Hoyo De Monterrey & Van Winkle 15

[MurphyDawg]

Name : Hoyo de Monterrey Rothchild

Size: 4.5 X 50

Wrapper : Maduro

A Little Backround Info: This ancient brand began in Cuba but first appeared in a Honduran-manufactured blend in 1969. Hoyo de Monterrey cigars are medium-to-heavy in flavor. Handmade in Honduras, these are truly quality cigars with a large variety of sizes to give exceptional satisfaction to the smoker. The tobaccos are blended from four nations, including the Cuban-seed Honduran binder and Sumatra-seed wrappers from Ecuador. The maduro wrappers use only the finest Connecticut broadleaf available.(Cigar.com)

Ah, welcome to December evenings. Since my wife is gone for the evening I decided now was the time to explore another pairing. So braving the winter cold (a suprisingly pleasant 25*F, with no wind which is not bad at all, I mean I grew up in New England, if I couldnt take the cold, they woulda deported me, it was quite comfy), I headed to the front porch with this stick and a nice pour of VanWinkle 15/107 proof for further exploration. The wrapper on this short little bugger was a nice medium brown, very smooth and a tad on the oily side. The aroma when I removed the cello was of bakers chocolate and almonds, and was very pleasant on its own. It lit fairly easy, and despite uneveness at the start, straightened right out as ash started to build. It smoked at just the right pace and produced volumes of thick round smoke, and filled my mouth nicely. I wish all cigars produced smoke that felt like that. Now the taste. It started off almonds and spices, but quickly settled down into a smooth richness of char and bakers cocoa, and pretty much stayed that way for the duration. Simple, even and consistant. It suprised me because the smoke emanating from the foot seemed to smell sweet & spicy at the same time, but very little of that carried over to the palate. On the whole this smoke was smooth and enjoyable, if not overly complex. I think it may be better suited to a get together with friends (when you want something solid and tasty, but not too complicated as to distract you), rather than a night of solitary reflection. At the price though, it is worth a repeat visit. I am now curious to see how the Excalibur lines build on this solid base, because with a little more going on, this could be a gem.

On the other hand, Julian Van Winkle sure knows how to make whiskey, cause this bourbon IS a gem. Rich and full and big and round, with loads of smokeyness and dark fruit (plums, raisins, prunes) and walnuts, this bourbon is a force to be reckoned with! This bourbon was made to be paired with a stogie and I will definately try this again with a more complicated stick. It may have outclassed the cigar a bit here, but overall they made for an enjoyable experience.

Yummy,

TomC

[MikeD]

Very nice review Murph! Those Hoyos are one of my go to cigars... try the double maduro ones next time... the'yr even better than the maduros IMHO.

[ParkBear]

Very nice review Murph! Those Hoyos are one of my go to cigars... try the double maduro ones next time... the'yr even better than the maduros IMHO.

I'll second the double maduro suggestion also you can try the Punch version of this cigar. I've heard many company reps say that these are the same cigar from the same factory.

[Vinnie]

I'll third the double suggestion.Its a fantastic smoke thats not going to put a dent in your pocket either.I agree its very similar to the Punch double maduro(I have smoked both over the course of an evening several times with bourbon,relaxing in leather chairs )but i seem to prefer the Punch.

[B_Dub___Cigar_Ambassador]

Some people absolutely LOVE Punch, and some people can't stand them. I tend to prefer the Punch double maduros over the Hoyos. I have a box of Punch Rothschild Double Maduro that has been smoking really well.

[jeff]

I had my first Punch double maduro the other night and I thought it was a nice smoke. I love all things Punch, either honduran or cuban, they both appeal to me.