The demise of HDM

[El Presidente]

 

We have seen the renaissance of PunchPunch and Punch in general. Bolivar has had an uptick in quality. Romeo y Julieta has probably been the star example of quality improvement (churchill etal). 

However one former beauty queen has gone in two years from being prom queen to crack whore 

Oh Hoyo de Monterrey.......what has gone wrong!

Baby baby baby.....remember the magnificent Epi 2 of 13/14/15 and early 16?   What have you done? The current Epi 2 are abominations. The Epi 1's.....oh those magnificent EPI 1's......pale imitations of th great cigars of the past 5 years.  You share a shelf next to Juan Lopez.  Have you noticed how he inches away in disgust?  

Piss poor Petit robuso, Ho hum Especial...you are but going through the motions turning tricks and people are starting to talk.....

Only the matriarch HDM Double corona stands proud. I found a box of the DC on the humidor floor this morning. I suspect she jumped in shame.

You need some loving care to bring you back to where you were 24 months ago. Have a word to R. Julieta and find out how she did it. 

Come on back baby...come on back  

[chris12381]

One of my "go to" cigars, the Epicure No. 2, is my girlfriend's absolute favorite. We're waiting for its return to glory. "They just don't look as good as they used to. Even in the 50 cabs." - Said last week by my girlfriend, as she hunted through the boxes of Epi 2s

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[JohnS]

Add in the demise of the Le Hoyo line. Bye bye du Prince (how I miss you!) and no des Dieux since '14! 

[HabanosNJGuy]

This and the thread about the flogging of RA, have reminded me about a question I've been meaning to ask.  If you could demote one of the six long filler global brands out of the group and add another marca (with the appropriate addition of vitolas), which would you choose.  I would remove HDM and add Bolivar.  Bring back the CG!  I do love a good Epi 1 or 2 now and again, but of the six global brands, HDM does the least for me.  I was not around for the glory days a few years back that El Prez speaks of.  Granted I would never want the HDM range to be slashed like so many other marcas.  I've never tried a Des Dieux that people rave about.

How great would it be to get a Bolivar churchill, lonsdale, corona gorda...  My second choice would be to promote Punch, but alas recent trends have been towards the opposite.

[shrink]

"However one former beauty queen has gone in two years from being prom queen to crack whore "

Rob, tell us how you convinced a beauty queen to become a crack whore in only two years. Inquiring minds want to know. 

[Islandboy]

Apparently Hoyo’s been using all the good leaf on the DC’s - a recent discovery that has me all goo-goo eyed for that beauty queen. Just hope she stays away from the crack jar. 

[cfc1016]

My first puro, in 96, was a 91 hdm dc. Changed me forever. After being out of cigar smoking for ~a decade, and coming back last year, I’m bereft. The stories I’m hearing to the effect of this thread, just break my heart. The epis in te 90s were just awesome. The double coronas were out of this world. It’s hard for me to think that hdm is no longer the marca that i once knew and loved

[cfc1016]

11 minutes ago, Islandboy said:

Apparently Hoyo’s been using all the good leaf on the DC’s - a recent discovery that has me all goo-goo eyed for that beauty queen. Just hope she stays away from the crack jar. 

Maybe I’ll have to splurge on a box for old times’ sake. 

[mkz]

And where are those Dieuxs?!? 

[JohnS]

3 minutes ago, mkz said:

And where are those Dieuxs?!? 

Hopefully they're going through a seasonal phase and they'll come back. I'm grateful for what I have!

[mkz]

Just now, JohnS said:

Hopefully they're going through a seasonal phase and they'll come back. I'm grateful for what I have!

Me too (clinging on to my two last boxes like Dracula to a virgin).

And maybe it´s better they don´t do any at all instead of making bad ones...

[SirVantes]

2 hours ago, shrink said:

"However one former beauty queen has gone in two years from being prom queen to crack whore "

Rob, tell us how you convinced a beauty queen to become a crack whore in only two years. Inquiring minds want to know. 

