Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 1 Cigar - Cabinet of 25

Wood, Earth and nuts are the main flavours I got from this wonderful smoke. It took me an hour to smoke this all the way to the nub. Very well made cigar and was a complete joy to smoke. I will need more for my humidor.

I have always loved the Hoyo de Monterrey cigars, a smooth complex flavour, relatively mild and never harsh. I think I prefer the Epicure No.2 to the No.1 as to me it seems to be totally effortless in is presentation of its flavours. However, this cigar is a truly wonderful smoke, that gives a rich and creamy draw right to the end. The construction is superb and its draw is truly a pleasure. Burn was very even, with hints of spice and nut underpinned with a slightly sweet and possibly even fruit finish. I will definitely have a couple on hand in the humidor at all times, as this is a really wonderful smoke.

Reviewed by Austin Dyer I have smoked a good few of these lovely cigars so I thought I should review one. I spent a nice relaxing afternoon off after my morning run in the noodle bar of a very good Teriyaki restaurant in Liverpool city centre. After a delicious lunch of duck noodles and sake I ordered a coffee and a cigar ash tray then took out my Epicure #1 and clipped the cap. It is one of those cigars I really look forward to, especially as it was a 2002 production from a very good box. The pre-light aroma was classic, first class Hoyo de Monterrey; sweet floral and vanilla tobacco scents. The cigar was very well rolled as usual, looks good enough to eat, soft to the touch and dressed in a nice dark chocolate wrapper. Once I put flame to leaf and got a nice even burn going the flavours oozed out and made my mouth water, started off fairly mellow and mild, a nice amount of spice to it, tickling my nose then it eased its way to a firm medium flavour and body and losing some of the spice to become creamier. Floral, cocoa, vanilla, brown sugar, very complex and delicious. These various flavours are present during most of the smoke with some only appearing now and then, teasing your taste buds. The burn was a tad un-even but never caused any real problems, only having to touch it up once and with no affect to the flavour whatsoever. As it burnt down to the nub a touch of coffee and earthy tobacco flavours came to the fore, though soon becoming hot and tarry, then as it reached a very respectable 3/4 of an inch I decided it was time for it to burn out in the ash tray. These are one of my top 5 cigars and I always save them for a day when I have plenty of time on my hands, after a nice lunch preferably. Very creamy and smooth, unlike the Epicure #2 which is much spicier. Personally I prefer it over the Epi 2. When they are good they are really good, and they age beautifully, however there have been some bad batches so you have to know what you are buying. An outstanding smoke! Construction: 25/25 Smoking Characteristics: 22/25 Flavour: 25/25 Overall opinion: 24/25 Total: 96/100! Ok, I definately see that there is a trend in these entries towards setting up the review of the cigar with "where you were and what you were eating". Thats all well and good and may set the mood a bit...but lets get to the "stick". The remaining 75% of the review was more informative and started to perk me up. Sounds like a good smoke to me! Score: 7/10 Reviewed by: Greg Bos, Southern California Great work here. Concise and explicit about flavors, all the while honest about being a real fan. Development of flavors was given a nice treatment; the reader has a full sense of how things tasted and how the transition between 1/3 segments evolved. Very nicely done! Score: 8/10 Reviewed by: John Drabinski This happens to be one of my favourite cigars and a great smoke. I thought the flavour description was good, but have never noted a "floral" present in this wonderful smoke. This is an earthy, meaty cigar best enjoyed in the evening after a great meal. Score: 8/10 Reviewed by Joe Mazloom OVERALL SCORE: 23/30

I tend to smoke more full bodied cigars than this, but I really enjoy them for morning smokes. A nice easy draw provides copious amounts of thick but mild smoke. Beautifully crisp flavours of sweet honey and hazelnut remain consistent throughout, with just a touch of spice when exhaled through the nose. The finish is extremely clean, making this a perfect first smoke of the day. -Calum, Turmeaus Chester.

It is better to buy one decent cigar than five cheap, A cheap cigar you don't enjoy is a total waste of money, A dearer cigar you enjoy is a memorable experience, The Hoyo De Monterrey Epicure No.1 ticks all the boxes fabulous build quality, excellent draw, flavour from first lighting, medium strength throughout, great aroma, tastes of wood, fruit and spice this cigar has it all, personally I prefer this to the Epi No.2 which is also an excellent cigar.