The battle of Epicures -de Luxe

Hello folks! I shall now present to you a contestant that was released in 2012 exclusively for La Casa del Habano cigar stores (or crematoriums as I say) around the world: Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure de Luxe.

Brand: Hoyo de Monterrey
Type: Epicure de Luxe
Vitola: Mágicos (petit robusto)
Size: 4.5"/115x52
Origin: Cuba
Box code: AME SEP 12








Appearance/construction (5 points)

This contestant is a petit but gorgeous looking cigar! And of course we all know size doesn't matter. Or does it?!? We know that in the flavor part..The actual Hoyo band is a bigger version of the standard one and carries the LCDH band below it. Almost the other half of the cigar is covered by bands. Epi de Luxe is well rolled and there are no constructional issues what so ever. The wrapper is claro-colorado coloured and has got a very silky feel. The cigar is also packed pretty good so I hope the draw works. One clip, yeah, it works.. Not a big cigar but the presentation is just fabulous!


Flavor (4.5 points)


1/3: From the first puff this little batong has a very sweet and mild flavor profile that shows lots of cedar and milk coffee. The reviewed Epicures have shown a black pepper character but this is completely non pepper, dessert like cigar. What a delicious start, let's see how it develops!

2/3: The toastiness comes around and gives a deeper flavor to this enjoyment. The cedar/wood takes more role than sweetness. There is something very similar to Epicure No.2 but flavor wise this is milder with smoother flavor, like a deluxe model compared to No.2.

3/3: More toastiness with the same woodiness and sweetness and mild leather. Still there is something I miss. Is it a longer aftertaste, some specific flavor, or bigger size? No, size doesn't matter because this little fellow really knows it's job. This is a very mellow, complex and an outstanding cigar. If the flavors would had been a little stronger this could be easily a five star cigar!


Smoking experience (5 points)

I don't know who should I blame:) Was it the cigar itself or the right time and place? Doesn't matter to me cause simply this was one of the best moments I've spent with a cigar. Just me, Hoyo and a deluxe moment..
The burn was absolutely fantastic, good smoke production, effortless draw and sweet, woody flavor that slowly progressed producing no harshness. There was nothing I didn't like!


Quality-prize ratio (4.5 points)

These deluxe cigars come in a box of ten and cost about 10 to 12 euros per cigar. They are very affordable for being a "special edition" cigar and I highly recommend to give it a try.  



Hippie's judgement

Appearance/construction: 5
Flavor: 4.5
Smoking experience: 5
Q-P ratio: 4.5

The average: 4.75

The final grade is 4.5!

Hippie's flavor profile: 5

The battle of Epicures -Especial

Ladies and gentlemen! On today's battlefield: The Epicure Especial VS. Hippie the toaster:)








Brand: Hoyo de Monterrey
Type: Epicure Especial
Vitola: Robusto extra
Size: 5,6"/141x50
Origin. Cuba
Box code: AGO 12 (cab of 10)








Appearance/construction (4.5 points)

Beautiful cigar indeed I say. Slightly longer than Epicure two but exactly the same ring gauge which make it look like a bit more temptating than the 2. The wrapper is cocoa coloured with a very rich and sweet bouquet, sugar cake and cocoa. Construction wise this Hoyo is solid and very well made.

                                                             (not the reviewed cigar)


Flavor (2.5 points)

1/3: The Especial starts with a hint of pepper, dry earth and wood and tobacco. No sweetness at all which surprises me somehow 'cause the last two especials I've smoked have been very sweet and delicious but now this roll has got maybe a little harsh character. The spice fades away... I really hope this improves.

2/3: Okay the sweetness is there but not as much as I expected. Toasted tobacco flavors and mild coffee but that is it. This is totally a different cigar than the other especials. Very one dimensional second third.

3/3: The tiny harshness crawls back. This isn't showing what it actually is. There is no flavor but toastiness and tobacco. I'm becoming to conclusion that this is maybe slightly on the dry side.




Smoking experience (3 points)


The cigar burned well and had a beautiful construction. I simply love cigars that leave solid ash junks without being flaky but the major problem was the lack of flavor and progression which was a huge disappointment.  I know these cigars do have a sweet and flavorful profile and for that I had to give 0.5 points extra for the flavor part. This was just an exception but for now, in this battle,  I prefer the Epicure No. 1 and 2.




Quality-price ratio (3.5 points)

Regarding to the Epicure 2, the Especial is little longer cigar and it costs little more. Excluding this particular sample I would say the ratio is simply good but not mind blowing.


Hippie's judgement

Appearance/construction: 4.5
Flavor: 2.5
Smoking experience: 3
Q-P ratio:3.5


The average: 3.375


The final grade is 3.5!


Hippie's flavor profile: 4

The battle of Epicures Nr. 2

And the battle continues! On the battle field today we have a classic Cuban robusto: Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2.




Brand: Hoyo de Monterrey
Type: Epicure No.2
Vitola: Robusto
Size: 4,9"/124x50
Origin: Cuba
Box: AGO 12 (cab of 25)






Appearance/Construction (4,5 points)

Very decent looking cigar. Wrapper is light brown and has a soft feel to it. Nice triple cap and good packing. Some little veins here and there but it brings character to the cigar. Feels good in hand when pressing, no soft spots. On the nose I get mild, sweet and woody aroma and the wrapper leaves a mellow, spicy taste on my lips.

Flavor (4,5 points)

1/3: The nose and pre-draw exists pretty well in the flavor. Sweet spice, wood and vanilla are the main instruments in this Cuban latino band. The woodiness is the basic rhythm, vanilla is the beautiful singer and spiciness the trumpetist playing a solo. The flavor is pretty full but I think that's because it's been two weeks since my last cigar.

2/3: Creamy texture and easy on the palate. This Hoyo has turned to be a very complex cigar. The sweet lady and the spicy guy has moved to backstage while the woody rhythm stays on taking the leading role.

3/3: Allright, now we are in a part where the this Cuban latino stick begins to get toastiness and some breadish nuances. The band has left the building but the party goes on. This last third reminds me of the PL Encantos. Very enjoyable mild to medium flavor with no bitterness at all.


Smoking experience (4,5 points)

Well, when we talk about vitolas I think robusto is one of the most popular ones, also for me. It has good length, ring gauge isn't too small or too big and it fits to hand nicely. So for me a robusto is often a way to go cigar and there is nothing I hate about that vitola but nothing special also. This Hoyo burned nicely(excluding two touch ups) leaving a medium gray solid ash. Flawless performance and earns it's place among the best Cuban robustos.

Quality-price ratio (4 points)

This is the tricky part. The quality of these Hoyos is usually good but I'm not sure about the price. I think the average price is somewhere around 10 euros. It could be lower because it is such a popular and easy to find -cigar and as a buyer you always want to get your cigars as cheap as possible. But hey, it's a classic cigar!




Hippie's judgement

Appearance/construction: 4,5
Flavor: 4,5
Smoking experience: 4,5
Q-P ratio: 4

The average: 4,375

The final grade is 4,5!

Hippie's flavor profile: 4

The battle of Epicures -No. 1

Welcome to the battle of Epicures! Hippie's first victim is the Epicure No. 1. Cutters and fire weapons get ready and burning and battle shall begin, MUAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!

By the way, the quality of the pictures is terrible, sorry about that.

Brand: Hoyo de Monterrey
Type: Epicure No.1
Vitola: Corona gorda
Size: 5.6"/143mm x46
Origin: Cuba
Box Code: JUL 11











Appearance/construction (4.5 points)

Despite of the fact this Cuban soldier is going to be slowly burned alive it doesn't show any fear and looks pretty darn good:) The wrapper has some visible but tight seams on it and the cigar feels well constructed. In fact I've never had a badly constructed or overly packed Hoyo.

                                                               (not the reviewed cigar)

And off we go to crematorium..


Flavor (4 points)

1/3: Allright this isn't so mild I expected. Very medium bodied flavor, I can taste spiciness and the start is peppery. The toastiness is mixed with some cedar, pepper and spice and together the combo is very enjoyable although I can't pick up and name any specific spice. The smoke is white, thick and creamy.

2/3: The medium profile goes on with toasted bread and cedar. The pepper and spices are gone and I'm thinking if there is a somekind of floral character with sweetness. It's nice!

3/3: This has turned out to be a nice flavored stick but I think a couple of more years could bring up less edgy and more specific mellowed flavors. The final third has still the toasted, deep wood character and some dark coffee.


