Montecristo Espada Oscuro Ricasso 5″ * 54

Montecristo Espada arrived in 2014 as the first Nicaraguan puro to carry the Montecristo name, blended by the Grupo de Maestros and rolled by the Plasencia family in Estélí. Oscuro is the dark chapter of that story. It keeps the Nicaraguan core but swaps in an aged Habano Rosado Oscuro wrapper drawn from Plasencia’s own leaf library, a lot small enough that the line has stayed a three-size release.

The Ricasso is the short, thick one at 5 by 54. Less length means less time for the blend to unwind, so it arrives already dark: cocoa powder, black pepper and espresso up front, then a sweet earth and leather middle that holds to the band. It is the most concentrated of the three sizes and the quickest to get there.

Strength is full. Body reads a shade lighter than that, medium-plus, which is what keeps it from turning into a chore. Give it an hour and do not smoke it on an empty stomach.

Pairs well with black coffee, an oloroso sherry, or a rye old fashioned.