Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros Sueno (5.25x54)

This is the latest Hoyo offering from the people at General Cigar. As always I pull no punches, and I can tell you that in recent years General fare has been, well....very general. I can't recall any recent cigars from them that have knocked my socks off, I am hoping that this is the one that changes that dynamic.

The cigar presents with an intricate looking band and a beautiful cedar sheath, I have always liked this look it makes me feel like am unwrapping a present. In this case however the sheath will not just slide off, it almost as if the cigar has expanded inside of it's wooden home. After the fight to remove the cedar is over I am able to give the cigar a once over. It appears that it has expanded and I can see cracks in the wrapper that have me concerned about the smoking performance. There is also a very prominent flaw in the wrapper near the head. The cigar appears, and feels, too moist and it is overly spongy to the touch. The pre light aroma is indicative of too much moisture and it has a slight sour smell accompanied by cedar aromas from the sheath. The pre light draw shows some spice and cedar notes, but it seems to have too much resistance.

The smoke opens well, but it is not anything to trumpet from the rooftops. There are some nice flavors of cedar and tobacco, but they are not particularly deep or complex. The is a vegetal undertone here that I can only attribute to moisture in the smoke and it leads to a strange aftertaste between draws. At the back of the palate there are some fleeting ideas of clove and spice, but the overall thought here is charred. The draw is too tight, and I find this to be the case with many of General's more recent offerings. The burn is slow and lopsided, again I attribute this to the moisture in the smoke.

The first half of the smoke deteriorates further. The main profile becomes vegetal and acrid, there are almost no redeeming taste qualities in this part of the smoke. At the back of the palate some wood notes show through, but there are still some charred ideas here as well. The draw continues to be too tight and the burn has not evened out to this point.

The final half of the smoke looks like something the Roadrunner would give the Coyote. The cigar explodes and becomes somewhat akin to a broken New Year's noise maker whistle. Interestingly this is when the cigar becomes more palatable to me. The profile starts to show some cedar and spice essence that is nice. At the back of the palate there is a robust presentation of wood and tobacco that complements the front of the palate very nicely. The draw opens up, obviously, there could only be improvement once the cigar blew up. The burn becomes untenable and I forget about trying to even it out, so I just smoke a cigar that looks like a prankster put a load in.

The finish is dry, but has some cedar flavors

Appearance- 92 a very nice presentation
Taste- 83 really below average, but it could have been worse
Construction- 70 I don't know if it could get any worse that this
Strength- 85 I think a nice medium, but hard to judge
Overall- 80.5 a very poor cigar, but I have smoked other ones that I thought were average, if not slightly above

Hoyo de Monterrey La Escepcion 2009 Limited Edition Toro

This is a cigar that was new to the scene last year, and is an effort from General to punch up sales (pardon the pun). The cigar presents well with a dark brown wrapper that is oily, leathery and has very few veins. A survey of the cigar reveals that it is a bit soft and feels as though it may be over humidified. The pre light aroma is somewhat sour, but has some notes of earth. The pre light draw shows some pepper and rich tobacco flavors.

The cigar opens with a profile that shows some nice pepper, tobacco and earth. At the back of the palate there are some bitter notes that further lead me to believe that the cigar may be over humidified. The burn is slow and produces lots of thick smoke. The draw is a bit tight, but the labor is not untoward.

The first half of the cigar settles down to show notes of wood, tobacco and earth. At the back of the palate there are still some issues with bitterness and a metallic undertone hurts the impression. The burn has deteriorated and a run has developed that I can't avoid relighting. The draw opens slightly, but is still too tight for my liking.

The final half of the cigar shows charred notes of wood and tobacco. The back of the palate impression has not improved and I am disappointed by this cigar. The burn continues to perform poorly and another runner forms. The draw is still too tight.

The finish is acrid, short and leaves a nasty impression.

Appearance- No score due to condition
Taste- No score due to condition
Construction- No score due to condition
Strength- No score due to condition
Overall- I will review this again at another date

Hoyo de Monterrey Dark Sumatra Noche

This is a cigar that I am revisiting after a long period of not smoking this particular vintage. The cigar presents well with a very dark wrapper cloaked in a cedar wrap. The cigar is toothy and has some prominent veins. The pre light aroma is earthy, with hints of chocolate and coffee. The pre light draw is sharp and bitter with notes of burnt coffee.

The cigar begins with a core profile of charred wood and burning coffee. There is some distinct bitterness at the back of the palate. The draw is thin, but produces enough smoke to be acceptable. The burn is even and a nice white ash forms crisply.

The first third of the cigar is not pleasant. It is bitter, acrid and charred with some notes of chocolate, earth and coffee all muddled by bitterness. The draw is still acceptable, but a but thin. The burn shows some signs of going off track, but to this point is acceptable.

At the halfway point it is all I can do to keep going. The profile is still bitter and charred. There are some notes of earth and coffee, but they are masked by the harsh bitter tones. The burn has stayed slightly off kilter, but it is still acceptable. The draw is opening a little bit, but I wish it would get tighter to spare me the mouthfuls of putrescence.

The final half of the cigar is a complete write off. The profile is almost completely gone, all that is left is charred and bitter flotsam that offends the palate at every turn. Unfortunately the draw opens further, releasing an entirely new vintage of awfulness. The burn is still OK, but it is a fleeting silver lining on an otherwise dark cloud.

The finish is terrible and smacks of burned wood and other harsh bitter notes. This is an experience that makes me wonder why anyone would ever bother with this cigar. I also wonder why it is still on the market.

Appearance- 85 the veining hurts the score
Taste- 70 the lowest possible score for a truly bottom of the barrel experience
Construction- 80 early draw issues hurt the score
Strength- 70 impossible to give and other score due to the bitter and acrid profile
Overall- 76.25 a true waste of an hour and a half