Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo de Rio Seco SOR ENE 20 (HdMRW)

[saltbox]

It's been a while since I had a Rio Seco as the smoking time is a bit long for what I can normally fit in nowadays, but it was a quiet weekend and the review theme reminded me to pull another one out.

First third: yikes. Right off the bat the flavor is unbelievably mild. I keep checking the burning end to make sure it's actually lit. Over the course of an inch it eventually starts to open up to some lightly sweet cream, but the flavor is still extremely weak and definitely missing that rich, intense ginger spice that makes the Rio Seco so great.

Middle third: it's continued to very very gradually ramp up in flavor, but it's still a far cry from what it should be. Very light vanilla cream and almond cookie, and still no sign of spice.

Last third: some of that ginger spice finally starts to appear, but it's too little too late. By the end of the smoke, the overall profile seems to have all the flavors I was expecting: vanilla cream, ginger spice, but it's still all too mild in comparison to previous cigars I've pulled from this box.

Overall: disappointing. Every other cigar I've pulled from this box has been a flavor bomb, even if there's been a track record of overly tight/plugged draws. Really hoping this was a bunk sample and not a trend caused by aging. 84/100