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Thought I'd start taking some notes and offering up some thoughts. Montecristo Edmundo (PCC Vintage stock), a 52x135 robusto Box code: OPA AUG 09 Smoked on: April 4, 2017 (aged 7.7 years) Bought: Via 24:24 on August 3, 2015. Notes from El Prez: PSP: I only put up Montecristo Edmundo when I come across them like this. When they are at this standard (and it is not often), they are the closest thing in regular production to the Monte 520 that you will find. There is depth and richness to the flavour no doubt elevated by the stunning wrappers. Construction is flawless. My review: Appearance: Colorado Claro, a bit lighter than most good Montecristos I've had. The wrapper is smooth and has retained a soft, oily sheen. Construction and cut: Overall very good. Slightly soft in places. Guillotine cut. Good draw. Aroma at cold: Brilliant. Alluring. Cocoa. Soft aged tobacco. Raisiny sweetness. Body: Mild-Medium First third: Faint baking spices. Soft through the nose. Brioche buns. Light smoke. Finish is on the short side. A bit of cidar and Cuban saltiness. A touch of woody spice begins to appear -- not much, but it lingers on the palate. Second third: Room note is noticeably pleasant. The cocoa wavers between bittersweet and baker's chocolate. A bit of light coffee flavor, but without bitterness of any kind. Salty character increases somewhat. Aroma is evocative of the old stacks in a library. Very sensitive to smoking speed. Smoking too fast creates excess heat, which turns the light woody character into mushrooms. Final third: Cocoa at the core, and the brioche is now a mild baked sourdough. A gentle, settled palate of aged tobacco. Touch of anise. Return of cedar and a background of lightly creamed coffee. A delight to retrohale. Last thoughts: Excellent mellow cigar of moderate age. No great evolution, but hints and accents gradually shift, maintaining interest. Must be smoked at a gentle pace. Absolutely wonderful aromas. Montecristo to the core. Glad to have most of a box remaining in the humidor. Rating: 90

I recently received a Montecristo Edmundo Jar from a reputable source. I don't have too much experience with jars, but the few I have were inconsistent in their labeling/seals/markings. For example, I got a San Cristobal Torreon from FOH last year; The box had a warranty seal holding on the top, and the underside of the top of the box was stamped with a factory and date code just like a standard CC box. The Edmundo Jar's box had no warranty seal, and no date/factory code under the top. The bottom of the jar does have the Byron logo/seal, which is the correct current jar manufacturer. The Torreon oddly did not have this logo on the bottom. There is very little info on the Edmundo jars, but from what I have read they were released in 2010. I'm not sure if that means they were only produced in 2010, but one thing I noted was that the Edmundos have the newer style white glossy embossed bands, so I assume the cigars are more recent. Also all the pictures I've seen of the Edmundo Jar box lack the warranty seal. Anyone knowledgeable with jars in general or the Edmundo jar specifically care to weigh in. Are these inconsistencies common with jars?

EDIT: it's not allowed prices threads. If someone can help me, please, PM, ok?

Having really gotten into cuban cigars only recently - and becoming obsessed with every aspect of them - I wanted to get some more experienced comments on a theory I've developed about what makes a good cigar for the newbie. Everything I've read about the topic has been the contradiction of my own experience. For one, it seems light bodied and flavored CCs - eg. ERDM Choix Supreme, Hoyo anything - are always put up as great smokes for beginners, while we're instructed to steer away from the Partagas range, for example, until our palette has matured. But I look at CCs in a similar way to wine. Having grown up (so to speak) on big shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia, I quickly developed an understanding of what flavours can be found in 'fermented grape juice', giving me an idea what to look for in lesser bodied wines like Pinot Noir. It took time to appreciate the subtleties in PN but now I love the complexity of them. Same thing with CCs. I followed the recommendations by all the 'experts' and got stuck into the HDM and ERDM marcas at the start only to struggle to pick out the flavours I kept hearing should be in there. I said 'stuff it' and lit up a Partagas Series D No4. It changed my life. There's the flavours I've been hearing about, I thought to myself. I tried a few other medium to full bodies (Varnished 8-9-8, Monte Edmundo etc) and discovered it was no fluke. Clearly I needed a punch in the face before I could appreciate a slap. Since then I've gone back to the formers and can honestly say I now find flavours previously foreign to me. In fact the HDM Epicure 2 is now one of my favourite CCs to have with an afternoon coffee. Could it be that we should be telling beginners to have a crack at medium to full body CCs early on instead of scaring them off that 'big' is for seasoned smokers? Or have I - as I suspect - got it all wrong?