Montecristo No. 2 RAT JUN 20 12DCRC

[saltbox]

Rested at just under 2 months at 62RH. Curious to see how this one smokes given the short rest and youth; I've been smoking from a UTL MAY 19 box that's been resting for longer and they've been pretty good but still need some time.

First third: Opens with sweet cream and cocoa and peppery spice. The spice settles a bit but doesn't fade away as much as I'd like. Nice creamy milk chocolate notes, but one side has become unwilling to burn and a touch up becomes necessary by the end of this third.

Middle third: The chocolate notes become a bit more like dark chocolate fudge and mocha, with a touch of lemon zest. The burn finally evens out towards the end of this third, but the same side of the wrapper still seems somewhat fire resistant and isn't burning fully.

Last third: Some harshness on the draw, which overwhelms the creaminess and is replaced by a light nuttiness on the finish. The retrohale is still surprisingly pleasantly sweet creamy chocolate. In the last inch or so it basically becomes impossible to keep lit and goes out on its own.

Overall: Flavors were good, though the harshness (particularly in the last third) I could do without. Definitely had some challenges burning properly, even when the burn line was even. If this had been from a box, I'd probably start experimenting with some dry boxing to fix that up. 88/100