Montecristo Robustos Reserva del Milenio

As you might recall, the turning of the millennium was a pretty big deal. Not only was it an incredibly rare event, but perhaps most notably, there were concerns about what computer-based systems might not work and how daily life might be affected.

But it also presented a rather unique opportunity to celebrate, which of course, meant the opportunity to produce some new cigars. In the case of Habanos S.A., the Cuban cigar conglomerate, it created the Millennium Reserve, or Reserva del Milenio, a group of three cigars that debuted in February 1999 at the Festival del Habano:

• Cohiba Pirámides (6 1/8 x 52)
• Cuaba Distinguidos (6 3/8 x 52)
• Montecristo Robustos (4 7/8 x 50)

For the Cohiba and Montecristo releases, the sizes are referred to as special release vitolas, while the Cuaba release was a new size that would go on to become a regular production release.

All three cigars abandoned their usual bands in favor of a white and gold band that featured the number 2000 as well as the Habanos logo and both the Millennium Reserve and Reserva del Milenio names. What they did not feature, however, was the name or brand of the particular cigar, though with three distinct vitolas, it was easy to identify what the cigar was.

The cigars also got some special packaging, coming in 25-count white porcelain jars that featured the brand’s logo as well as the name of the cigars inside. They also featured the same 2000 design on the lid, with the first zero in red and with two wisps of smoke emanating from it, making it look like a lit cigar.

Production of each cigar was limited, with CubanCigarWebsite.com noting that the Cuaba Distinguidos was limited to 4,000 jars of 25 cigars, while the Cohiba Reserva del Milenio and Montecristo Robustos both had 10,000 jars of 25 cigars produced. However, some of the jars were rejected for being defective, seemingly due to issues with the lids, so the full release wasn’t completed until 2002 when the replacement jars were finally available.

According to CubanCigarWebsite.com, about 7,000 of the 24,000 jars were delayed because of the issue, and because of the way box dating works in Cuba, some of the releases come with a box code of OSU Nov 2002, while others have codes of 1999.

• Cigar Reviewed: Montecristo Robustos Reserva del Milenio
• Country of Origin: Cuba
• Factory: Undisclosed
• Wrapper: Cuba
• Binder: Cuba
• Filler: Cuba
• Length: 4 7/8 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 50
• Vitola: Robusto
• Est. Price: $230 (Jar of 25, $5,750)
• Release Date: 1999*
• Number of Cigars Released: 10,000 Jars of 25 Cigars (250,000 Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 1

*As noted above, some of the cigars were not released until 2002.

Note: Since halfwheel launched in 2012, we have started off each new year with a week of reviews that are different from the other parts of the year. Rather than reviewing new cigars, we try to find cigars people might consider a holy grail cigar. These reviews are scored the same as our regular reviews, though oftentimes we are only able to procure one of the cigars, so many of these reviews are based on smoking one cigar instead of our normal three cigars per review. You can read more Holy Grail Week reviews by clicking here. — Charlie Minato.

For being over 20 years old, the Montecristo Robustos Reserva del Milenio still looks very good; the band has loosened and now slides up and down the cylinder pretty freely, but beyond that, nothing suggests the cigar’s age. The wrapper doesn’t have a lot of visible oils but feels incredibly smooth to my fingers, almost as if it has been saturated, which is quite impressive given not just the cigar’s age, but the fact it was never in cellophane. I’m surprised by the variation of the wrapper leaf’s color, as there is enough difference to give it a subtle barber pole look, while also making the seam lines more visible. The wrapper leaf also has some mottling, while a couple of veins also catch my eye. The wrapper has a faint aroma that reminds me of crunchy pretzels and mixed nuts, while the foot has a very soft aroma, like the inside of a light and fluffy wheat bread. Air moves smoothly on a cold draw but it doesn’t carry much flavor, but I could make the case for some mixed nuts with a bit of oiliness.

