The Hoyo de Monterrey Sabrosos

Up for review today is the Hoyo de Monterrey Sabrosos.  Here are the details for this cigar:

• Size:  Petit Corona (5 x 40)
• Wrapper:  Ecuadorian
• Binder:  Connecticut
• Filler:  Dominican, Nicaraguan and Honduran
• Strength:  Full

I was trying to remember how long ago it was that I purchased this box.  It had to have been late 2007.  So these cigars have been aging quite nicely for quite some time.  As I was digging down into the depths of my humidor last night, I came across a handful of these and remembered why I had purchased them in the first place.  The reason I purchased the box was because, at the time, I was looking for a short smoke that wouldn’t break the bank.  After perusing Famous Smoke Shop, I found you can still purchase a box of 25 for under $40.  So it remains to be a good deal, but how does it stack up as far as construction and taste are concerned?

I figured the bullet cut would just wreak havoc on the cap so I opted to use the Cuban Crafters double blade guillotine cut.  Doing so essentially removed the whole cap, but that didn’t seem to change the construction.  Speaking of construction, it was quite appealing albeit a little dry.  Lighting a petit corona is both easy and fast and this cigar was no different.  I was a little surprised as I started smoking that there was very little aftertaste since I remember this cigar to be medium-to-full in flavor.  Maybe this little gem had mellowed with age.  The burn was even and the smoke was creamy and voluminous.  The dark gray ash was very strong and hung on for close to 2 inches.

The mild first third led to a spicy but pleasant second third.  This is where the aftertaste started hanging around longer, the smoke became a little less dense and the strength of the cigar started to shine through.  There was nothing over the top as far as strength is concerned, but what was noticeably absent in the first third was definitely present in the second.

I was a little nervous that I would be rained out–or rained in, as it were–due to the heavy clouds, but they stayed away just long enough for me to start picking up on some dark coffee flavors as I reached the point when the cigar started getting too hot for my likes.  All in all, I really enjoyed this cigar.  It’s a perfect cigar for the mid-day smoker that doesn’t have an hour and a half to devote to a cigar.  I’m so glad I found them in my humidor and I suggest you pick up a box too.  For the price, they’re hard to beat!