Cigar: Hoyo de Monterey Epicure Especial EL 2004
Size: 5 1/2 X 50
Humi: 60% Humi for 2+ years
I received this cigar as a gift from a friend while in Switzerland in 2005 and saved it until now, when I needed a well deserved break after a long friday at work and then dealing with a girlfriend who was on a rampage. I have never smoked this cigar before, and this is the only example I have - so while hard to form a specific judgement, this is my review of my 2 hours with this wonderful cigar.
The bands have long been lost to this cigar, but I put it aside so I would remember especially what this was. The wrapper was a darker shade of EMS and had a few veins, but was mostly smooth throughout. The weight was quite hefty and the cap slighlty sloppy, but rolling it around in my hand, you could tell that it was extremely well constructed. Smelling the foot revealed nothing substantial, but you could see some darker tobaccos mingling in with the other EMS shade tobacco.
Cutting the cigar with my xicar yielded a clean, straight cut that allowed a full draw that revealed some slight spice on the lips and heavy tobacco notes on prelight. The initial light was easy and I was greeted by spice and some initial harshness - however, this quickly faded after about an 1/8th of an inch and turned directly into a wonderful mix of light floral and sweet baking spices that abounded. The first quarter of the cigar varied between highly floral to straight cinnamon / nutmeg spice that was amazing.
The ash was slightly flaky and the burn slightly erratic, but it definitely did not affect the overall experience of this cigar. Copious amounts of smoke were produced with easy puffs, billowing large blue / grey clouds of aromatic smoke that I tried to take in on occassion. The aroma that I caught was just like the smoking nuances imposed, with a highly floral scent with spice that was extremely pleasing to linger around. Exhaling some of this smoke out the nose didn't bother me at all, showing that while still relatively young, the three or so years of age on this cigar had considerably mellowed out any potential harshness that it might have possessed when it was younger.
The second third of the cigar intensified slightly, with some occassional hints of floral still coming through, but the sweet baking spice intensified significantly and some toasty tobacco and wood notes started to come through. The cedar and tobacco notes imparted on my palatte lingered around for a while (while still remaining a light to medium bodied cigar), just like a lot of HdM's that I have had before - just intensified.
The ash held on for an inch at a time and the flaking continued, but the burn was mostly straight and the cigar was burning cool. The sweet spice was fading and the tobacco, wood, and now earthy and vegetal notes started to come on strong.
These heavier notes dominated the final third, while increasing in body and strength. I didn't eat prior to smoking, and I was slightly regretting that decision.
I nubbed this cigar as it kept changing and intensifying, ending up very earthy, but not bitter.
My smoking buddy kept me company the whole time with this wonderful cigar & I regret only having one of these cigars as I would rate it extremely high due to the complexity, construction, and overall ability of this cigar to keep you on your toes and paying attention (which made me forget about everything else that may have been going on).
Seth :thumbs:
Size: 5 1/2 X 50
Humi: 60% Humi for 2+ years
I received this cigar as a gift from a friend while in Switzerland in 2005 and saved it until now, when I needed a well deserved break after a long friday at work and then dealing with a girlfriend who was on a rampage. I have never smoked this cigar before, and this is the only example I have - so while hard to form a specific judgement, this is my review of my 2 hours with this wonderful cigar.
The bands have long been lost to this cigar, but I put it aside so I would remember especially what this was. The wrapper was a darker shade of EMS and had a few veins, but was mostly smooth throughout. The weight was quite hefty and the cap slighlty sloppy, but rolling it around in my hand, you could tell that it was extremely well constructed. Smelling the foot revealed nothing substantial, but you could see some darker tobaccos mingling in with the other EMS shade tobacco.
Cutting the cigar with my xicar yielded a clean, straight cut that allowed a full draw that revealed some slight spice on the lips and heavy tobacco notes on prelight. The initial light was easy and I was greeted by spice and some initial harshness - however, this quickly faded after about an 1/8th of an inch and turned directly into a wonderful mix of light floral and sweet baking spices that abounded. The first quarter of the cigar varied between highly floral to straight cinnamon / nutmeg spice that was amazing.
The ash was slightly flaky and the burn slightly erratic, but it definitely did not affect the overall experience of this cigar. Copious amounts of smoke were produced with easy puffs, billowing large blue / grey clouds of aromatic smoke that I tried to take in on occassion. The aroma that I caught was just like the smoking nuances imposed, with a highly floral scent with spice that was extremely pleasing to linger around. Exhaling some of this smoke out the nose didn't bother me at all, showing that while still relatively young, the three or so years of age on this cigar had considerably mellowed out any potential harshness that it might have possessed when it was younger.
The second third of the cigar intensified slightly, with some occassional hints of floral still coming through, but the sweet baking spice intensified significantly and some toasty tobacco and wood notes started to come through. The cedar and tobacco notes imparted on my palatte lingered around for a while (while still remaining a light to medium bodied cigar), just like a lot of HdM's that I have had before - just intensified.
The ash held on for an inch at a time and the flaking continued, but the burn was mostly straight and the cigar was burning cool. The sweet spice was fading and the tobacco, wood, and now earthy and vegetal notes started to come on strong.
These heavier notes dominated the final third, while increasing in body and strength. I didn't eat prior to smoking, and I was slightly regretting that decision.
I nubbed this cigar as it kept changing and intensifying, ending up very earthy, but not bitter.
My smoking buddy kept me company the whole time with this wonderful cigar & I regret only having one of these cigars as I would rate it extremely high due to the complexity, construction, and overall ability of this cigar to keep you on your toes and paying attention (which made me forget about everything else that may have been going on).
Seth :thumbs:
