Today I had the chance to try a cigar that has been eluding my attention for quite a while, the Hoyo de Monterrey Elegantes. I do not often smoke these types of vitolas and I was truly starting to think I was missing out on something. The cigar in question is a La Casa del Habano exclusive edition which was released in 2016.
It has double figurados vitola (its common name being Perfectos) with a 47 ring gauge X 158 mm coming out of boxes of 10 (Box Date is NOV 2016). The physical look of the Hoyo de Monterrey Elegantes is very appealing and brings me back memories of those looney toon cartoon characters who smoked cigars… just a bit of nostalgia before lighting up! So, let’s cut this short and go on to the fun part.
The beginning
Upon lighting the cigar, a tight draw is immediately felt, but once it passes the tip it opens up nicely. Just to point out, this is not a cigar for those who smoke really fast. You need to take your time and give it a smooth draw.
The smoke itself is very “Hoyo” like, a mild to medium taste profile but with nice complexity so far. A blend of milk chocolate, hazelnut and sweet tobacco taste so far. Also starting to have some very subtle cedar wood notes… promising for the rest of the smoke!
The middle
Getting closer to the middle, the draw has really opened up and I am now in a cruise control smoke…if that makes any sense. The flavors have slightly concentrated but the over all taste remains mild. The same tasting notes from the beginning are present, but I am getting some peanut notes as well. So far very happy to see the evolution on the draw and the taste as much as I get closer to the middle.
The end
A nice end to a nice smoke! The Elegantes has really showed a real “Hoyo” expression which will please any type of smoker from the novice to the expert. The smoke has been consistent and showed just enough of evolution.
The conclusion
I think this cigar has helped me brake my misjudgement of double figurados. Guess it had to come from one of my favorite brands, Hoyo de Monterrey, to open up my horizons on these vitolas. I will definitely revisit this cigar in the near future and expand on a brand like Cuaba, known for its double figurados cigars.
As a pairing for this Hoyo de Monterrey Elegantes, I would consider having a nice single malt scotch that is not to peaty and shows nice expressions of oak aging, baking spices, caramel and nuts…the Glenlivet 15 Years French Oak Reserve would be my choice!
Cheers,
Simon-Pierre Bailly-Vallée
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