Search the Community

Ready for some cigar pr0n? Someone on FB reached out to me about a shopkeeper who is looking to ID what era these are from and any background information. The items in question are both from Hoyo de Monterrey. One appears to be a salesman sample case with 62 cigars. The other is a huge wall mounted cabinet showcasing the HdM factorie's offerings (in fivers) along with two monster showpiece cigars. There are some really gorgeous bands here too. If anyone here has any insight, please post here. In the meantime, enjoy the pics. Salesman travel case. Top of case. Closeup of seal. Open case. Some closeups of the cigars. Second item: HdM Cabinet. Probably used to hang in the factory at one time. Closeup on fivers. Closeup of "artillery shell" cigar. Closeup on second large cigar.

I picked up a sixer of these back in June, so they're young, only been acclimating for a little over a month. PSP stick from our lovely Aussie hosts. (speaking of, Tokyo is soon, should there be some sort of wager on aquatics?). I've been trying to avoid Robusto and big thick cigars recently, but this I don't have much else Hoyo and didn't want to go digging around to find something else. V cut, construction good, I dinged up the foot a tad. As is usually the case with PSP sticks from here, the heaviness is there. Maybe not as much sheen now, but heaviness is my term for it. Not dry at any rate. Toasted, and then lit, which started out decent. A tad uneven, and I did have to relight once. Overall good ash, and didn't let it get super long. For flavors, in my experience Epicure 2's tend to be mellow. I got some toasted tobacco (ha ha), some woodiness, little bit of cedar. I paired with a nice cuba libre, so perhaps the sweetness of that washed some flavors out, but there were no stand out in your face flavors for me. Some light cream, but nothing like my monte 4's, light cedar, perhaps some nuts to it, but mostly just a nice smooth, mellow smoke. Total smoke time was just over an hour twenty, longer than usual for me, but had wife out on the porch and we were talking as well. Send half of cigar was paired with an american Amber Ale, Copperhead from local place. Ratings are harder for me. Certainly a nice smoke, will smoke more of them, but not earth shattering. high 80's, perhaps 87 or 88. I'm hoping more time down will let them just get better, but if I had to smoke the other five like this I wouldn't complain.

Well normally I'm always smoking something other than the requested weekend review so luckily for me I happen to break out a new Hoyo for me. I've recently slowly being converted to Hoyo as I'm normally a Bolivar / Partagas / RA type of guy, the fuller bodied cigars but the last couple of Hoyo's I've had have been excellent. This prompted me to pick up one of the Hoyo Elegantes LCDH from my local cigar lounge, apologies I forgot to note the box code but assume its from 2016 when these were released. Wrapper was decent, light sheen to it and taco roll, similar to the Partagas presidente but a lot nicer wrapper than my box of presidentes. I've started V-cutting my torpedos and always find the draw to be excellent but in this case the draw seems quite tight but not overly so on the cold draw, really light notes of cedar on the cold draw. I light it up and try my first few puffs, were light and creamy and pleasant taste but i know it's going to be a struggle to smoke, the draw has got really tight. Luckily I have my perfect draw (Not sponsored) and use it deep into the cigar, maybe a little too much exuberance as I manage to crack the wrapper a little but once it's done the cigar has been saved, the draw is great and I can get a decent amount of smoke from it. The first third flavours are sweet and hints of caramel and slight nutty profile, would say definitely light to medium. Second third the sweetness has gone and turned into a much more nutty profile with the occasional pepper notes and the burn is perfect, great ash as you can see from the photo. More of a medium profile now. Final third it has moved to be a fuller medium with that nut profile dominant and some leather notes at the end. Had great smoke output and good burn all the way through. Would rate it 88/100 and think I'll pick up a box and see how they develop after a few more years.

This 2014 Epi Especial is one of the last from a Cedar 10 count I picked up a few years ago. Flavorwise the cigars have been very good, but they have been underfilled and lumpy construction wise. This example was no different. Very loose pack for the first half of the cigar, tightening up as I worked my way to the head. Some sweetness on the prelight, very open draw. 1st Third - Bread dough, some nuts. Burn is all over the place, but the flavors are good. The cigar is already burning hot. 2nd Third - Bread dough continues, some sweetness ebbs in, along with some cinnamon or nutmeg. Towards the end of this third the roll improves and the cigar starts to perform much better. Final Third - While the draw improved, it was still very open. The spices and sweetness disappear early in this third, the breadyness fades as well. Toasted tobaccos is all that remains as the cigar finally gets hot and bitter. Summary - Simialr to the other in the box. Great flavors, but poor construction. I really enjoy this size and marca. I will definitely be looking to stock up again, but at PSP or HQ quality. The construction issues really affected this box. 72 minutes total.

