Hoyo De Monterrey (Honduran) Dark Sumatra Espresso

Well, it's only been a few months, better do a cigar review!

Our editor had an unfortunate incident with a bamboo skewer and a wild ptarmigan, so we have been out of business for a while. But we are back and better than ever! Actually, the same.

I recently bought a 4-pack of these Hoyos from JR Cigar, as I wanted something to fill out my order after I bought a sweet leather cigar case for taking smokes to the bar. I hadn't heard much about them, but the super-dark wrapper caught my interest and they were very reasonably priced. (4 cigars for $14, or $3.50 each)

Well I've been on a business trip in Illinois, and then had to work the weekend to finish up the stuff I was doing on the trip. So a cigar and bourbon on the porch was in order. For the bourbon, I went for a new one, Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel. For the cigar, I chose this little Hoyo.

It was a short guy, but lasted over an hour. The draw was great, the burn was fine, with just one touchup needed. The flavors were very enjoyable, strong without being harsh. Definite spice, mellowing into some coffee and a leathery taste, and under it all a smooth tobacco flavor.

The bourbon was pretty good, but didn't knock my socks off. I still prefer Woodford Reserve as the mid-price champ. But the smoke was a definite pleasant surprise.

I really enjoyed the smoke, especially for the price. I will be getting more of these in the future. The nice and interesting flavors, the good construction, and the good price make this a solid Hoff.

Hoyo De Monterrey (Honduran) Dark Sumatra
Size: Espresso (4.5" x 50 ring)
Taste: Medium-Wild
Draw: Great
Burn: Even and consistent
Flavors: Spicy pepper, leather, coffee
Overall Rating:
Michael Knight in shining armor

Camacho Triple Maduro

It was a warm Miami evening. Dinner had been an excellent Beef Bourguignon (the italics make it more french!) and I was now sitting in a poolside gazebo with a strong coffee, and an equally strong cigar.

First off, the Camacho Triple Maduro is a damned sexy cigar - from the dark maduro wrapper to a pretty impressive silver foil label. That comes at a price, though, at around 10-12 dollars apiece, this will never be an everyday cigar for me... though, admittedly, I don't think I'd want it to be.

Powerful. Crazy, crazy, strong and powerful is all that I can say about this cigar. I'd just finished dinner and it still hit me like a ton of bricks how strong this thing was, and on an empty stomach, it might have done me in.

Dont' get me wrong, it was great - it's on a short list of some of the strongest cigars I've ever encountered, and at the right time and place, it's a wonder. Assuming you have the palette for it (which is to say you have a thing for strong cigars in the first place) I definitely recommend picking one of these up for a try.

Take your time though - plan on at least 90 minutes - any faster and you're asking for trouble, as it will easily overpower you.

The draw was excellent, the ash held it's own, and... did I mention it was a powerful cigar?

The only thing holding back this cigar was that it was a little one sided - it as a heavy woodsy taste throughout, with notes of pepper getting more and more prominent as it went, but it was still pretty one sided - that's the only fault I can give.

This handsome, heavy-handed hunk of hurt hurtles home, HOFF in hand.


Camacho Triple Maduro
Size: Torpedo (6" x 54 ring)
Taste: Wild, Batshit Wild.
Draw: Great
Burn: Mostly Even
Flavors: Woody with peppery notes.
Overall Rating:

Padron 1964 Anniversary Series Maduro Torpedo

Well, I will let my nerd flag fly. This Friday was the premiere of Season 4 of the new Battlestar Galactica, and I was excited. We went over to Curt's house to enjoy the giant 52" HDTV and the company, and it was a great time. (Editor: So... while pridefully flying your "flag" you went to "Curt's house" to enjoy his "Giant TV", and had a "Great Time".)

Before the show started, we decided it was time for a cigar. So Curt made some manhattans using Woodford Reserve, which was just awesome. (Editor: At least he bought you a drink first...) And then I grabbed this Padron 1964 maduro and Curt went for a Torano (don't remember which one).