The Montecristo Robustos Reserva del Milenio starts on a subtle note with a bit of campfire kicking things off, a collective smell from the aroma, while the palate gets more of the individual components of firewood with a bit of char and some smoke. Air movement is just a touch firmer than I remember from the cold draw, which seems to hamper smoke production a bit, but I still get a satisfactory amount. While the flavor isn’t creamy, per se, the body has a creamy aspect in that it is fairly thick and kind of sits on the palate. The draw improves a tick when the first clump of very dark gray ash falls off, though the flavor holds its course other than some hints of earthiness beginning to emerge. Retrohales have made for solid accents thus far and now add a bit more of the woodiness from earlier. They are also where much of the pepper is found. Flavor is subtle in its intensity but solid in the flavors it does offer, putting it around medium along with the body of the smoke, while strength is mild. Construction has been very good thus far, with only a slightly firm draw of note.

The second third adds a bit more earthiness to the profile, a flavor that has been developing for a few puffs but finally develops enough to be distinguishable. I don’t want to say that the flavor has lacked vibrance, but it has operated much more with subtlety thus far. There’s not much change in the profile, other than it feels like the campfire aspect of the first third is starting to fade away a bit. The second third feels like it comes and goes rather quickly, even though I don’t think I’m smoking it any differently than I did the first third. Flavor nudges up to medium-plus at the very end of this section, while body is still medium and strength is still mild. Construction is absolutely fantastic and problem-free.

The final third of the Montecristo Robustos Reserva del Milenio starts with the most thump of flavor that I’ve experienced thus far, adding a bit more earth and some pepper that hits the palate. That said, the flavor is remarkably subdued on the whole until a bit of heat comes in during the very final puffs, a change that both brings out the woodiness that has been a constant and then turns it a bit drier and thus more lively on my palate. Smoke production wanes just a touch in the final third, but otherwise, the cigar smokes without issue. Flavor finishes at medium-plus, body is medium and strength is still mild.

Final Notes

• The ash was remarkably durable throughout the cigar, never coming off on its own and building into solid clumps that hung on well.
• There are times when the flavors that a cigar has to offer feel like they are jumping out of it and right onto my taste buds. Then there are cigars like this one, where it felt like my taste buds almost had to go in search of the flavors.
• CAO, Davidoff, Padrón and others made cigars called Millennium.
• This robusto vitola was also used for an Edición Limitada release in 2006, which, coincidentally, I also reviewed. It was also an aged cigar, having come out in 2006 but not getting a review until 2020.
• The Cuaba Distinguidos also got re-released, first in 2002 as part of a humidor release, then it became a regular production vitola in 2003.
• As for the Cohiba Pirámides, the size first appeared in 1994 as part of a “Dinner of the Century” release, though it was called the Cohiba Torpedo. It was then released in 2001 as part of the Cohiba 35th Aniversario Humidor and then in 2002 as an Edición Limitada even though it was part of the 2001 group. It received another release in 2003 as part of the Reserva Selección collection, which used filler tobacco that was aged for at least three years. It returned again in 2006 as another Edición Limitada, and in 2007 as part of the Guayasamin II Humidor release.
• And if you’re wondering, the Cohiba Pirámides Extra, which is a regular production size, measures 6 1/4 x 54, making it both longer and thicker.
• Brooks Whittington reviewed the Cohiba Pirámides as part of Holy Grail Week 2013 and really enjoyed it.
• As for the defective jars, CubanCigarWebsite.com documents it in a somewhat conflicting way, as it makes mention of the issue in the section of the site that profiles the Millennium Reserve line, but then only makes mention of it on the Montecristo Robustos listing, not on the Cohiba or Cuaba listings.
• I didn’t get any nicotine strength from the Montecristo Robustos Reserva del Milenio.
• At C.Gars Ltd’s December 2023 auction, a sealed jar sold for a bid of £4,600 ($5,800). C.Gars Ltd estimated a price of £1,500-1,800.
• We purchased the cigar used for this review via the a private forum in 2022 for $150. It did not come with the box code.
• Final smoking time was two hours and 30 minutes, though I fully admit that I slow-smoked this one, which is why the smoking time is that high.