Initial Thoughts
Recently, I’ve been trying to make frequent trips to my local B&M. I want to check out all the latest cigars that they picked up from the trade show. The Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros, just happens to be one of those cigars. I was back in the shop last week, celebrating a good friend’s 30th birthday. We celebrated with some good, old fashioned, Cuban cigars. While I was walking around the humidor, the manager came in and told me to check out these new cigars. Once again, I was between these and the La Duena’s. Obviously, you can tell which cigar won the battle.
I’ve honestly never smoked a Hoyo de Monterrey. I tried to win some, from my pal Robby over at RobbyRasReviews a couple of weeks ago. Other than that, I haven’t heard much about the HdM line lately. So, I figured I’d give them a shot and see what it was all about.
Looks
I’m actually really glad that the B&M manager pointed me towards this Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros. The packaging is phenomenal. I might be a little rusty with my spanish, but I’m going to take a guess here. I’m going to say that ‘en Cedros’ means, ‘in Cedars, or on Cedars’. I have factual evidence, to back this up as well. My first clue, is the fact that the cigar, is wrapped in a cedar sleeve. I love, love, love when manufacturers do this. It adds a great aroma to the cigar, for when you take it out of its protective packaging. My second clue, is the HdM website. They state that this cigar is,”enveloped in fragrant cedar”. Ahha! I knew it, two very strong clues to this Spanish translation. Now, for my final clue, I went to the trusty, always correct, Google machine for translation… Yep, straight from the Google’s screen en Cedros = on Cedars. Boo yah I’m a spanish master!
Alright, alright, enough about the damn cedars. The rest of the Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros is definitely worth shaking a dead snake at. (Yeah I just made that up). Seriously, the barrel on this cigar reminds me of the stuff I used to make with Play-Doh. I would just take that purple-ish stuff and roll it into the carpet until I made something, that looked absolutely like nothing. Turns out, I was practicing to be a cigar roller, I guess. The figurado shape is one of my favorites. It’s fat at the foot and tapers down towards the head. It could be metaphorical for Jessica Alba’s life everytime she has a baby. Get’s really fat, and then slims back down to nothing, it’s quite freaky.
The wrapper on the Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros, isn’t quite as exciting. It’s your run of the mill, Claro color, light, reddish-brown. You can’t really see the seams of the wrapper on the barrel. I’m always amazed by how the rollers put the wrapper around the foot of the cigar, especially on figurados. They have to make sure and cover the entire nipple but still allow it to breath and let air in. I guess they must have taught a thing or two to the clothing manufacturer for Janet Jackson’s outfit… (Is that joke still relevant?… Oh well). Speaking of malfunctions, onto the next section!
Function
Well, the Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros didn’t really have any ‘malfunctions’, but it was a great segue (not the standing scooter). Maybe I’m a bit paranoid, but I always worry about how the draw is going to be on these fancy pants cigar shapes. This figurado was no different. I kicked and stirred in my chair, looking at the cigar, as if I was giving it a pep talk. After I was sure that I had pumped up it’s courage enough, I clipped the tip of the head. The cold draw was perfect, just a slight resistance in the barrel probably due to the fact that the nipple has a small opening. I mean, it wasn’t like I was trying to suck a golf ball through a garden hose.
Once I was sure that I had prepped the cigar with an adequate cold draw test, I decided it was time to set the bitch ablaze. Yeah, time to burn ! As I noted in a previous review, you have to really make sure and toast the foot on these figurados. You don’t want them coming out of the gate burning uneven.
Smoking
I’ve learned that smoking can really go one of two ways: great, or crappy. There really isn’t an in between. Some cigars just burn straight and even or they canoe and tunnel. Now I know that’s a very broad, general statement, but I believe it’s one that is true. So you want to know how the Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros smoked? … Flawlessly. I’m always a little concerned about how a figurado is going to burn. Apparently, the rollers know what they’re doing, who’dathunkit.
The first third of this cigar was incredibly even, and the burn line was nice and crisp. The only issue I had was with the ash. It was rather flaky, and of course, as soon I went to take a picture, it broke off into my lap. The burn stayed incredibly consistent through the 2nd third as well. I had to do one touch up because, while I was smoking this I was also watering the grass. I went out to change the sprinkler position, and ended up soaking myself. Of course, it looked like I had just pissed myself, so I had to go inside and change pants, and by the time I came back out the burn had gotten a little lopsided. I was surprised though, I didn’t have to relight, it was still burning nice, and slow.
This Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros burned so well, I took it all the way down the nub. Other than that one issue, caused by my tomfoolery, it burned perfectly. What more could you ask for? I bet some of you want to know what it tastes like, well I guess I can cover that too. Although I’m getting hungry so the flavor may come off a little desperate sounding, and painful.
Flavor
Some of you might shocked, but one of the strongest aromas I picked up on the pre light was Mahogany… Ok I lied, the strongest aroma I picked up was obviously cedar, considering this Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros is in a cedar sleeve and stored in cedar at the manufacturer. There was bound to be a strong cedar scent. However, on the foot of the cigar I picked up a nice sweet smell of molasses. It smelled like the beginning of a nice, sweet, bbq sauce taking shape. Anyone ever had Sweet Baby Ray’s bbq sauce before? To me the molasses off this cigar was very similar to that.
Once I got the cigar lit, the sweet dissipated, and turned into creamy goodness. Not a real overpowering blend, it was smooth. Littles hints of spice on the finish, with a bit of sweetness on the tongue. While rolling the smoke around in my mouth and retrohaling, I was able to pick up some more spice. Nothing too pungent, just a soft spice.
The flavor was consistent all the way through the cigar. I expected something to pick up in the middle, when the cigar began to taper down. I’m not disappointed in this cigar, it was a great blend, I was just hoping for a little something more. Maybe, I’m used to big bold full bodied cigars.
This Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros is a great medium-bodied cigar that most smokers can enjoy. I think it’s a great transition cigar, for someone that is wanting to move to bigger bolder cigars. This stick will get your palate experiencing some newer flavors and strengths, without knocking you down. If you’re a veteran smoker, this could be a good stick for you to step away from the fuller bodied stuff, and see what sort of complexities you can pick up.
Would I Buy It Again?
I’m still a little on the fence about it. I bought a couple of them, and I’m letting them age, to see if it will pull out anymore flavor.
Is It an Every Day Smoke?
If it gets better with age, it could be a great everyday smoke. It functioned well, and the flavor wasn’t overpowering so it could make for a great everyday smoke.
Would I Buy a Box?
I would buy a box, simply for the packaging and to age them a bit longer. I’d like to see how the cedar affects the cigar with more aging.
Conclusion
Even though the flavor on the Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros didn’t floor me, it was still a great cigar. Flawless construction on a figurado goes a long way in my book. The fact that I smoked it without any issues, makes another bold mark in the plus column. Maybe with age, this cigar can develop more complex flavors, but right now it was a decent medium-bodied cigar. If you’re looking for something new and you’re a sucker for great packaging like me, then this is a great cigar for you. If you’re looking for something to replace your daily smoke, well you’ll have to give it a try and see what you think.
