Prelight
Hoyo de Monterrey is a historic Cuban marca that was founded all the way back in 1860. The Epicure de Luxe is a La Casa Del Habano exclusive that was released a lot more recently, 2012. The blend only comes in one vitola 4.5″x 52 so something close to a Petit Robusto. Habanos prefers to call it Mágicos (same viotla as the Cohiba Maduro), which admittedly is a very cool sounding name.
Visually it’s a very nice cigar. The wrapper is uniform, and very nicely colored, if a little thin looking. Big double bands for such a small stick, but I do like the LCDH exclusive branding. I dry boxed this cigar for about 12 hours, gave it a punch cut, and lit with some matches.
I
A good bit of resistance on the draw, but definitely in my sweet spot. First puff was a big wave of deep, dark, fudge-y chocolate. The main tone is the crispy edges of a really good brownie followed by cedar, cocoa biscuits and creamy drip coffee. There’s a touch of floral spice on the retro, but really only enough to keep things interesting. The overall profile here is very decadent but not overly sweet.
II
Creamy notes are beginning to pick up a bit as we get into the second third of the Epicure de Luxe. Dark chocolate, brioche, and milky coffee are still the dominant notes. The fudge is beginning to step down in place of the cocoa biscuits. The tones on the palate are sweet natural tobacco, brioche, and tea biscuits. I’m finding dark chocolate, and creamy coffee on the retrohale. Really great construction so far, one of the better burning Cubans I’ve had in recent memory.
III
We’re staying fairly consistent as we get into the final third. Toasted brioche and sweet natural tobacco are the main notes on the palate. The chocolate is still present but it’s coming off as more of a cocoa nib here – it’s got more of that fruity astringency. The retrohale is still showing creamy coffee, the cocoa nibs, and some lightly roasted coffee beans. Construction continues to be perfect.
Conclusions
I’m thoroughly impressed by this blend. It showed rich chocolate, and cream in spades while incorporating some engaging transitions. The balance between the famous Hoyo de Monterrey creamy notes and the brownie flavors in the first third were very delicious. This was purchased as a single from a GRB Feb 2023 box, so its had about a year of rest. It didn’t give any indications of needing further rest, and the construction was above par. It’s not a complex cigar by any means, but definitely a treat if you’re a fan of dark chocolate and coffee. To all the chocoholics out there, pick one up and you will not be disappointed!