While she was queen, she posed for a photo shoot with a lit cigar.  Took a few draws and was hooked.  Started paying tobacco taxes.  Bought ELs.  Taxes went up... forgot ELs, bought REs instead.  Taxes went up... forgot REs, bought 50 cabs instead.  Taxes went up... forgot 50 cabs, bought boxes.  Taxes went up... resorted to samplers.  

Now she's substituting the relatively affordable crack, all the while saving for just one more single, just one more...  

 

[99call]

The term "hypernormalisation" is taken from Alexei Yurchak's 2006 book Everything was Forever, Until it was No More: The Last Soviet Generation, about the paradoxes of life in the Soviet Union during the 20 years before it collapsed. A professor of anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, he argues that everyone knew the system was failing, but as no one could imagine any alternative to the status quo, politicians and citizens were resigned to maintaining a pretence of a functioning society.[6] Over time, this delusion became a self-fulfilling prophecy and the "fakeness" was accepted by everyone as real, an effect that Yurchak termed "hypernormalisation".

HSA are practising "Hypernoramalisation". When your Fonseca No 1 are PSP, and your Epi 1-2 are 50 shades of turd, you don't know whether to shit of go blind. 

Gladly Rob and the FOH gang are showing the way.

[Wilzc]

All 15 sticks of my HDM Epicure Especial Tubos tastes like plugged cardboard

[Stogiepuffer]

I just ordered a box the other day on sale. So they are sale because they are rockets?

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[Philc2001]

Oh Des Dieux, what a sad loss

Du Depute and Du Marie are filling in for Du Prince ? I suppose.


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[shlomo]

Haven' seen any bad Series LE Hoyo. Conn A's sister from another mister.

 Pretty good Rob! You have been promoted from cigar Jesus to cigar Moses!

 

[BuzzArd]

2 hours ago, Stogiepuffer said:

I just ordered a box the other day on sale. So they are sale because they are rockets?

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If you got it from FOH it shouldnt be, or wouldn't have been sent as a box of turds knowingly, rest assured.  Maybe was paler than it should be, less oily than it should be.  I order clearance and even seconds from El Prez regularly and am always pleased with the price:performance ratio. Not everything sold will fit the "salt it away for 5+ years" profile.  Some are "acclimate and subject to arson individually or in multiples with groups of pals".  

[GrouchoMarx]

I'm definitely a Hoyo fan.

I got a 3 pack of epi2s from a friend - I just couldn't consider them "box worthy" at all. 

Now I have some epi1s that are excellent, Le Hoyo de San Juan that rock and my occasional palmas extra that I also like.

[havanaclub]

I agree with the beautiful boxes of HDM DCs of late. Got a great one from Prez and very happy I did. Had my first from the box on Saturday and was very pleased.
I was a huge Epi no2 fan years ago, probably my favourite Robusto at the time. Now others have taken over. I have a box of 15s that had some burn problems early on, but resting them have seemed to help out. It’s a nice box with very nice wrappers.
I only hope they improve in quality again.



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[TBird55]

I have a half of a 50 cab of PSP Epi2 left. They had been wonderful, guess I had better bury them in the back of humidor for a while. Hate to see the drop off. Just hope the HDM DC  doesn't go the same way.

[BrightonCorgi]

3 hours ago, havanaclub said:

I agree with the beautiful boxes of HDM DCs of late. Got a great one from Prez and very happy I did. 

Same here, but HDM was a marca I wasn't big on since for the last decade or so. 

[Ouftastic]

Currently enjoying a Epi 2 (March 2015); which was actually my first purchase from FoH (store, not 24:24) as part of a 15 count A/T. 

Loved every single one I have had thus far; reading this thread makes me wish I bought a few more.

[Lotusguy]

Still smoking my pre 2010 stock so I guess I can skip the 2017s

[Bagman]

I have 3 cabs of OCT15 to enjoy.   So I'll just ride out this slump with my stock