I got this stick as a part of a secret santa thing back in November, and I have been looking forward to it. Well, I have to say that it definitely delivers. Just a kick in the ass of strong and complex flavors. The taste was really strong, any stronger and it would have crossed over into harsh. It had a nice spice to it, but there were spikes of sweetness that appeared from time to time. The draw was on the loose end of perfect, I was smoking everyone out with the giant clouds billowing out of this thing.

I really liked how the cigar changed constantly, it made for a really interesting smoking experience. The manhattan complemented it well, and overall I had a wonderful time.

Now, the big caveat here is the price. Like I said, I got this as a gift. But if you want to buy this fella you are looking at at least $14 per stick. That is pretty darn high. The last time I reviewed a stick that high (the Cohiba), I said it wasn't worth it to me. Well, this one is, but just barely. I really loved it, and it had the complexity that I find so interesting in higher-end cigars. I will get one again, but it will be a while. And I definitely won't be getting a box. So while I can't give it a full 10 rating, I liked it enough to push past the price and bestow it with a strong Hoff.

Padron 1964 Anniversary Series Maduro Torpedo
Size: Torpedo (6" x 52 ring)
Taste: Wild
Draw: Insane
Burn: Even and consistent
Flavors: Strong tobacco, spice, some cocoa and nut
Overall Rating:

Definitely a KITT not a KARR.

Olde World Reserve Maduro by Rocky Patel

I grabbed this cigar before scooting down to Cincinnati for another fun working weekend - I was hoping for warm weather, and finally, late sunday afternoon, the sun finally decided to make an appearance.

I stepped outside, clipped a v-cut and, half a dozen matches later, lit the stick up. (Editor: And another half dozen matches later, you've destroyed the evidence of you and the Senator's illicit affair. )

But before I get ahead of myself - holding this puppy to light, I could tell it was going to be a strong smoke. Not surprising, this like the Camacho Coyolar Puro, came out of the CI Full-Bodied Sampler I picked up a few months back. Now I've had potent cigars before, but this one had a very strong version of that tingly nicotine feel you get from full-bodied cigars. I suspected I was in for a treat. (Editor: Know what else would be a treat? If you'd stop calling me every weekend in a drunken stupor, confessing your love of My Little Pony)

I wasn't disappointed - the cigar was strong right out of the gate, and didn't back down. Surprisingly smooth for a maduro, with an excellent draw and build construction, after a minute it really opened up into buttery, leathery notes that really floored me. I wasn't expecting anything like what I got.

I've had a strange run in cigars now - three in a row that have started off somewhat "meh", before really knocking my socks off. This one was a classic example of the kind of full-bodied cigar that sneaks up on you. You don't realize how strong it is until you stand up when you're finished. (Editor: That's what.....he said?)

It wouldn't be a Hassle to (h)offer this cigar to anyone that loves full bodied cigars. And for that, it gets an 8. (Editor: Ugggggghhhh...)


Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve Maduro
Size: Toro (6" x 52 ring)
Taste: Wild
Draw: Good
Burn: Even
Flavors: Buttery Leather.
Overall Rating:

El Rey del Mundo (Hon) Robusto Larga

You know what would be cool? *Pause for response* It would be cool if I could smoke cigars in my office. I think I would immediately be the guy in charge. That's probably why it's not allowed. (Editor: The thought of you in charge has permanently dented my brain.)

A smoked this cigar about a week or so ago at Amras. It was a nice place. The staff was really good but the drinks were a tad pricey. We sat outside and some homeless guy walking by asked us for money. He had some story that was more or less the same story you always hear from a homeless guy asking for money. The waiter was nice and stepped in and took care of it. (Editor: OK, now let's hear the true story. There was no homeless guy, was there? It was you. Smelling of urine and failure. AGAIN.)

The cigar I smoked was not homeless however. I gave it a good home until that day. (Did you see that transition? One of the best of all time. I'll probably go to the transition hall of fame) This El rey del mundo looked really nice. The first cigar I ever smoked that came wrapped in tissue paper. It was not a maduro but had a dark oily wrapper as if it were. The cigar felt solid like it was made out of wood. The burn was even and consistent.

