Epicure No.3 is the first figurado in modern times to join the classic range of Hoyo de Monterrey.
Hunters & Frankau Ltd is launching a new product this month.
The cigar is Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 3
Factory Name: Originales Dimensions: 4 7/8” (125mm) x 54 ring gauge
Flavour category: Light
Production method: Totally handmade using long filler with all leaves sourced from the Vuelta Abajo zone of Cuba
Presentations: Cabinet Selection (SLB) box of 25 & 10 cigars.
The Epicure No.3 is the first figurado in the classic Hoyo de Monterrey portfolio in modern times, and the first new addition since 2008. It also joins the Epicure No.1, No.2 and Epicure Especial as a category within the brand.
The classic Hoyo de Monterrey line is typified by a delicate, cedar taste that remains light enough for inexperienced smokers, while offering enough elegance and layering of flavours to keep aficionados satisfied.
The heavy ring gauge of this cigar allows the brand flavours to fully unfold, producing a supreme example of the Hoyo ‘taste’, while its tapered head slightly intensifies the smoke and sharpens the taste. Min Ron NEE in his 2003 tome ‘An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars’ says Hoyo de Monterrey cigars are ‘characterised by their soft, sweet style. The tobacco blend is creamy sweet, mild and aromatic’.
The Brand: Hoyo de Monterrey owes its origin to the town of San Juan y Martinez, which lies in at the heart of the world-famous Vuelta Abajo tobacco growing region in Cuba.
The Hoyo de Monterrey plantation, one of the great Vegas Finas de Primera, can be reached through a gate that bears the legend ‘Hoyo de Monterrey. José Gener. 1860’.
Apart from the standard lines, there is a separate línea offered under the Hoyo de Monterrey banner called the “Le Hoyo Series” all of which originally carried French sizes names like Du Roi, Du Maire and Du Deputé.
More recently these have been joined by De San Juan and De Rio Seco. These names reflect the fact that they were first created for Switzerland. The Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo Series, to give it its full name, was launched in 1970 and is generally accepted to be slightly stronger and spicier than the regular cigars. Without doubt the best loved cigar in Hoyo de Monterrey’s range is robusto sized Epicure No. 2 (4 /78” x 50 ring gauge), the cigar of choice for the late restaurateur and design guru Sir Terence Conran.
This is closely followed by the Corona Gorda-sized Epicure No. 1 (5 5/8” x 46 ring gauge), although it would be unwise to forget the diminutive Petit Robusto (4” x 50 ring gauge), which was added to the range in 2004.
At the other end of the scale is brand’s flagship size, the Double Corona (7⅝” x 49 ring gauge), which sports a particularly elegant band. The flavour of Hoyo de Monterrey’s blend makes it an attractive choice for those who seek a delicate, yet aromatic Habano that is light in taste yet constructed with great elegance and character. The brand is classified as light within the scale of flavours available from Habanos.
