Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo des Dieux
2-16-12
Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo des Dieux (6.1 x 42)
Wrapper: Vuelta Abajo Cuba
Binder: Vuelta Abajo Cuba
Filler: Vuelta Abajo Cuba
Box Code: ORE JUN 03
The Le Hoyo des Dieux is part of the the “Le Hoyo” series. The Le Hoyo series was released before the Cuban nationalization of the cigar industry in the 1940s as a fuller bodied option to those loyal to the Hoyo de Monterrey line.
“Hoyo de Monterrey” translates (Spanish) literally to “the hole of Monterrey.” this name was chosen because of the land features of the area around Monterrey were concave in nature. The valley was preferred by tobacco farmers.
“De Dieux” translates (French) roughly to “of the Gods.” Apparently this vitola was the best of the line.
The full, literal translation is “the hole of the gods” or the “valley of the gods” giving this a very “full-egoed” name.
Don’t break your arms patting yourself on the back quite yet fellas. I need to smoke it first; and i have some doubts.
I have smoked several Cuban cigars in the past. Some of them were pretty darn good. However, none of them have ever come close to living up to the hype that surrounds Cuban cigars. In fact, none of them have even made it on my list of favorite cigars. This will be my first experience with the Hoyo de Monterrey marca let alone the Le hoyo Series.
The cigar itself has no band on it. The line did not have a band until somewhere around 2005 and this particular cigar this is from 2003. the wrapper is a light brown and fairly rustic in appearance. The entire thing is “crooked” with a distinct bend to it. In short, this is a relatively ugly cigar.
The smell of the cigar is a sweet earth and woody. It is light. The lick on the cap is about the same just even lighter and maybe a slightly sour note. The wrapper feels oily on the lips. The draw is perfect. The cold flavor is very good. It has a sweet peat flavor and slightly licorice.
An easy light with a soft flame brings out some toasty notes with a good “sharp earth” undertone. Most people describe undertone as the “Cuban twang” but to me it just seems “sharp earth.” (“sharp” as in sharp cheddar vs mild cheddar). This flavor is in every Cuban cigar I have had, but not often replicated in non-Cuban Through the nose there are hints of vanilla and a light chocolate with a very mild sweetness. There is little to no spice even through the nose. There is a slight descant quality to the smoke. It does not detract from the overall flavor profile.
The ash falls a bit more frequently than I am used to. Some of this may happen due to the ring gauge and some of it may have to do with other factors. At least it is consistently falling at a touch over half an inch. The burn is very good. It isn’t “perfect” in the sense that it is a razors edge burn with no variance but no relights have been needed.
As the middle third begins there is a sweetness that develops on the initial draw that quickly fades into a woody-vanilla tone. The sharp earthiness still lingers and through the nose is almost identical to the initial third. There is a complexity to each puff that is quite wonderful. Nearing the end of the middle third the sharp-earth intensifies especially through the nose and on the finish.
The final third has many of the same flavors. A slight spice through the nose develops. A woody note throughout the flavor shows up and the sharp earth is in full force. As the cigar approaches the end the smoke never heats up, it never burns bitter, or gets too spicy. It is constantly complex and smooth to the the very last puff. There is not not a single burn issue through the entire smoke.
Burn to the burn
time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Burn: 10
Draw: 10
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 9
Balance: 9
Feel: 9
Overall: 9.3 of 10
This is the only Cuban cigar that has rated over 9.0 in my catalog so far.
kuziscigarcatalog 