Por Larranaga Montecarlo EML ABR 14 Smoke and drink Pairing Review

[MooseAMuffin]

I'm on kid duty this weekend and it's cold out so I had to reach for something on the shorter smoke time side. About a month or 2 ago I was lucky enough to have my name drawn for a box of PL Montecarlo courtesy of El Pres.

I put the kiddo down for a nap and headed to the garage. I decided to pair this cigar with a Colorado Bulldog, one of my favorite mixed drinks. 

The cigar was beautifully constructed. Nice, oily, Colorado Maduro wrapper with a little texture to it. I used a straight cut and the draw was a little on the snug side, but not bad. Hard to describe the taste during cold draw. Nutty maybe? Maybe something sweet? Very enjoyable though. 

First third was good. I think I got the cigar a tad hot when lighting it as I had to fight through a little harshness. But as soon as that was gone, I could really taste the caramel notes, especially when retrolhaling. The ash was flaky from the first third into the second third, but that didn't bother me. Just angry with myself for scorching, especially since I used my soft flame lighter. 

Second third was great. Caramel with a little nuttiness and slight bit of toasted tobacco. The shared flavors really complement each other. The construction is great and the burn is pretty sharp. The flaky ash continued into the beginning of the second third but that went away towards the end. One of the cap layers peeled off but didnt affect the cigar at all.

The drink choice was great.

 

Final third continued the caramel notes with more of a burnt flavor to it. The nuttiness was on the end but not as noticeable. The toasted tobacco flavor really came through towards the end.

The drink choice was fantastic! A Colorado Bulldog is just a White Russian with a splash of Coke. To make it:

1 part vodka

1 part Kahlua(any coffee liquor)

1 part heavy cream(or milk if you have to be healthy)

Stir and finish with a splash of Coke.

This drink is on the sweeter side with a touch of coffee which really brought out the caramel and nut notes within the Montecarlo. The pairing definitely gives this a desert aspect with all the flavors.

Great choice for the time of year. Smoke time was around an hour which was perfect. I wouldn't have lasted much longer in the garage with this weather.

I highly recommend the PL Montecarlo. Love the size and flavor. I will revisit these in 6 months.

Cigar: 88 (since I scorched it)

Paring: 92

[leafdream54]

Thanks for the review.  I love these skinny cigars!  I have some from AME MAY 13 and the toasted caramel flavors are really forefront.  I like your drink pairing, as well - Colorado Bulldogs  are one of my go-to drinks for cigars with caramel or chocolate flavor profiles. ?

[MooseAMuffin]

9 minutes ago, leafdream54 said:

Thanks for the review.  I love these skinny cigars!  I have some from AME MAY 13 and the toasted caramel flavors are really forefront.  I like your drink pairing, as well - Colorado Bulldogs  are one of my go-to drinks for cigars with caramel or chocolate flavor profiles. ?

I agree. I think Colorado Bulldogs pair well with a lot of cigars. Good to see another fan out there!

[leafdream54]

This is becoming one of my 'go to' cigars, in terms of being dependable. ??

[Randolph]

I’m just sat in the garden in Melbourne, a sunny moment, and finishing off my first PL Montecarlo. What a lovely little cigar it is. It’s been resting for as good 5 to 6 years and a real beaut. Mild to start with, moments of caramel, a little nutty and ending with peppery tobacco flavour. It’s certainly not my first choice of gauge but for a slim cigar it gave a good 45 minute journey of flavours. Not sure how the more recent sticks come out.