Hoyo de Monterrey Serie Le Hoyo

Description

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The concrete canyon of Midtown was screeching. You know that sound? It’s not just the taxis honking, or the sirens bouncing off glass; it’s the throb of a city with eight million people in hurry to get somewhere that evening. But as I emerged from that revolving door on 42nd Street, the din sounded like applause. I had a contract with one name signed on the line in my breast pocket — that kind of deal that makes all six months of basically no sleep and lukewarm coffee seem nothing but a sad old dream. I was victorious, high as a kite, and all I wanted was to find some quiet nook of an English garden and wile away the afternoon on a park bench with something that felt commensurately momentous but wouldn’t truck me over like a freight train.

I dug into my travel humidor. I didn’t want a powerhouse. I did not want a spice bomb that would burn out my palate for dinner. I wanted elegance. I wanted something that felt like a victory lap in the form of a silk suit. My fingers slid over the dark, oily wrappers of my usual suspects until I found something a little thicker, a little paler and infinitely more sophisticated. I unsheathed a stick with some heft to it — a real statement piece for a guy who had just conquered some boardroom.

That smoke? The Hoyo de Monterrey Serie Le Hoyo de Río Seco. It’s a chunky beast, but oh does it have the soul of a poet. I sat there, watching the city speed past me, and thought that sometimes the nastiest victories deserve to be handled with the lightest touch.

The Specs

Before I delve into the manner of destruction for this thing, let’s just review some numbers first. This is not your grandfather’s skinny panatela. It is a thoroughly modern Cuban, made for those who like some girth in their grip.

Construction and Pre-light

I gotta say, the most notable thing about the Río Seco from my point of view is how big it is. A 56 ring gauge is no joke. It’s wide. Holding it in your hand feels like you are cradling a piece of history that has been given an upgrade for the 21st century. The wrapper on this one was a nice, light Colorado Claro—clown-nose smooth and with just a very thin sheen of oil. It wasn’t riddled with those thick bulging veins you get on some of the more gnarly sticks. This appeared to have been rolled by someone who actually cared about the appearance of the craft.

In the hand, it felt firm. There were no soft spots, which can sometimes be a crapshoot with Habanos. I made a straight cut and I had the pre-light draw exactly where I like it – slightly firm but with good air flow. I was tasting notes of hay, together with a sort of floral sweetness that was reminiscent of passing a florist’s shop early in the day. It was not a threat, but a clear, fresh promise of what lay ahead. I spent a solid minute just smelling the foot of the cigar. It had that telltale Cuban “twang” — that earthy, farm-like nose which lets you know exactly where the tobacco was raised.

The First Third: A Stroll in the Park

Here I was, finally putting fire to the foot — only for my first few puffs to be surprisingly light. You look at a ring this big and you think wall of smoke, but with the Río Seco it’s more about quality than quantity. It began with a very clear and crisp note of fresh-cut grass. It’s bright. It’s vibrant. It’s the kind of flavor that has them sitting up a bit straighter.

Then about ten minutes in, the tiniest hint of sweetness began to seep through. It wasn’t anything saccharine, so much as in flower. It’s like a pale honey poured over some dried white flowers. I also found a whisper of citrus — perhaps lemon zest or an ultra-pale orange peel — that helped keep the profile feeling refreshed. For a cigar so young and light-bodied, the complexity was there without a doubt. It didn’t feel thin; it felt complex. Sitting on that bench, I felt as though the tumult of the city was disappearing. The smoke was fragrant, like warm cedar and some tea. It’s a nice, polite smoke that won’t offend the people walking by but will have you fully engaged.

The Middle Third: It

Entering the second third though, the Río Seco began to display its ‘Aromosos’ lineage. The name fits. It is the aroma here that shines. The flavor profile changed slightly from the grass to a more creamy, wood core. It opened more with cedar, but a warm, aged cedar; not the sharp pencil-shavings you associate with younger tobacco.

I also began to taste some caramel. It was subtle, mind you. You’re not smoking dessert here, but there’s a richness that comes on at about the middle of this cigar that is immensely satisfying. The strength remained mostly light-to-medium, which was exactly what I had wanted after a stressful day. I wasn’t spinning; I was just free,” he said. The burn line was fairly straight (I needed just one quick touch-up with my torch, which I’ll take any day for a cigar as hefty as this one). The ash was a light grey, and held on for about an inch and a half before I chickened out with it hanging over my suit jacket.

What impressed me the most here was the balance. Typically, when you go big in ring gauge that flavor can become muddled or one-dimensional. But Hoyo only includes the Seco and Ligero leaves for this blend — no heavier Volado — so it remains incredibly clean. It is analogous to listening to a high-end stereo where you can pick out individual instruments rather than just hearing a wall of sound.

The Last of the Third: The Warm Goodbye

As it enters the home stretch, I thought — at this point, now it’s going to get bitter. That’s the usual tale with milder Cubans when they become short. But the Río Seco took it in stride. Spice finally decided to show up — nothing wild, just a tad bit of white pepper on the retrohale, just so you know this isn’t your grandpappy’s tobacco.

The flower notes died away, replaced by more of the musk and some of that tea-like sub quality. It called to mind a robust Oolong tea — earthy but also kind of elegant. The sweetnees became more of a toasted nutty taste. It remained cooler up until the bitter end, which I credit to that 56 ring gauge. You’re just not going to get anything better, because there’s so much tobacco there to act as a heat sink.” I smoked it down to where I could barely hold it, and even then, didn’t want to put it out. And then it was a slow and long good bye to a lovely day.

Pairing Recommendations

As this is a light-bodied, aromatic smoke you don’t want to kill it with a heavy peated Scotch. You’re going to lose all those floral and citrusy notes. Here is what I’d recommend, given how it went down for me:

• The Morning After: A large café au lait. The milkiness of the second third, perfectly paired with cedar and caramel.
• The Triumphant Afternoon: A glass of Champagne or a dry Prosecco. The bubbles and acidity here cut through the richness of the 56 ring gauge, while picking out the citrus and floral top notes.

Light, aged Cuban rum (like Havana Club 7) pours out fairly easily. It’s sweet enough to pair with the cigar, without washing out the light spice.

The Verdict

I’ve smoked many a Hoyo in my day. The Epicure No. 2 is a classic for a reason, and the Le Hoyo de San Juan is heavy hitter in its own right. Yet the Río Seco fills a particular, very cool niche. It’s for the smoker who wants the presence and “hand-feel” of a big cigar but doesn’t want to be knocked over by nicotine or heavy, dark flavors.

Is it a daily smoke? Probably not, unless you have free time on the level of like somewhere between solid 75 to 90 minutes. But for times when you’ve just closed a deal, or you’re walking in a city that seems to be all your own, it’s a companion you can depend on. It’s sophisticated, it’s complicated, and it’s unapologetically Cuban.

I gotta tell you, if you need a smoke that proves to the world once and for all that you can be big without being a bully, this would be it.

“It’s a good addition to the Le Hoyo family and a benchmark for what a modern, heavy-gauge Habano should be.” Next time you have a win, however small, grab one of these. You’ll see what I mean.

Final Thoughts: A more cerebral, design-y odyssey that dispenses power for nuance. Excellent construction and flavor profile that develops just enough to keep your attention without ever getting aggressive.