Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2

Description

It was 5:15 a.m. and the world beyond my garage door was a deep bruised purple, the kind of color you only see when you’ve stayed up too late or gotten up way too early.

I leaned back on my workbench, cold concrete murmuring through the soles of my slippers. None of this was meant to be me out here. My wife believes I’m still upstairs, cozied under the duvet, but I had to do this. I needed the silence. There’s something mysterious about a garage in the early morning — the scent of motor oil, stale sawdust and the biting acidity of a fresh pot of black coffee on a coaster that started life as an old head gasket.

I blew some steam off my mug and eyed a cedar box I’d grabbed from my humidor the night before. I’d been keeping this one for just such an occasion. Nothing to distract me, no phone notifications, just this quiet and me. I heard the hiss and slid back the lid, and that gentle sweet fragrance of aged tobacco and cedar wafted up like new smoke combining with the scent of coffee. It’s a ritual, really. I don’t do this every day, but when I do, I’m looking for something that doesn’t require me to wrestle it into submission. I wanted something that felt like a chat with an old friend who knows when to shut up and take in the view.

That smoke? The Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2. It has been sitting in the stash calling my name every time I reached for a quick work-day cigar, but today was the day that I finally caved.

The Breakdown

First Impressions & Construction

I grabbed it and just rolled it around my finger for a second. Nice reddish-brown they call the wrapper “Colorado,” and it reminds me of an old leather satchel that’s had some sun. It’s a little bit shiny, oily in such a way that it catches the dim light of the garage overheads, but not greasy. The veins are present, yes, but they’re light — press-vaned by a cautious hand during the blend process. It felt solid. Not rock hard, but not soft — like it’s going to have some give, a nice springy tension that lets me knows the draw is not going to be difficult.

and I sniffed the foot. I took a hit of sweet wood and something that seemed to hint at the cinnamon sticks my mom kept in a jar. There was some earthiness as well, but not “dirt” earthiness — more like damp garden soil after a gentle rain. That cap cut great with my solid straight cutter and I gave it a cold draw – floral woody notes. It felt open. I’ve had some Cubans that were like trying to suck a milkshake through the head of a pin, but this one? This was promising.

The First Third: The Wake-Up Call

I toasted the foot deliberately, and watched the cherry turn orange in the dim light. First couple of drags and wow, this is a big one. It could have gone a bit sleepier on me, but it turned out with a punch of straight-up tobacco and that wet earth I got before. It wasn’t harsh, though. It was just… present. The spices came to the party after about 5 minutes, when it had a nice even burn ring. Not “ouch” black pepper that makes your tongue smart, more like warm spice you keep in the kitchen cabinet.

As I sat on my stool, watching the smoke rise to the rafters, I began to notice these few little flecks of dried fruit.

As though a raisin or dried cherry were covered in sweet floral notes. It’s an odd mixture when you think about it, but in the smoke,it holds together. The power was just medium at that point. It wasn’t going to knock me off my stool, and I appreciated that fact as I hadn’t even finished downing my first cup of coffee. The ash was relatively holding, light gray in color and looking like it was pretty firm. I didn’t want to knock it off; I wanted to see how long this guy would last.

The Second Third: The Sweet Spot

Once I made it to the middle of the stick, and the name “Epicure” began to actually mean something honest. The profile changed, and oh man, was it creamy. I’m talking velvet. The spice withdrew, and in its stead this other blend of honey and cocoa arrived. I sipped my cooler coffee, and they did a little dance together. With a finish that left just a touch of vanilla on the roof of my mouth. I’m tellin’ ya, this is where the cigar really sings.

I saw a smattering of leather, as well. Not the “new car” smell; more like an old baseball glove. It provided the dish with a little bit of heft to go along with the creamy. The burn remained absolutely straight as an arrow, so kudos to the fellas at the Hoyo de Monterrey factory. On occasion, such a homemade stick can be fussy, but this one was behaving. Not a single touch-up was required. The finish was pretty long and creamy…leaving the taste in my mouth that made me want to take another puff right away, but managed to slow myself down. A smoke like this, you don’t rush it, particularly when all hunkered-down and desperate to make time stop over in the garage.

There was a nuttiness, as well — cashew, perhaps? It was that bit of oiliness, a kind of rich, whole nut flavor that fills up the middle of the mouth. It’s a complex little thing. Whenever I thought I had it sussed, though, there’d be a little puff of white pepper or a hit of cedar to upset expectations. This is good, not the kind that makes it impossible for you to be interested!

The Last Third: The Warm Goodbye

When I pushed into the home stretch, the body definitely showed up. It definitely committed to that medium-to-full place. The flavors got darker. That honey became caramelized sugar, like on the top of a crème brûlée. The leather remained, but the floral undertones of earlier were long gone; in their place was a meaty tobacco heart. It was starting to get hot now, in temperature and flavor profile.

Typically, this is the point where I’d have to put a cigar down if it got bitter, but the Epicure No. 2 continued smooth.” Though the ring gauge warmed in my fingers, the smoke remained comparably cool. I experienced a few more blasts of that cedar and some more of that cinnamon I picked up in the pre-light. The cigar, it seemed, was coming full circle, reigniting some of those top notes without so much weight behind them. I smoked it down until I could hardly hold it, not momentarily letting go of the peace and silence just yet.

Pairing Notes

I was now drinking black coffee, and I feel good about that choice. The roast bitterness combined with the creaminess of the Hoyo make a perfect match! But if I were drinking this in the evening, I’d most likely head for a light Cuban rum. Nothing too big or oaky to overwhelm the delicate floral notes, but something that did have a touch of sweetness to play off the honey and vanilla flavors that dominate the middle third. If you don’t drink, a cream soda would be a pretty killer complement to all that umami. Crazy sounding, but how about a vanilla-heavy soda that has the creamy edges this Robusto has? It’s a match made in heaven.

The Verdict

I’ve burned through a lot of cigars in this garage. Some were forgettable, some felt like chores to get through, and some were simply just O.K. This Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No 2? It’s a staple for a reason. It is not the strongest cigar in the world, and it’s not pretending to be. It’s about nuance. It’s that transformation from the earthy beginning to that sublime creamy middle.

Is it for everyone? If you smoke only the powerhouse Nicaraguan stuff ligueros that leave your head spinning, this may strike you a bit too polite. But if you like a smoke that is layered, that changes as you click down on it, and one that treats you with a modicum of respect by making you work for its flavors, then this cigar is a winner. It’s sophisticated without being pretentious. It sat as comfortably in my cluttered garage as one might on a Havana balcony, I’m guessing.

It was well-constructed, the flavors were very in line with what I expect from a premium Cuban, and it gave me a solid hour of “me time” before the house woke up and shit hit the fan. For me, that’s worth its weight in gold.” If you see a box of these — especially with some years on them — do not hesitate. Just grab ’em. You’ll be thanking yourself when you’re in need of a sneaky hideaway at 5am.

Solid. Truly solid.