Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2

First off, sorry this review took me so long to get posted. Reasons. I’ve had one of these HDM Epicure No. 2 before, and it was delightful. I’ve been looking forward to having another. That said, I’m a bit apprehensive about this particular unit, as it is a bit young (10 months old) and it has some wrapper damage. Here’s hoping some careful smoking will keep that from becoming a problem!

Statistics

CotM: January 2014



January 2014





Shape: Parejo

Parejo





Chosen by: ImmortalMortician

ImmortalMortician





Size: 4 7/8″ x 50







Country of Origin: Cuba







Wrapper: Cuban







Binder: Cuban







Filler: Cuban







Color: Colorado-Maduro

Colorado-Maduro





Strength: Medium







Price Paid: Trade

Trade





Smoke Date: March 7, 2014

March 7, 2014





Box Date: May 2013

Accessories Used

Montecristo Social Club Key punch, Silver & Chrome Vector Stratos single-flame torch lighter, Handmade English walnut ashtray made by wedgewoodrings.

Pairing

Huo Shan Huang Ya loose leaf Chinese yellow tea served in a small glass pot and glazed ceramic and cracked celadon “rust and green” tea cup. Yellow teas are weird. Light and extremely complex, the few yellow teas I’ve had (yellow tea is quite rare) have all had an unusual, underlying fruit flavor. This one might be the strangest. It looked like very light green tea, and the front taste and mouthfeel tasted quite like a light white–silver needle perhaps? But there, on the finish was a burst of complexity. Nuts, citrus, and a completely unexpected fruit flavor…is that…pineapple? The lightness and complexity of the tea did tend to get lost under the mountain of caramel in the cigar smoke. This cigar definitely called for a stronger pairing. The tea ended up being a bit like a water pairing, allowing me to taste the cigar without obstruction. So not a bad pairing in terms of the cigar, but the tea was a bit lost. Next time, a hoppy ale will be my choice.

Appearance/Nose

Ok, let me start by saying that this specimen wasn’t in the greatest of condition. There were three noticeable crash in the wrapper: One at the foot, one on the back just below the second band, and a horizontal one just under the head. Obviously, I won’t be holding any issues that arise from those against the cigar’s construction in my review. Aside from those, the cigar appeared rustic, with a deep brown wrapper and several veins. The band was beautiful, the red and gold on white is quite striking. However, there was visibly excessive glue on the secondary band, so I have reservations as to whether it may come off cleanly. The nose had a nice whiff of barnyard.

Construction

The Cuban triple cap was there, and the rest of the construction seemed comparable solid. There didn’t seem to be any soft or hard spots, but I gave it a gentler than usual inspection to keep from widening the cracks. The burn got a little wacky a couple times and needed touch ups, but it wasn’t too big a deal. The ash was dark gray and black, and aside from the cracked wrapper bits flaking off, it was rock solid and would not dislodge until it was over an inch long.

Cold Draw

I made a punch cut out of fear that I might further damage the wrapper. The draw was a bit tight, but not unmanageable. There was a lot of hay, barnyard, spice, and saltiness on a surprisingly potent cold draw.

Smoking

First third

The first draw was loaded with nuts and sweetness. The initial tightness of the draw disappeared after introducing flame, and it became smooth and even off the punch cut.

There was a nutty caramel taste that lingered forever on the finish. The retrohale revealed rich caramel, sharp, grassy notes, and a hint of red pepper. So far, no issues with the wrapper as I smoked past the first crack on the foot.

Smoke production was about medium. I would peg the flavor strength at about medium-full. The burn got somewhat crooked at around the first inch, and I gave it a quick touch up.

After the first inch, the red pepper began to assert itself. The retrohale was mostly honey and red pepper. The smoke production backed off a bit, so that a double puff was needed to get a mouthful.

This cigar was a slow-burner, taking over a half hour to get past the first inch.

Caramel, honey, and red pepper carried on until the end of the first third.

Second third

The second third was more red pepper and caramel. The nuts were vanishing, though the grassy note occasionally appeared.

Abruptly, just before the second crack on the back, the red pepper disappeared, and the nuts came back. Surprising!

I took off the secondary band a bit early, as I was afraid of the second crack (currently burning) and the excess glue making it difficult. It was a real pain to get off without damaging either the band or the stick, but I somehow managed, and burned past the second crack with no major issues. Unsurprisingly, the burn went a little faster on the cracked side due to increased oxygen availability, so I had to touch it up a second time.

As the middle third drew to a close, a prominent coffee flavor arrived, melding with the caramel and nuts. Have you ever smoked a latte? I haven’t, but I imagine it would be a bit like this.





Final third

The final third grew a bit milder, with cream replacing the strong sweet notes. There was a taste of aged tobacco, which I found surprising for a young stick. Aged tobacco, cream, and light floral notes were the main show at the start of this third. The aged flavor and nuts, melded with cream and honey was a drastic change from the sweet caramel and red pepper in the previous sections.

The primary band was glued on even tighter than the secondary, but I was able to slide it off the head and perform surgery on it without risking the cigar.

The taste grew dry and leathery as it neared the end. The sweetness was gone. Completely.

Some black pepper crept into the retrohale and finish in the final inch.

Notes

Draw: Smooth

Smooth





Body: Medium-full

Medium-full





Primary Flavors: Caramel, nuts, red pepper, aged tobacco

Caramel, nuts, red pepper, aged tobacco





Smoke Output: Medium

Medium





Smoke Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Overall

This is my favorite Cuban robusto, and I would easily take it over a RASS, PSD4, or RyJ Wide Churchill. This cigar was bold, subtle, complex, and highly transformational. It tasted like a much older stick than it was. Very impressive. This stick was also a testament that visible and significant wrapper damage do not have to be the death of a cigar. This stick made it past each crack with no additional splitting or any draw issues. A nice, sturdy binder underneath is probably responsible for this impeccable performance under duress.

Rating