigar made in Nicaragua, and made solely from Nicaraguan tobacco. The balance of this cigar is undeniable, medium to full in body, resonating with the fine qualities of chocolate-covered espresso beans, rich woods and dried fruit.

Robusto · 5.00″ × 54 · Medium-Full · Nicaragua

Montecristo 1935 Nicaragua No. 2

The Cigar Authority · Mar 28, 2024

Rafael Nodal and award-winning tobacco powerhouse AJ Fernandez have crafted the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua.

Montecristo Nicaragua Series Toro

Blind Man's Puff · May 29, 2019 · August 2018

Last summer, Altadis U.S.A. added a line to the Montecristo brand: the Montecristo Nicaragua Series. It turned once again to the frequent collaborator AJ Fernandez to blend and roll the cigars at his factory Tabacalera AJ Fernandez. Recently AJ Fernandez and Altadis have collaborated to make the Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez, H. Upmann by AJ Fernandez, Gispert Intenso, and Romeo y Julieta by AJ Fernandez. This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience. The blend is a Nicaraguan puro and comes in four sizes: Robusto (5 x 54) — $11.75, Toro (6 x 54) — $12.25, No. 2 (6 1/8 x 52) — $12.70, Churchill (7 x 56) — $13.70.

Toro · 6.00″ × 54 · Medium-Strong · Nicaragua

Montecristo Nicaragua Series No. 2 (6 1/8 x 52)

Tiny Tim's Cigar Blog · Oct 13, 2018

6.13″ × 52

Montecristo Nicaragua Series Toro by Altadis U.S.A.

Cigar Coop · May 6, 2020

At the 2018 IPCPR Trade Show in Las Vegas, Altadis U.S.A. introduced a Montecristo branded product produced by AJ Fernandez called the Montecristo Nicaragua Series. Over the past few years, Tabacalera USA has turned to AJ Fernandez to produce new offerings in many of its brands in both the Altadis U.S.A. and Santa Clara Cigars […] Key flavors: Natural Tobacco, Earth, Hay, Red Pepper, Stone Fruit.

Robusto · 5.00″ × 54 · Medium · Nicaragua

Montecristo Nicaragua Series Toro

Cigar Dojo · Feb 4, 2019

The Montecristo Nicaragua Series is a great example of Nicaraguan tobaccos. As an added bonus, the near-perfect construction is a testament to Fernández's operation, with the overall experience being a great addition to the Montecristo line. The smoothness of the cigar is impressive considering the strength level (surprisingly full), but this strength can also—at times—overpower the flavors on the palate. Unfortunately, the exciting profile of the cigar's start does tend to become a bit monotonous, lacking a deeper level of development, but it is a fun experience nevertheless.

Toro · 6.00″ × 54 · Medium-full · Nicaragua

Montecristo Nicaragua Series Robusto

Halfwheel · Dec 15, 2018 · August 2018

There’s a side of me that feels a bit odd calling the Montecristo Nicaragua Series Robusto a typical Nicaraguan profile, but that’s exactly what I think about this cigar after smoking three of them, yet it feels like it’s short-selling the cigar. There’s earth, pepper, a bit of mineral and some fleeting touches of sweetness that give the blend impressive depth without sacrificing balance for all but the final inch when heat seems become simply too much of a factor for the blend to overcome. This definitely feels like a profile aiming for the big part of the bell curve and it succeeds in both being approachable and appealing.

Robusto · 5.00″ × 54 · Nicaragua

Montecristo AJ Fernandez

Holt's Staff Reviews · Nov 9, 2022

I’m smoking a 4.25-by-54 Robusto in the Montecristo AJ Fernandez blend, also called Monte by Montecristo AJ Fernandez. There are both a lot of Montecristo and AJ Fernandez cigars to keep track of these days. Besides blending a sizable portfolio of his own brands, cigarmaker AJ Fernandez produces cigars for several other brands, including Cuban-legacy labels Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta. He even blended Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua, the 95-rated ‘#2 Cigar of the Year’ for 2021 in Cigar Aficionado.

Montecristo Nicaragua Series

CigarCzars · Jun 8, 2019

Montecristo Nicaragua Series cigars are Nicaraguan puros blended with the help of AJ Fernandez and distributed by Altadis USA. The cigars were introduced in 2018 and are available in four sizes, including a Toro (6 x 54) priced at $12.25, which was sampled for this review. The Robusto size (5 x 54) was ranked the 10th best cigar in the world for 2018 byCigar Aficionado. The Montecristo Nicaragua Series Toro began with medium peppery and sweet tobacco flavors that were perfectly balanced. The initial flavors remained pretty much consistent throughout most of the cigar. The body was at the lower end of the medium-to-full range, and although somewhat fuller than a typicalDominican Montecristo Cigar,the Nicaragua Series is not at all overpowering and can be enjoyed by most mainstream cigar smokers. The sample cigar was very well made, had a great draw, even burn, and held a long ash. No touch-ups nor relights were needed during the 80 minutes that it look me to smoke the cigar down to just over two inches remaining, when it went out by itself. It may not be very complex, but the Montecristo Nicaragua Series cigar was still very enjoyable and deserving of a superior rating of 4.25 points on a 5-point scale. It could be the best Montecristo-brand cigar made outside of Cuba.

Toro · 6.00″ × 54

Montecristo Nicaragua Series

Leaf Enthusiast · Nov 12, 2018

The latest addition to Montecristo core brands is the Nicaragua Series, made by A.J. Fernandez

6.13″ × 52

Montecristo Nicaragua Series Toro

Developing Palates · Feb 22, 2019 · August 2018

After the first third, the Montecristo Nicaragua Series Toro just became average and isn't something I'd search after. It's a cigar that might do well as the flavor and strength are what most smokers could enjoy, but I prefer a bit more complexity and enjoyment. Price is a bit high, but I'd say try one out and see what you think.

Toro Extra · 6.00″ × 54 · Nicaragua