OVERLOOKED GEMS
By Greg Michael
There is a lot of fanfare and excitement around at the moment; the latest batch of
Limited Edition releases have hit the shelves and this year's Regional Editions are slowly
starting to show their faces.
Both programs have their very vocal supporters and critics, in fact it's quite easy to overlook some of
the regular production cigars that are hidden away in the Habanos catalogue in the midst of all of these
exciting and divisive releases. People can often forget that Cuban cigars have historically always had an
understated element of class, in today's world where bling and gaudiness seemingly rules supreme it
is all too easy to skip past the cigars that sit on the shelves quietly waiting for someone to look past the
second bands and big reputations. These are just some of those hidden gems that are often overlooked
but will surprise you if you decide to give them a chance.
San Cristobal El Principe
Vitola - Minuto (4 3/8” x 42 Ring Gauge)
The modern cigar smoker is currently
being told that they need a small cigar to
meet their busy lifestyles and to fit in with
the often draconian smoking restrictions
in their respective countries. New releases
are echoing this, the re-emergence of the
Half-Corona in an Upmann skin, the Rafael
Gonzales Perla and the highly anticipated
Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta versions
are showing the push from Cuban
marketing. However there already exists a
diminutive star. At 42 x 110 the El Principe
makes no big waves in the trendy cigar
scenes but it pulls no punches in terms of
both flavour and value.
Starting out with a smooth core of rich coffee and
a pleasant undertone of cocoa the El Principe
quickly evolves into a Christmas spice profile.
Nutmeg, cinnamon and clove can be clearly
identified before a final sweet and sometimes
floral perfume finish.
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Montecristo No.3
Vitola - Corona (5 5/8” x 42 Ring Gauge)
Once a powerhouse of the cigar industry
the Corona (42 x 142) has been replaced
by the Robusto as the vitola of choice for
many of today's cigar smokers. The No.3
is hardly ever talked about and much
less often raved over. The vastly popular
Montecristo No.4 may take some blame
for this oversight. However a true balance
of flavours and refined class can be found
in this Corona which is not often found in
the No.4
Well milked coffee with generous dusting
of cocoa will come as no surprise to fans
of Montecristo, however soon the cigar
begins to show a different side; vanilla
and raisins waft in and an undertone
of orange rind can be found. With stock
moving slowly, aged boxes are easily
found stashed away and in those cases
you can be in for a glorious vanilla bomb
treat.