The first third of the cigar was peppery with hints of chocolate and leather. Hints is not really the right word. There was more than just hints but the pepper was the strongest flavor. The second third of the cigar was great. All the flavors came together well. This cigar may not have been really complex but the flavors were stood out. Chocolate, coffee, pepper, and leather were all there in abundance. (Editor: Speaking of leather in abundance, can you stop sending me pictures from your "experimenting" in college? Please?) The last third of the cigar I remember being more peppery like first third but not overpowering.

One of the best things about this cigar is the price. $3 is all that it cost and I don't think you would be disappointed if you paid twice or three times that. We should have some bargain seal of approval. Best cigars under $5 or something. Anyway, gets a great bargain seal of approval. I think the seal should have a cigar taking money from it's mom's purse with a slash through it. OR a homeless guy smoking a $50 dollar cigar with a slash through it. (Tied in homeless people again) Ok, we'll discuss the seal design more later.

El Rey del Mundo (Hon)
Size: Robusto Larga (6" x 54 ring)
Taste: Medium
Draw: Good
Burn: Even and consistent
Flavors: Chocolate, Pepper, Coffee, leather
Overall Rating: A smoke good enough to make you forget all about that perm you just got

Diamond Crown Pyramid No. 7, Maduro

First review, I guess I'll make this one count, at least my wallet will think so, given this is an $18.00 stick.

I'll start with the technical details - this really is a gorgeous cigar - the wrapper is a beautiful maduro, and while I usually couldn't care less about band art, the band really does pair up well with the deep maduro wrapper. It has a certain heft to it that really makes it feel like a solid smoke.

Construction is excellent - all of the DC's I've seen run large ring gauges, allowing for some pretty impressive multi-leaf blends, and this one was no exception. The construction quality carried through to the ash as well - which held up admirably.

Burn was a little uneven, but I chalk part of that up to my lighting - I was using a sub-optimal lighter at the time, letting the cigar rest for a bit on an incline evened things up though, so, again, I think this was a case of operator error rather than flawed construction.

Draw was great, especially for a torpedo, sorry, pyramid, which can have issues if the overall construction isn't up to par.

Now on to the real details; From a flavor profile perspective, this was a much stronger cigar than I expected - I've seen these classified from mild to medium - I'd put it in the medium category myself, but much more toward the strong/full end of the range. Again, it's strength took me by surprise - it creeps up on you.

At first puff, the cigar was really mild, some cedar notes, but nothing to really write home about. A few moments in, however, it really opened up. Floral notes really were the signature here - even the smoke put off by this stick carries with it some floral overtones. A pleasant surprise for me, as this was one of the few instances I actually smoked in the house (albeit with windows open and a good deal of ventilation) due to some nasty rainstorms in the region. As pleasant as it was, I still underestimated the potency of this cigar - it wasn't until I stood up to fetch some water, and the subsequent "Cigar Buzz" hit me that I realized what a real gem this is.

I paired this with some recently acquired a bottle of Distillers Choice Laphroaig - in hindsight, this wasn't a great pairing. I underestimated the floral overtones of the cigar, and wound up saving most of the scotch for later. An ideal pairing, in my mind, would be a non-Islay, lighter scotch. Budget favorite (i.e. my college favorite) Aberlour would be a good choice for it's floral/fruity notes, or even Glenlivet/Glenkinchie. If you are putting out enough for a nice cigar, it's worth having a good drink pairing, after all.

$18.00 might be a little steep for a cigar, but disregarding the price, this one's a solid Hoff*.

(* - Ratings retroactively added)

Diamond Crown Pyramid No. 7, Maduro
Size: Pyramid (Torpedo) (6.7" x 54 ring)
Taste: Medium (Medium-Full)
Draw: Good
Burn: Even, after correction.
Flavors: Cedar, Floral
Overall Rating: