HOYO DE MONTERREY

Hoyo De Monterrey :: A Brief History

The word “hoyo”, means “hole” in Spanish. Monterrey was the area known for producing the best tobacco in Cuba. Therefore, the literal translation is “Hole of Monterrey”.

1831

The brand’s history can be traced back to a thirteen year old Spaniard who immigrated to Cuba in 1831. Don Jose Gener y Batet was the young man who started working in his uncle’s plantation in Vuelta Abajo.

1850s

Jose Gener, now in his early 30s, opened a cigar factory in Havana where he created the brand La Escepcion. The brand went on to become very successful.

1860s

Jose Gener used the funds he earned from La Escepcion to purchase the Hoyo de Monterrey farm in the San Juan y Martinez area in Vuelta Abajo.

1865

Hoyo de Monterrey de Jose Gener was the brand registered at a factory located at 7 Principe Alfsono Street in Havana. The cigars proved a success internationally.

1895

Jose Gener went back to Spain, and he subsequently passed away in 1900.

1900

Lutgarda Gener, Jose’s daughter, took over her father’s successful cigar business. At that time, the Hoyo de Monterrey factory employed 350 workers, and produced over 50 million cigars annually, making it the largest factory in Cuba.

1920s

The roaring twenties was an era of excess and glamour. At the time, a big cigar by any standard was created called the Maravillas. It measures 55 by 9 inches. Alfred Dunhill of London ordered the same size cigar in limited production in the 1960s. The very impressive cigar was also released again in 2015 as part of the Humidor Coleccion Book series.

1931

After the death of Jose Gener, the business was not the same. The Hoyo de Monterrey brand, together with La Escepsion was sold. The buyers were also the owners of such brands as Punch, and Belinda.

As the years went on, the brand established itself as a milder to medium cigar, with very sweet and creamy flavors. Such cigars as the Churchill, and Double Coronas were amongst the favorites of aficionados

1940s

Le Hoyo Series was created by a Swiss imported named the A. Durr Company. They also created the famed Hoyo de Monterrey Chateaux Series.

Le Hoyo Series was stronger and more woody than regular Hoyo cigars, and the sizes were some that suggested the new series’ target market was connoisseurs. They included, and includes cigars such as the Le Hoyo Dauphin, Le Hoyo des Dieux, Le Hoyo de Depute, Le Hoyo du Gourmet, Le Hoyo Du Maire, Le Hoyo Du Prince, and Le Hoyo Du Roi. A few of these cigars are still available on the market today, and the discontinued ones are heavily sought after by collectors.

2000

One of the first limited edition cigars was launched, in which the band did not carry the year, but only the words “Edicion Limitada”. The cigar was an impressive Particulares, measuring in at 47 by 9 ¼ inches, an “A” size Gran Coronas. The cigar was so popular, that it was later released as a regular production cigar.

The Epicure series is now one of the most popular of the brand, including the robusto sized Epicure No. 2, the Epicure No. 1, Epicure Especial, and other exclusive editions such as the Double Epicure (Duty free only), and Epicure Deluxe (La Casa del Habano exclusive).

2005

Hoyo de Monterrey becomes the first brand to launch a petit robusto sized cigar, called “Petit Robusto”. Other brands later continued on the path that proved to be very popular.