Hoyo de Monterrey Marque Figurado (certified vintage 1999) Review

[BlackIrish]

The cigar:
[SIZE=2]HOYO DE MONTERREY [/SIZE][SIZE=2]MARQUE FIGURADO (CERTIFIED VINTAGE [SIZE=2]1999) (6.12x50 piramide)[/SIZE][/SIZE]

Picked up twenty of these "certified vintage" Hoyos from JR during one of their weekend warrior specials. They'd been sitting in JR's humidor for seven years, or so it's claimed, but I let them rest for another 3 mos or so after their long trip north. This was my first.

The marketing (courtesy of JR):
This was our most gratifying purchase in assembling the JR Luxury Cigar Division. In 1999 General Cigar designed a special line of Hoyo de Monterrey’s for an organization of full price tobacconists, and JR was prohibited from buying this brand. After a run of three or four years the brand extension was discontinued due to low order volume by these same tobacconists. Whatever cigars were still in production never got boxed….And now, lo and behold, who’s the only company in the world that has these cigars? JR! These eight year old figurados are now in my estimation no more than a mild to medium smoke, but boy are they ever good.

Nutrition information:
[SIZE=2]Wrapper Color:[/SIZE][SIZE=2]Medium Brown EMS[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Wrapper Type:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Ecuador Sumatran[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Binder:[/SIZE][SIZE=2]Connecticut Broadleaf[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Filler:[/SIZE][SIZE=2]Dominican Republic/Honduras/Nicaragua[/SIZE]



Appearance: A looker. This figurado has a beautiful, conical, dangerously pointed head. The Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper is medium dark brown, with a dull sheen. It looks fantastic, especially with the red and white Hoyo band that looks much like the Cuban, minus the "Habana," of course. The cigar felt a little bit light in the hand but not so much as to raise concern, and it looked well-filled. Not much in the way of aroma from either wrapper or foot. Cold draw gave just the slightest bit of resistance.

Burn: Outstanding. Easy to light, laser straight through the first ash, with only minor scalloping thereafter. The light gray ash stayed firm through the first third, dropping after about 2 inches. It then got a little more flaky, but it held well, dropping in a 2.5 inch chunk. The draw was perfect, producing clouds of aromatic gray smoke.

Flavor: I tend to prefer fuller cigars, and I'm not used to smoking aged cigars, so this was a change, and a real treat. There was no harshness at all upon lighting, just a surprising light sweetness on the draw and front of the tongue. During the first half of the cigar, the smoke was light to medium in body, with a remarkable balance and complexity. As I drew, I got a delicious flavor that I can't quite place, a toastiness with notes of light sweet caramel and vanilla. There were lighter touches of cream and wood in there, then a tease of fruitiness (maybe cherry?), a fleeting floral note. All of these flavors were light and elegant, tantalizing me on the back of my palate; I swear at times I wanted to bite into the cigar to try to make the flavors more intense. The finish was rather short and very clean.

During the second half of the cigar, those light elegant flavors that were flirting with me began to become more focused near the front of my tongue. The smoke grew richer, becoming more medium in body. I got deeper flavors of tobacco, and leather, still with a creamy sweetness at the core.

As I entered the home stretch, I marvelled at the complexity. Every puff seemed to reveal new flavors. A hint of licorice arrived, then a growing spiciness on the back of my palate, along with longer finish. A more intense vanilla developed, with cream and amaretto. Then some tobacco and earth. All of these notes harmonized beautifully around the mellow sweet core.

Overall, this was one out-freaking-standing cigar -- elegant, balanced, subtle, and intricately complex. I smoked it to the nub, and I would have chewed up and swallowed the nub if I thought I'd get more of those flavors. Gorillas, it's experiences like this that make cigar smoking a joy.

They go for $60 for a bundle of 10 on JR, but I had the good fortune to buy them during a two-fer sale, netting a per-stick price of a mere $3. IMO, this cigar would be a good buy at $10-12.

[SeanGAR]

I've really enjoyed the older NC Hoyos that I've had. Thanks for the review.

[Snake Hips]

I'll definitely consider picking some up. I've loved everything I've tried by Hoyo de Monterrey, so these sound like a particularly nice treat.