Description

The Long Game: A Tryst with the Hoyode Monterrey Double Corona

I’m writing this from a hand-carved rocking chair on the porch of acabin that has seen more winters than I have had birthdays. It’s a place nestled in the crook of the mountains where cell service goes to die and the air tastes like cold pine and hell, silence. This place was my grandfather’s. He died without bequeathing to me a portfolio of shares or an expensive wristwatch: he gave me the door keys to this timber-frame sanctuary and a solid oak chest held together with brass.
The last three days I’ve been toting lumberup trail to mend the back deck — a chore I’ve been avoiding for two years. And it’s something I haven’t felt for many months now that I pounced on that last nailthis late morning. Triumphant. Itwasn’t just the deck; it was finishing something hard. I went to that oak armoire and beyond the ancient world maps and rusty pocket knives, pulled out a cedar box as though it had been waiting for me since the days of Nixon.
A fewgiants sat within, at the bed of yellow falling cedarspills. I took one, hefted it and the party was on.
That smoke? The Hoyo deMonterrey Double Corona.

The Specs

Before I bore through the soul of this thing, let’s discussvitals. This is not a dog-walking short smoke. This is a commitment.

Chapter OneThe BurningThirdof the First: Awakening

I did toast the foot slowly with a single torch and made certain to have an even cherry to cover all of that 49 ring gauge before I took my first draw. The first wisp of smoke wasoddly delicate. The size to me was like getting punched in the face but a very polite hello.
There were floral notes and fresh herbs there for a few minutes. It tasted clean. Ever smelled the forest after a good rain? It had that vibe. There was a touch of Jamaican pepper, not the nose-clinching burn but something that pricked at the tongue, and an overpowering whiff of cedar. The smoked creamwas also creamy, but with a mouthfeel that felt substantial without being heavy. I have to tell you, though: theburn was a laser line from Day One.

TheSweet Spot: The Second Third

After about 40 minutes, the ”Double” in Double Corona let me know what it was up to. This is where the complexity really knocked down the door. Theflower began to taking a back seat and the flavor turned richand nutty. I am saying roasted almonds and barely there walnut.
Then came the sweetness. It said something that wasn’t sweet, not a candy sweetness, but sort of like the taste of a warm croissant or drop of honey spread over a thick slice of toasted sourdough. I started to taste some vanilla and a very distinct milk-coffee flavor — almost like a cappuccino. There was a muskiness, too, something dark and earthy that cut the sweetness. It felt sophisticated. I was lounging back in my chair, watching the smoke snake its way up to the rafters of that cabin and feeling pretty smug that I’d done something to deserve every single puff.

A really impressive ash, with the 1st being far and away darker than any segment I’ve smoked and well over an inch before it freaked me out and I tapped it off into a primitive old stone tray. The balance here was solid. Nothing vied for your attention; it was a single chorus, not asolo.

The Final Third: TheClimax

By the time I get down to the final inch or so, I’ve been smoking for an hour and a half. This is the point where so many big cigars become unraveled or nasty, and while the Hoyo definitely stepped it up at this stage, it held on. It started at a mild-medium and was in fact already an actual medium based on the strength.
The flavors darkened. The honey and vanilla were still there, but wham! a crack of cinnamon and a bass note ofcocoa. It made me think of those Christmas cookies my grandmother used tomake — the ones with dark chocolate and warm spices. The woody fromcedar to something denser and more like rosewood.
It had a lingeringnutiness on the finish that was there for minutes after I set down the cigar. It never heated up, and it was neverstrained. It burned down to nothing and I smoked it right up until my fingers started getting hot.

The Pair: Keep it Simple

Look, you can overthink pairings. But reading it from up here in themountains, I went with my heart. I poured myself a generous two fingers of high-rye bourbon — something with some “oomph” to go toe-to-toe with the tobacco, but enough sweetness to respond in kind tothe creaminess oftobacco.

(Even if you’re not a spirits person, a dark, heavy-roast coffee with an ounce of creamwould be the play here.) You’ll want something that mirrors the cappuccino/cocoa feel in that second third. Just steer clear of anything tart; you don’t want to pierce through the velvetysmoke.”

The Verdict

Then again, the Hoyo de Monterrey Double Corona isn’tyour “daily driver.” It’s too big, too ornate and, frankly, simply takes too long for that sort ofthing. This is a cigarfor the big stages. It’s for the day you finally finish building the deck, or for a day when marking milestones suddenly seems like reason enough and— no less important — for just sitting beside your grandfather’s cabin and remembering from where you came.
It’s a masterclass in balance. It doesn’t rely on brute poweror spicy gimmickry to grab you by the collar. It has nuance, transitions and a structure that smacks of a well-wrought tale. If you have two hours to kill and need to feel like the king ofwhatever mountain you’re climbing right now, this is your smoke.
Final Thoughts:
Is it worth the hunt? Absolutely. Is it worth the wait? Every second. Just make sure you’re sitting somewhere restful with nowhere to go. This is not a smoke to assume will sit back.
Solid. Truly solid.