HOYO DE MONTERREY EPICURE No. 2

HOYO DE MONTERREY
EPICURE No. 2
ROBUSTO


Origin: Cuba
Wrapper: Cuba
Binder: Cuba
Filler: Cuba



TASTING SHEET RESULTS

SIZE: 4 7/8x50

APPEARANCE: very good, moderately veiny, evenly colored colorado maduro wrapper, a bit wrinkly, but appears well constructed, the only flaw is a stain on the wrapper just above the band... looks like some sort of resin residue

CONSTRUCTION: very good to excellent: firmly applied wrapper and cap, firm, nicely filled bunch with fine give, good cap, tight seams all the way

DRAW: perfect

BURN: very good, tipical cuban

AROMA: excellent

FLAVOR: excellent

DOMINANT FLAVORS: chocolate, salt, leather, earth, caramel

AFTERTASTE: chocolate, salt, leather, earth

STRENGHT: moderate

SMOKING TIME: ~ 100 minutes

GENERAL IMPRESSION: excellent

CUT: Double guillotine

PRELIGHT: salt, leather, strong molasses

LIGHT: torch flame lighter, easily

BEVERAGE: coffee black

1/3:

Upon lighting, cigar immediately releases generous amount of thick chocolate with woody background in the thick waft of smoke. Initial puff reveals salty background. Light pepper on nose blow but very, very smooth. Tipical cuban burn, thick mascara with jagged burn line. Body in the mild to medium range. Medium gray ash flakes a bit. This cigar is pure delight. Divine aroma of honey and chocolate linger in the air. Nearing second third, body slowly picks up momentum, while smoke remains very cool and smooth.

2/3:

Flavors remain constant, chocolate still dominates while wood acts as a backdrop. Smooth pepper with salt on the nose persists. Medium salty finish. Ashing reveals no cone. Since I bought single, I am not aware of box code, so I dont know the age on this stick. The key word describing this smoke is smooth. The cigar performs admirably in all departments. Body still in the lower medium, but with rich, full flavor coating the palate on every puff. One could almost eat the thick chocolaty aroma of this stick. Bordering on the final third, hints of vanilla mingle with wood in the background. Finish at this point turns to heavy wood, while salt lessens a notch of two.

3/3:

This majestic symphony of flavors continues. Heavier pepper is evident on the nose blow.

NUB:

The body of the cigar is turning soft, while flavors start heading toward bitter territory, but with chocolate coating still present. Finish is longer with heavy charred wood notes, while ash is turning darker and flakes more. Ash is not compact, much like thru the most of the smoke. No cones were revealed upon ashings. Body settles in solid medium. No tar build-up. Once I finished this smoke, I noticed that my fingers smelled fantastic... like warm, rich mixture of freshly ground coffee and sweet cocoa.
I love this cigar. It really shines in all possible directions and I will definitely smoke more in the future.

ROMEO & JULIETA ROMEO No. 1 TUBO

ROMEO & JULIETA
ROMEO No. 1 TUBO

CREMAS

These used to be machine made. My three pack (new packaging, red and white tubes) states Totalmente a mano

Origin: Cuba
Wrapper: Cuba
Binder: Cuba
Filler: Cuba

Place of purchase: Gift from my dear sister

TASTING SHEET RESULTS

SIZE: 5.5x40
APPEARANCE: very good, oily, even colored colorado wrapper on a bit veiny side, slight discoloration in the wrapper, but it provides character
CONSTRUCTION: appears very good, but IMO lousy bunching of the filler was the culprit for physical performance of cigar: firmly applied wrapper and cap, firm, nicely filled bunch with fine give, good cap
DRAW: perfect
BURN: whatever this was, it was NOT burn
AROMA: very good
FLAVOR: poor to average, what was gathered
DOMINANT FLAVORS: leather, earth, pepper, caramel
AFTERTASTE: salt, leather, earth
STRENGHT: moderate

SMOKING TIME: ~ 80 minutes
GENERAL IMPRESSION: waste of time and money

CUT: Double guillotine

PRELIGHT: salt, leather, strong molasses

LIGHT: torch flame lighter, very stubborn
BEVERAGE: coffee black

1/3:The cigar opens with strong leather and earth, backed by ample amount of pepper. After only a few puffs, problems appear with either a bad light or construction problems. Two relights in the first quarter inch. Burn is ridiculous and it shows on the flavor, as bitter notes are already present. Ash at this point is flaky and sick looking. At this stage pepper is tamed somewhat while earth and leather dominate. Nose blow reveals salty notes on peppery side, but relatively smooth. Towards second third, nonsweet caramel joins the show, with leather retreating to the background. Pepper is out of the picture. Burn continues in erratic fashion, while the aroma of the stick is that of nice hay and leather.

