I have never heard of the San Cristobal ones , but Montecristo is one of the most popular brands. In my taste Monte's aren't that strong, It looks like the Monte is a limited edition series and probably a good cigar depending on how is has been stored (i. e. himidity and temperature).....
Its hard to tell you how the cigars are suppose to taste, in my experience everyones taste is a little different. The last Monte I had from Cuba was a bit on the harsh side, but that may have been because it wasn't properly stored during transit by the guy that brought it to me... .
All I can tell you is to eat a good meal (steak, taters, etc. ), and then after dinner, get one of your favorite scotches, ports, or whiskeys and sit back and smoke the cigar with an open mind and think about the work that went into aging the tobacco, hand rolling it, etc. and concentrate on the flavor each time you take a draw... . in my experience, the first few draws are sometimes a little harsh, but as your taste buds get used to the cigar and you get deeper into the cigar, the taste improves.
To light a cigar, you should hold the flame (preferrably from a cedar match) to the end of the cigar without puffing on it to get it lit, then when it appears to be lighting, you can take a puff to coax it along... don't take puffs too close together (or hot box it), but don't let it go out either, just smoke it at a leisurely pace and enjoy it,,,
a good cigar can last up to an hour depending on the roll and how its smoked... keep then cool and humidified until you smoke them , try a ziplock and place them in the fridge... . if its going to be more than a couple days, consider going to a smoke shop and getting a humidifier bag to put them in, this will keep them properly moistened and will help if they have been dried out a little..... hope I have been of some help, enjoy and bon appetite
Oh yeah, its relatively easy to get cubans in canada. .
kerryp
bastrop, tx
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