Hoyo De Monterrey Le Hoyo Des Dieux 2011. Sorry, forgot the full box code, I'll head back to the B&M to have a look. Prelight stuff: Stiff and dry wrappers, rustic looking claro. Draw is perfect from a punch cut. Faint aromas from the stick, with a little standard floral grass and hay from the cold draw. 1st Third: Cashews. Cedar. Cream. Spicy cajun finish that lingers around the back of the throat. Retrohale is peppery but not aggressive. Ash is holding on for almost at inch. Solid and chunky, zero flakes! End of first 3rd brings on some coffee. Spice fades off. Roasted almonds appears with the coffee 2nd Third: Roasted almonds and coffee are the top dogs here. Dat Cuban twang finally makes an entrance. Dried fruits hinting about. End of the 2nd, dominate notes are now light cocoa and dry Cubanesque critussy grass (you know what I'm talking about), flowers, fruits and dat twang. Retrohale is all twang. No pepper. Wow.... Last Third: Prominent notes are of cacao, like those really pure, raw form of cocoa, due to the hints of sour-floral Cuban twang. Coffee wafts in and out, also with sweet wood. Pepper and spice hints around the finish and tingles the back of the throat again. Slightly dry but.... Not complaining, just drinking alot more San Pellegrino. Orange peel then jumps in. What the f@rK? Retrohale is getting too complex, can't decipher. I'm just going to enjoy it without thinking too much. Last inch or so: Wood and a little spice comes back to play. And then twang comes back strong. Retrohale is still complex but light dry cocoa powder is the main dish. My brains are tired, what a journey.... Final smoke time, 90mins or so. Towards the end of the cigar... each draw gets me different notes, and I'm stunned. What a contrast from the Petit Edmundo I had just this morning, great flavours, but consistent without much complexity. The young 'Prince' beside the aged 'God'

Now i'm a big fan of these and the size. Fits nicely in the hand, the weight and the look of it. All this is great but when i went and fired up a 6 year old Des Dieux the other night, which should produce something special with that age, i was extremely disappointed in the flavors. it wasn't a question of draw and quality which were all on par with the best i've seen before. it was dull in flavor, strong wood and tobacco, no cloves, no cream, no vanilla...nothing good! had 4 or 5 from that box, with mixed results. they seem to have a stronger blend than older ones. should i be thinking of letting them age another 6 years before having another? i just hope i don't have a bad batch! anyone else experienced this with Des Dieux? my box code is from 2011. cheers, Steve

Hey guys, I recently tried an Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 1 from our host, and it was easily one of the top CC's I've had so far. I've been on the lookout for these in 24:24 (missed them today), but I did score some EE last week. I'm wondering how they compare, besides being different vitolas, in flavor and creaminess, which is better young or aged, etc. EE's are supposed to be the top of the line Epicure, but maybe the smaller vitola gives the No. 1 an edge in smoking experience. Thoughts?

Hoyo EL 2011 paring Bombay Sapphire & tonicCold draw:Earthy with Bakers chocolate 1st third Semi-sweet coco, slight bit of white pepper in the finish. Slightly tight draw but not the making of an aneurysm, solid burn. The coco takes on a bit more sweetness as it progresses getting some creaminess in the finish as the spice noted in the beginning is all but gone. 2nd thirdSweet coco smooth creamy leather finish. Not extraordinarily complex, but enjoyable like a mediocre handjob and a slice of yesterday's pizza. The drug store Easter bunny chocolate notes persist throughout, followed by a finish akin to chewing a premium leather belt which had been soaked in yoo-hoo. The burn remains on point with a solid ash, hanging on like a midday stripper to a two dollar bill. 3rd thirdMore of the same, the finish has move from creamy to a shade grassy mixed with a hint of 9volt Duracell. Metallic coco pulling ahead in the final stretch, like a carousel horse powered by a water cooled Samsung galaxy note 7. OverallDecent smoke, solid construction. Mind blowingly middle of the road.

I'm not sure if this one will be in before the deadline, as I see the contest announcement has a conflicting day/date. I smoked this opne at a coffee shop where they never hassle you for smoking on their outdoor patio, but their WiFi filter prevents me from accessing FOH because of "tobacco" content. Go figure! Photo below is from a different stick than the one smoked for this review. Didn't have my camera on me. Visual Appearance: From a SLB of 10. Medium-brown wrapper. Oily appearance. Mostly attractive, the veins and seams aren’t too prominent. Slightly gritty, hard shell-like feel to the wrap Pre-light draw: Firm, but workable. Citrus and cinnamon, with a hint of spice. First 3rd: Light to medium body. Mostly sweet cream, honey, graham. The draw is not great, but the cigar is smoke-able. Second 3rd: Same body. Graham, sweet cream. Not much complexity. Maybe a very slight herbal taste in the background. Thinking rosemary. So far, the burn has been excellent. The draw is starting to bother me now, and I wish there was more body/substance to the smoke, because the flavors are quite excellent as per usual. Last 3rd: The toastiness has made an appearance. The overall flavor profile is still quite sweet, but there's a bit more richness present now. There is a very nice breadiness that I am noticing now, like a good San Francisco sourdough. Final Thoughts: This cigar was good, but it just won't score as high as most of the others I've had from this box. The others have had more complexity, more body, and more generous draws. Additionally, this cigar lacked some of the notes I have picked up in the others, specifically a very interesting and aromatic floral aspect. I still enjoyed the smoke, but can't rate it any higher than an 88 or 89, mainly because of the tight draw. Most cigars have been around 92ish, and the best couple have been 93/94ish. Overall, I highly recommend this cigar. It's a great thing.. A cigar that packs a ton of flavor into a medium-at-most body. I think it could appeal to just about any cigar smoker. Total Smoke Time: 70 minutes.

why do i get the impression that the majority of people do not like these cigars. anyway thats why i hear. whats your take on them for those who tried them ? For me, right now they are smoking fantastic !!! creamy, dark chocolote and a cherry-raisin sweetnest ! beautifully balanced.

Haven't seen a thread on this so thought I'd throw it out there. I'm a big fan of the Hoyo de Monterey marque having enjoyed multiple Epi 2s, 1s, Dieux and even the diminutive Depute. However, after multiple sticks from 2 different boxes, the Hoyo Regalos 2007 baffles me for its dull, bland and bitter character. It seems they simply got the blend wrong. Or have I been unlucky!? Anyway that's my vote for the worst LE ever. Any other nominations?