Hoyo de Monterrey Cigars Epicure Selección

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Selección No 1.

Blind Man's Puff · Nov 30, 2020 · April 2020

Earlier this year, General Cigar announced a new line for the Hoyo de Monterrey brand: Epicure Selección. Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Selección comes in three sizes and is an homage to Honduras, the country that has been producing Hoyo cigars for 50 years. The design of the bands, boxes, and cigar itself showcase the brilliant tradition of Honduran cigars and Honduran tobacco that began in the 1950s when the Villazon Cigar Factory was built. This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience. The blend is a Honduran puro using Cuban seed wrapper, binder and filler tobaccos. The experience is described as medium-full with peppery and earthy notes, and striking complexity. Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Selección comes in a cabinet of 20 cigars. The design of the cigar bands is ornate and inspired by old world cuban bands. It comes in vitolas: No.1 (5.6” x 46) $8.79 SRP per cigar, No.2 (4.9” x 50) $8.49 SRP per cigar, and Toro Especiale (6” x 50) $8.99 SRP per cigar. The cigar is made at the HATSA Factory in Danlí Honduras.

Corona Gorda · 5.63″ × 46 · Medium-Strong · Honduras

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Selección No. 1 (5.6 x 46)

Tiny Tim's Cigar Blog · May 31, 2020

5.60″ × 46

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Selección

Leaf Enthusiast · Jun 17, 2020

The newest from General’s Hoyo de Monterrey line combines proprietary aging techniques and “old world craftsmanship” to create the Epicure Selección

5.60″ × 46

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Selección No.1

Cigar Dojo · Nov 20, 2020

With all the cigars on the planet, it is increasingly difficult to come out with something new —especially a puro—and have the flavor profile be different than just about everything else out there. This is a unique cigar and unlike any other Honduran puro I have smoked from any manufacturer. The construction, while nearly flawless (one of the three samples I smoked came unraveled at the cap), makes for a cigar that you can sit and enjoy without worrying about maintenance, and the flavors keep your tongue asking “what’s it gonna do next?” It would be interesting to try in the other sizes as well.

Corona Gorda · Medium · Honduras

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Selección No. 1

Cigar Coop · Nov 6, 2020

Back in 2015, the Hoyo de Monterrey brand celebrated its 150th anniversary. At the time, General Cigar announced it was releasing a limited edition cigar called the Hoyo de Monterrey Edición de Cumpleaños 150. This cigar was a very contemporary spin on the Hoyo de Monterrey from both a packaging and blend standpoint. The contemporary […] Key flavors: Natural Tobacco, Nougat, Earth, Baker’s Spice, Black Pepper.

No.1 · 5.63″ × 46 · Medium · Honduras

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Selección No.2

Halfwheel · Jun 24, 2020 · April 22, 2020

The number next to the score will not indicate how much I enjoyed smoking the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Selección. From its flawless construction to the straight forward flavor profile, this is a cigar that’s very easy to smoke. It’s not the most complex profile and the sharpness in the first half wasn’t great, but the flavor progression makes sense and the end result is a rare occurrence: a cigar that I’ll gladly smoke well past the one-inch nub mark. As with most products from General, it’s likely going to get lost in a rather expansive portfolio that the company keeps adding to, but put all the cigars General makes on a table and ask me to pick one, this would be in the top 10 percent of choices, even if other cigars would score higher. Similar to my thoughts on the Cuban version of the brand, this just seems like a safe bet in terms of providing a good experience as opposed to taking your chances on trying to find the best experience.

Robusto · 4.88″ × 50 · Honduras

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Selección No. 2

Cigar Aficionado · Oct 1, 2020

A woody smoke with hints of black licorice and mint that turn charry and a touch acidic. It’s a dark, richly hued cigar with an even draw and burn.

Robusto · 4.88″ × 50 · Medium-Full · Honduras

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Selección No. 1

Developing Palates · Aug 12, 2020 · April 2020

I really enjoyed the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Selección No. 1 and my score reflects that. I really got behind the flavor profile and it did more than keep my interest from beginning to end. On top of that, there was a great body and strength level with the cigar. The construction was on point and the wrapper and presentation were great.

Corona · 5.60″ × 46 · Honduras

Hoyo de MonterreyEpicure Seleccion

CigarCzars · May 19, 2020

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Seleccion cigars are made in Honduras with proprietary Cuban seed wrapper, binder and filler tobaccos. The cigars began shipping to retailers during April 2020, and are available in three sizes, as indicated below:No.1 (5.6” x 46) -- $8.79 SRP per cigar(sampled for this review)No.2 (4.9” x 50) -- $8.49 SRP per cigarToro Especiale (6” x 50) -- $8.99 SRP per cigar For more information about these cigars, please see thepress release. The Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Seleccion No. 1 cigars sampled for this review began with a modest and enjoyable sweet and spicy flavor. After a few puffs, an earthy flavor joined the mix along with some hints of pepper. The earthy flavor was not a deep rich earthy taste found in some fuller bodied cigars. Hoyo Epicure Seleccion cigars are medium-full bodied, which just happens to be my preferred level of fullness. The flavors remained pretty consistent throughout the duration of these smokes, and provided me with 50-55 minutes of enjoyment down to two inches remaining. The cigars were very well made and had a good draw, even burn, and held a long ash. No relights were required, but I did apply oneveryminor touch-up to one of the samples. I liked the 5.6” x 46 size of the Epicure No.1 cigar. It's smaller than what I usually smoke, but it performed very well. I enjoyed the flavors enough to rate these cigars with 4-plus points on a 5-point scale, meaning that the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Seleccion No. 1 is a very good to superior cigar. I could not help but notice that the Toro size might also be worth a try. For only 20-cents more per stick, you get a lot more cigar (6” x 50). How the Toro Especiale compares to the No. 1 will have to be the subject of another review. As every cigar connoisseur knows only too well, the proof is in the puffing.

Toro