Smoking experience (4 points)

So, today for the first time, I experienced the method how to toast the Epicure No. 1 and I'm sure I won this battle:) The burn line, smoke production and the draw were good, not forgetting the company, but I missed something flavor wise. Maybe more progression. The Corona gorda is a great vitola and I have to try this again someday with more experience.


Quality-price ratio (3.5 points)

I think the price is pretty fair 'cause you do get a quality cuban cigar.


Hippie's judgement

Appearance/construction: 4.5
Flavor: 4
Smoking experience: 4
Quality-price ratio: 3.5

The average: 4

The final grade is 4!

Hippie`s flavor profile: 4

THE BATTLE OF EPICURES!

Hoyo de Monterrey is interesting brand with a wide selection of premium cigars. Like I said earlier, I've always been curious about the brand and most of the Hoyos I've tried have got good construction and idyllic flavor so I decided to do a comparison regarding the Epicure series. It is a serie that is widely known all over the world among all cigar enthusiasts. The Epicure line carries a mild to medium flavor profile so they are perfect Cubans to beginners but they also have lots to offer for an experienced aficionado. The main flavors are usually woody, sweet, floral, coffee like etc.

By saying someone's an epicure we often mean a person who likes to consider him/herself as a passionate wine, food or cigar hobbyist more than a person who likes to eat junk food and candy. Well this Hippie likes to play an epicure sometimes but also likes to eat junk. He wants to find out what the Epicure line is all about and which cigar is gonna be the possible winner. Let's find out what is the meaning of the epicure- word in this case!

The idea of the battle (warning: this may upset new aficionados)

The idea is very simple and brutal: There are five contestants locked inside a humid box and there is no way out. Their souls have been sold to the devil for different reasons and one by one they're going to be smoked alive. But there's a challenge: The devil will reward one contestant who will give the best smokes and flavors while flaming. The prize is a contestant's soul which will given back by the devil.

                                                     Battlefield: The devils crematorium

                                                               Devil: The Hippie itself

                                                                        Contestants
                                                     

1. HdM Epicure No.1

2. HdM Epicure No.2

3. HdM Epicure Especial

4. HdM Epicure de Luxe

5. HdM Grand Epicure

Cigars will be reviewed separately on Hippie's rating scale and they're all rolled between JUL11-OCT13. So no vintage cigars 'cause they often carry totally different flavors.

Which contestant wins? Will he have his soul back? 

LET THE BATTLE AND SMOKIN' BEGIN!!!!

Aging Room M356 Motivo

It's been a while since my latest (and first) non-Cuban cigar review and for today I decided to pick a brand I haven't tried earlier. Let's do it!

Brand: Aging Room
Type: M356 Motivo
Vitola: Corona
Size: 6"/15,24x46
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Dominican Habano
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Humidor time: 103 days





Appearance/construction (4 points)

Right out of the cellophane the cigar feels oily and has nice weight to it. Very firm and well packed buddy that has a colorado colored veiny wrapper. The seams are but who gives a shit..:) WELL I DO!!! Not really no.. Only thing that bothers me is the boring, unfinished looking band that lacks personality. On the nose this Dominican puro has a sweet vanilla-chocolate note which is delicious. How about the flavor then..?


Flavor (4 points)

1/3: What a load of pepper in the first puff. A thick cloud of white pepper that tingles your tongue with almost an overwhelming mouthfeel. There are also medium toasted tobacco and earthiness as well. Wait a minute, the pepper begins to fade or then my taste buds are already totally gone crazy! Yep, instead of pepper there is coffee, leather, creaminess and the whole profile is pretty "dark" and earthy. Although the blend is Dominican this gives more like a Nicaraguan profile and has a very powerful first third.

2/3: Not mellow, I wouldn't say complex but leathery, spicy and very full profile. The pepper is back and aftertaste has some kind of a sweet citrus character also. Hey, what's that taste of perfume? Strange taste, some floral notes, this is good! The nicotine is kicking also at this point and I hope I'll manage to smoke the last third also.



3/3: Very full bodied and strong cigar in both, flavor and nicotine. This is actually too much for me and for that, I have to give some minus points.  Not much changes but the floral character truly is there, it`s almost a berry type of flavor. The Hippie is exited 'cause he hasn't got this kind of flavor profile before but actually he had to put the cigar down earlier than usually or otherwise would had been early on the grass!


