Montecristo Open Master (Full Box of 20 Cuban Cigars)

• Length: 124mm
• Gauge: 50
• Flavour: Medium
• Vitola: Robusto
• Cuban

Montecristo Open Master – Full Box of 20 Cuban Cigars Montecristo had been making some of Cuba's most recognisable cigars for more than seventy years when, in 2009, somebody suggested they make one specifically for taking outside.

This may sound rather obvious for something that produces smoke, but there was more thought behind the Línea Open than that. The range was created as a slightly lighter expression of Montecristo, aimed particularly at those occasions when a cigar accompanies a round of golf, a day sailing, fishing or simply an afternoon spent somewhere considerably more pleasant than work. The original line comprised four cigars – Junior, Regata, Master and Eagle – each blended at medium strength, rather than the medium-to-full character traditionally associated with Montecristo.

The Open Master is the Robusto of the family, measuring 124mm by a 50 ring gauge. Interestingly, when it appeared in 2009 it was the first Robusto-sized cigar produced under the Montecristo name.

It's entirely Cuban and totally handmade with long filler, using wrapper, binder and filler leaves selected from Vuelta Abajo in Pinar del Río.

The result still tastes unmistakably like a Montecristo, but approaches things rather more gently. Expect cedar, coffee and earth, developing alongside creamy tobacco, nuts and measured spice. There's enough richness to keep an experienced Cuban cigar smoker interested, yet the medium strength makes the Master considerably more approachable than some of Montecristo's heavier blends.

Its 124mm x 50 dimensions also make considerable sense. It's substantial enough to develop properly, but you're generally looking at around 40 to 50 minutes rather than surrendering the entire afternoon.

This is the full box of 20 Open Masters, presented in the distinctive green and yellow Línea Open packaging.

The marketing may involve golf courses and yachts, but none of those are compulsory.

A chair and forty-five minutes during which nobody asks you to do anything will work perfectly well.