2/3:Brings nothing new to the table, the stick goes out constantly. Touch-up is applied. Aroma is continually very good, with prominent earth, salt, hay and caramel. Towards final third, deep tunnel is formed and it show on the flavor. Bitterness is on the rise, while body is in the mild-medium range.

3/3:Stick finally went out completely. The ash shows signs of smouldering and relight brings back familiar flavors of earth, with leather and slight pepper, wrapped in solid bitterness, body in the medium. The only thing going for this smoke is nice shade of wrapper, nice band and heavenly aroma. Otherwise, I would have left this stick to die a miserable death in the second third at the latest.

NUB: Another touch-up, and I am tired of relighting this stick. The flavors are subpar with bitter, salt, earth and a pronounced chemical finish. Slight tar build-up is visible indicating that tobacco was rushed to cigar production.

As you have seen from the review, I loved the original flavor and aroma of this cigar, and would gladly smoke more of these, BUT ONLY if I was certain they would PERFORM. Sure, handmade products like cigars carry no certainty unless you light one up, but this is clearly production problem. Tobacco was fine.
No use having beautiful stick on your hands if you can`t make it burn, unless you dip it in gasoline. Hope others are light years better than this specimen...

EL RICO HABANO - HABANO CLUB

EL RICO HABANO
HABANO CLUB

Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuador Sumatra
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua


Place of purchase: Famous Smoke Shop Online


TASTING SHEET RESULTS

SIZE: 5x48 (equivalent to cuban robusto-like vitola Hermosos No.4)
APPEARANCE: good, veiny but nice uniform colorado maduro wrapper, oily sheen, nice, simple, but nice band skillfully applied
CONSTRUCTION: very good: firmly applied wrapper and cap, firm, nicely filled bunch with fine give, one slightly loose seam on one spot
DRAW: perfect
BURN: very good
AROMA: excellent, divine raisin, cinnamon, pepper, leather
FLAVOR: excellent
DOMINANT FLAVORS: pepper, leather, earth, wood
AFTERTASTE: salt, leather, wood
STRENGHT: very strong

SMOKING TIME: ~ 95 minutes
GENERAL IMPRESSION: excellent

CUT OF CHOICE: Xikar
PRELIGHT: salt, pepper, leather, strong molasses
LIGHT OF CHOICE: torch flame lighter, easily
BEVERAGE: coffee black

1/3:
First few puffs cut through the palate with pure pepper. This stick shows its strenght immediately, while the aroma fills the air with divine raisin, cinnamon, pepper and leather. Burn is cuban-like, with thick mascara, but ash is uniform white and very compact. Nose blow extremely peppery with salty, raisiny background. After half inch pepper tames from extreme to full and readily gives way to earth, leather and wood with hefty grain of salt. Aroma persists of fantastic burnt raisin-cinnamon. This smoke delivers a punch to the gut and head immediately. Finish is medium and carries salty, earthy notes. Resting smoke is substantial. Towards second third, pepper is tamed further leaving earth and leather to dominate. Raisin and cinnamon persist on the nose with addition of warm, sweet caramel.

2/3:
Flavors and aroma persist, with salt notes increasing. The cigar leaves palate dry, so drink is advisable - sugar variety, to combat nicotine punch. Ashing reveals slight cone, the smoke behaves admirably. Nose blow at this stage is almost pleasant. Body in the solid full range "in your face" style. At this point woody notes dominate with earth, leather in the background. Pepper still detected but only as a backdrop to other flavors. Finish lenghtens with salty wood trailed by slight bitterness, not unpleasant in any way. Crossing to final third, everything plays together really nice, with bitter citrus notes appearing, much like grapefruit.

3/3:
Flavors are static, only addition are slight nuances of roasted, salted peanuts. Aroma continues in fantastic fashion. I suspect the smoke would not be pleasant for bystander as it is real intense, albeit very aromatic.

NUB:
Nothing new is revealed. Wood dominates with salt, earth and pepper in close second. No tar build-up indicates good fermentation and smoke withstands abuse with no problem whatsoever. Body in the upper full



This is one fantastic smoke I recommend to serious, seasoned smokers only. It has enough power to easily floor someone who does not have the cigar mileage yet. I personally would decline alcoholic drink while smoking this firecracker as it would put me out easily and I smoke predominantly heavy stuff. Don`t say I didn`t warn you...

BABY GIRL

On October 3rd, I have become a father for a second time. My two year old boy now has a beautiful little sister.
It really is a blessing, watching these two pumpkins wake-up in the morning.
So, posting has taken a backseat for a little while, but I still smoke and review, just do not post.
A little peak of what is in store for those reading this blog... El Rico Habano Club is coming up shortly, then we have cuban batch... Romeo No. 1 Tubos, Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2, later on my first ever Montecristo Edmundo, then Partagas Serie D, then 601 Red Robusto and the list goes on... So stay tuned and thanks for reading..