Montecristo Espada Conquistador Ricasso | halfwheel

For decades, the non-Cuban Montecristo brand was known as being a Dominican cigar, made at Tabacalera de García in La Romana. After Fidel Castro nationalized the Cuban cigar industry in 1960, Alonso Menéndez and Pepe Garcia left the country for the Canary Islands before ending up in the Dominican Republic in the 1970s. The brand would eventually land in Altadis U.S.A.’s portfolio, and between its prominence in the United States and the Cuban version’s around the world, it’s one of the most recognizable cigar marks out there.

But back in 2014, the Montecristo brand would add another chapter to its story, this time being written in Nicaragua by the Plasencia family, who were enlisted to collaborate with Altadis U.S.A.’s Grupo de Maestros on a cigar called Espada by Montecristo. That first line, which is still sold today, is a Nicaraguan puro, and would get its vitola names from terms used in the world of knives and swords, a nod to the brand’s iconic three-sword logo.

The Espada brand would go on to get four more lines: the Estoque in 2015, the Oscuro in 2019, the Signature in 2021, and the Conquistador, which began arriving in stores in June 2026.

Like the others, it is an all-Nicaraguan blend, using a wrapper from Jalapa, a binder from the volcanic island of Ometepe, and fillers from Condega and Estelí. Altadis U.S.A. calls it a medium to full-bodied blend.

Once again, Plasencia makes the cigars at its factory in Estelí, with the line offered in four sizes:

• Montecristo Espada Conquistador Ricasso (5 x 54) — $19.95 (Box of 10, $199.50)
• Montecristo Espada Conquistador Guard (6 x 50) — $20.95 (Box of 10, $209.50)
• Montecristo Espada Conquistador Quillon (7 x 56) — $21.95 (Box of 10, $219.50)
• Montecristo Espada Conquistador Magnum Especial (6 x 60) — $22.50 (Box of 10, $225)

The cigars were first released to Casa de Montecristo stores; both Altadis U.S.A. and Casa de Montecristo are part of Tabacalera USA.

• Cigar Reviewed: Montecristo Espada Conquistador Ricasso
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Plasencia Cigars S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
• Binder: Nicaragua (Ometepe)
• Filler: Nicaragua (Condega & Estelí)
• Length: 5 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $19.95 (Box of 10, $199.50)
• Release Date: June 2026
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The Montecristo Espada Conquistador Ricasso comes dressed in three bands, two near the foot, and the primary band a bit higher than I would prefer. All three cigars sport wrappers with a dark brown color, don’t have a lot of seams or oil, and have what I’d call the rustic color of fallen leaves after they’ve turned to a matte finish. The first cigar is very hard, as is the second, though there is some give to be found, while I find a more familiar density in the third cigar. The first cigar’s foot has a fairly mild aroma, but once my nostrils latch onto it, I get a slightly fragrant forest smell, bright with vegetation at one end, hearty with soil and tree bark at the other. The second cigar has a lighter, brighter and simpler profile that at first reminds me of strawberries before turning back to a dry tobacco smell and some wheat bread. The third cigar is the mildest and most generic of the bunch; I could make a case for some of the forest aroma, maybe some wheat bread, and then maybe the remnants of a cup of hot cocoa. All three cigars have very good air movement on the cold draw, maybe a touch firm but none are problematic. The flavors are pretty consistent, a bit oily with a touch of peanut butter and a little sweetness on the finish, with very little pepper to be found.

The Montecristo Espada Conquistador Ricasso starts off on a dry note and with a fairly mellow mix of earth, wood and pepper, though the second cigar adds a touch of oiliness and sweetness that does a great job of rounding out the profile. Retrohales are bright and lively with pepper, and certainly the more outgoing of the two experiences of the smoke in the first inch. About an inch into the cigar, a little creaminess emerges, adding some complexity and cohesion to the initial flavors. It’s a quick pivot to a toasty profile thereafter. Flavor is medium, body is medium and strength is medium-minus. Construction is very good thus far.

A change in the woodiness marks the start of the second third of the Montecristo Espada Conquistador Ricasso, as that flavor moves into the lead flavor, and as it does, I feel a bit more stimulation on the sides of my tongue with a little drying of my mouth happening as well. Creaminess comes rushing back into the profile not long after, almost as if it knew I thought it would help the profile. Retrohales now have an earthier profile, a subtle shift that keeps the pepper’s intensity, but makes it a heartier overall sensation. The profile gets a little rougher around the midpoint, not irritating or harsh, but more textured and gruff as this section progresses. Flavor sits around medium-full, body is medium and strength is medium-minus. Construction remains very good.

Maybe it’s the time of year—though I wouldn’t know it by the weather in Phoenix—but the final third of the Montecristo Espada Conquistador Ricasso has me thinking of the dry leaves of fall, as well as some slightly sweet tobacco leaves. There are times when I think the profile is going to turn really earthy, but it never does, flirting with the flavor from across the room rather than going up and saying hello. There’s not much of a change in the flavor in this section, and while it doesn’t turn complex or give the cigar the finale it might deserve, it does stay balanced and easy to enjoy. Flavor continues to sit in that medium to medium-plus range, body is more medium and strength is back down to mild. Provided I give the cigar regular puffs, combustion is generally good, while the burn line, draw and smoke production all remain very good.

Final Notes

• The lineage of the Montecristo brand that we know today dates back to 1935, when Alonso Menéndez went from Spain to Cuba looking to create a luxury cigar brand that would be able to make a name for itself in the market.
• John Hunter Morris and Elkan Co. Ltd., the original British importer, designed the logo, including the six swords surrounding the fleur-de-lis. While Altadis U.S.A. pays tribute to the swords in different ways, that particular logo is not used on this cigar. John Hunter Morris would go on to be the Hunter in Hunters & Frankau, the current U.K. importer of Cuban cigars.
• Ricasso is the part of a sword just above the handle. It’s not sharpened, so that way the user can hold onto it.
• An easy way to tell if you are smoking a non-Cuban Montecristo is the main band. You’ll see “M&G”,  a reference to Menéndez and García.
• The Espada collection isn’t the only Nicaraguan-made Montecristo, as in 2017, the Montecristo Crafted by AJ Fernandez was released.
• JR Cigar advertises on halfwheel.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• The company lists these as a 5 x 54 robusto gordo. The numbers above are the measurements we found for the three cigars used for this review.
• Charlie Minato, who takes the measurements for the cigars we review, noted that when these three showed up at the office, they felt as hard as a rock.
• Final smoking time was about an hour and 55 minutes on average.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Daily, Cigars Direct, Corona Cigar Co., JR Cigars, and Small Batch Cigar carry the Montecristo Espada Conquistador Ricasso.

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the G-League’s Valley Suns. I was previously the PA announcer for the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League, and Goodyear Ballpark, spring training home of the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I’m a voiceover artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.