Hoyo De Monterrey Piramides EL 2003

[Kingantz]

Let me tell ya, there was one heck of a storm that came through last night. The wind gusts were unbelievable, sounded like a freight train coming through. Made a complete mess of the yard, and blew the pool cover completely off. Great. Got to clean more leaves out. Ah but first, why not have a nice smoke!

Took me a little while digging through the wineadors trying to find something I was in the mood for. Ah, looky what I found! A Hoyo De Monterrey Piramides EL 2003! I had completely forgotten I had picked these up. Unfortunately, they came un-banded, so it’s taken away some of the ambiance, however the bands don’t make the smoke, right?

This cigar had a gorgeous dark Colorado Rosado wrapper that was very oily and slightly coarse. It felt rather heavy in the hand and very little resistance when squeezed. I cut the tapered foot at an angle and found the draw to be just a tad bit on the tight side, however felt confident it would be more than sufficient for smoking. Toasting the foot, a pitch black ash formed and volumes of smoke wafted to my nose. The smell was divine! Fully charred, I gave the cigar a few good puffs to get it smoking good and took my first draw.

An absolutely delicious roasted coffee bean flavor with a rich creaminess was in the smoke. Tastes of dark earth with a slight hint of cedar and a smooth, incredibly rich cocoa bean came through with a perfect black pepper spice on the back of the throat. There was an exquisite taste on the lips that I just can’t seem to put my taste buds on, a salty sweetness that somehow enhances the smoke. The sun peeked through the clouds long enough to get a couple shots of how oily the wrapper was.

The smoke itself was a medium, to medium full in strength and had a perfect balance and a perfect burn, the strong ash finally falling at a third in. I kept thinking of the word rustic as I smoked on. The finish was incredibly smooth and lasting. Wonderful.

At the halfway point, the rich coffee bean flavor continued with sweet roasted nuts and cocoa. The smoke remained smooth and quite cool, even when I got close to nubbing. I have to say the blender at Hoyo De Monterrey who put this cigar together new exactly what they were doing as this was one fantastic cigar.

[link]http://s236.photobucket.com/albums/ff13/mybabygirl32406/Bugs/?action=view&current=10-25-08Imported033.flv[/link]

[Ken Gargett]

love the review and the photos. for those of us downunder, can you confirm what type of spiders?

a while since i had one but it certainly ties in with what i recall.

one thing - they came unbanded? can i ask why? i have not heard of havana producing any unbanded LE's?

[The Wise Old owl]

Don't know what the brown spider is, (maybe the brown recluse, probably an Orb Weaver?) but the red hourglass is a dead giveaway... the Black Widow ... after mating the female kills and eats the male. . Posionous, nasty, and very common here in SC.

I had a '03 Hoyo a couple of years ago and thought it was spectacular. It was a gift, and the only one I've ever had.

[Ken Gargett]

assumed it was a black widow. some similarities with our redbacks, not least the poisonous bits. most people bitten by redbacks cop it when on a toilet seat (case in point, my brother-in-law) and they even did a song about just that.

picked up two boxes of these in havana back in 03. they were charging a miserable $130 a box. wish i'd bought dozens. half one box left, away in storage somewhere. might be time to retreive it. just love them.

[Kingantz]

» love the review and the photos. for those of us downunder, can you confirm

» what type of spiders?

» a while since i had one but it certainly ties in with what i recall.

» one thing - they came unbanded? can i ask why? i have not heard of havana

» producing any unbanded LE's?

Yep, that's the femail black widow, venomous little booger. I have no idea what that brown one is, but they're all around the house. 'Bout the size of a quarter, good bug catchers.

I purchased the cigars from an individual that I assume got them from a certain vendor that ships bandless. I guess you can call these second hand smoke(s).

[The Wise Old owl]

I'm pretty sure the brown one is an Orb Weaver, pretty harmless. The Brown Recluse is not as common as the Black Widow, and prefers dark dry environments. I really don't even know if the Brown Recluse makes a web. I remember a fellow who was bitten by a Brown Recluse a few years back, at Ft. Jackson... (SC) Thier poison destroys flesh, he had a spot on his leg the size of a golf ball that had already been debrided once. I think I'd rather be bitten by the Black Widow (or, not at all!)

[shrink]

Nice review, and outstanding pix, as usual. There is no doubt that the Hoyomide remains a fine cigar, but it has never been as good as it was when it was young. After two years, it lost its spiciness and became ever more muted. Still, it retains its complexity, and I'm hoping that it will remain a good cigar for at least the next few years. The last one I had, about eight months ago, was quite nice.

[bassman]

These were released in two batchs, the first with a dark Hoyo band, the second silver. The first batch was stronger. Both have mellowed considerably over the years.

[korryp]

Very nice review. These are one of my favorites. They have come a long way since they were OTT. Glad I picked up three boxes of these way back when.

[joeypots]

» These were released in two batchs, the first with a dark Hoyo band, the

» second silver. The first batch was stronger. Both have mellowed

» considerably over the years.

After 5 of the first batch I got a box of second release. The box has been a disappointment from day one. They are not bad, but they have not mellowed into greatness like some of the other ELs.

Now the PSD#3 EL is another story......

[Miami101]

This cigar looks great:

[El Presidente]

I love your reviews mate

I tend to agree with Shrink in that mine mellowed to such an extent that I kept comparing them to first release which I adored. My memories were much like your review.

Thankfully Ken still has his to share ;-)

[ThreeD]

I love your reviews. The pictures are always great. I'm glad the cigar didn't have a band on it, it is a beauty of a cigar. My mouth was watering reading your review and looking at the pictures. Keep up the good work. Just do more.