Smoking experience (4 points)

Despite the last third, this was more than just a nice cigar. When you're smoking a NC(non-Cuban) cigar, the draw can be quite often like wind tunnel: too loose, especially in larger ring cages. This Aging Room had a perfect draw that actually made me think of Cuban. The burn was a little uneven almost all the time but no bigger issues were spotted. The ash construction was OK but didn't last more than over an inch before dropping. I recommend to try this cigar but not in the morning with an empty stomach unless you want to have a quick hangover..


Quality-price ratio (4,5 points)

You don't really have to be Bill Gates to purchase this tobacco roll. I paid 6,65 euros for this cigar and the money was well spent!


Hippie's judgement

Appearance/construction: 4
Flavor: 4
Smoking experience: 4
Q-P ratio: 4,5

The average: 4,125

The final grade is 4!

Hippie's flavor profile: 1

http://www.oliveroscigars.com/

Por Larrañaga Encantos (ER 2010 Asia Pacifico)

Today's cigar is a 2010 regional release made exclusively for Asia Pacifico. Por Larrañaga Encantos is still available for normal consumers which is odd because normally RE cigars are popular and usually they don't stay too long in retailers humidors plus this particular CC is limited in 4000 boxes of 25 cigars. I had a chance to buy a box and no time to hesitate so the decision for me was very simple!


Brand: Por Larrañaga
Type: Encantos (2010 RE Asia Pacifico)
Vitola: Dalias
Size: 6,7"/170x43
Origin: Cuba
Box code: URG DIC 10
Box number: 2617/4000



Appearance/construction (5 points)

The presentation of the cigar is very eye-catching and by that I mean also the beautiful varnished box, and cigars lined in 8-9-8 style. In my opinion this is the most visually satisfying way to sell cigars. The Encantos itself has a smooth, little veiny claro-colorado coloured wrapper having a grip of well packed tobacco in it. On the nose I get very mild, sweet, honey-like tobacco. Construction wise the feel is equal when pressing and there are no soft spots between the wrapper and the filler. The size is also a pleasure to look at, little bit longer and fatter than lonsdale and has a golden regular and the RE band around it. Everything's looking more than good so let's light it up!


                                               (not the reviewed cigar)


Flavor (4 points)

1/3:The Encantos starts with a pleasant woody, cedary character and a little of hay also. The taste is very sweet, little oily, easy and I can't help thinking about some kind of mild christmas bread that hasn't got any spiciness to it. In my opinion this kind vitola is very stylish and idyllic and so is the flavor. Very complex and easy to smoke without any full or dark flavors. Is it a good thing? Don't know yet, let's see the second third.

2/3: The progression from the first third is very smooth and I have to pay attention if there is any. Finally I taste some leather. I've noticed that the leather usually comes in the aftertaste when I exhale through the nose with my mouth shut: That works for me also to taste different characters of whisky or other noble drinks. The bread is more dominant now, it has lost a bit of sweetness and I would say that the body is mild to medium, more on the medium side. I like this cigar..

3/3: The sweetness is totally gone but still the flavor isn't dry at all. There is more bread, especially some toasted cracker (I'm a huge cracker fan) and tobacco. There isn't much flavor but light leather in the aftertaste but every puff is still worth to smoke. Very soft, medium flavored and cool smoke. That is what you get during the last of Encantos, at least I got. In my experience one of the best last thirds!

Flavor wise Encantos is very good for an afternoon cigar although at some point I missed some kind of kick to the flavor, sweet spice or something else so therefore I can't give five points. I've heard that these age well but honestly I'm little doubtful about it because of the mild-medium blend.


Smoking experience (4,5 points)

Lonsdale or Dalias? As for vitola I prefer Dalias because of this experience which was unique. There was no problems what so ever with the burn and the draw except one touch up which was caused by an interesting chat with a co-smoker. No bitterness, no harshness, ash construction was decent and with Encantos I got almost two hours time to smoke a good cigar.


Quality-price ratio (4 points)

The price of Encantos varies depending on where you buy it from. Compared to other Asia Pacifico Regional editions this cigar is quite affordable to purchase.

Hippie's judgement

Appearance/construction: 5
Flavor: 4
Smoking experience: 4,5
Q-P ratio: 4

The average: 4,375

The final grade is 4,5!

Hippie's flavor profile: 4

http://www.cubancigarwebsite.com/brand.aspx?brand=Por_Larra|naga