A few weeks back I mentioned that I was smoking the new Hoyo de Monterrey Shade while writing, and that I’d report back later. Today is the day. This is the third cigar in the revamped line, the first two were the Oscuro and Rojo, which I talked about back in August of last year. Along with La Gloria, Hoyo de Monterrey is one of the brands I got started on early. The Excalibur No 1 was a special occasion cigar for me, when spending $5 on a cigar was really extravagant. This new Hoyo has a Honduran shade grown wrapper, with Honduran binder and fillers, made at the HATSA factory in Danli, Honduras. I may revisit the Oscuro and the Rojo, but I think this Connecticut is my favorite of the three. It was rich and creamy, well balanced and burned perfectly. My initial impression was that this was a cigar that didn’t really need to be made, It seems that adding a shade cigar to a line is a go to move with General Cigars. This one is really nice, and priced well. It’s funny as I sit here smoking a shade cigar I think about how it’s the last wrapper I go to, but I really like them! This Hoyo is a good one. When I first started this journey, General Cigars sent me a box of Hoyos, and I think I still have one left. That was 15 years ago!
I smoked a West Tampa Cigar Co. Devil Crab a few months ago at the Smoke-Onos when Ricky pretty much made me smoke it, and I had some thoughts, but I wanted to smoke one on a clean palate to validate those thoughts. I can use “validate”, Aganorsa hasn’t protected it somehow, right? Anyway, This is a classic size, 4½” x 60 perfecto. I see the term “double perfecto” bandied about, and that seems redundant to me, a perfecto is a figurado that’s closed at both ends. What would a single perfecto be? Anyway, it’s pretty close to the classic Flying Pig vitola, which Steve Saka resurrected from a late 1800s cigar catalog while working at Drew Estate. I like this shape, it’s a fun smoke. This is made at the Garmendia factory where the White, Black and Red lines are made. This is a very interesting cigar, and I had a very similar experience this time. It smokes well, once you get thought the foot, initially it’s tight, but that’s a typical perfecto trait. To my palate, it has a sweetness, but not a sugary sweetness, more of a saccharine sweetness. It’s a little odd, Certainly worth a try and a decent change of pace. There are other West Tampa cigars I like better.
Finally, I was hunting for something new to me, and I came across the Tatuaje 7th Corojo. This is the fifth cigar in the 7th size, which is a 5 5/8″ x 46 classic Corona Gorda shape. They’ve recently release this as a regular production, along with the Tuxtla in this size. It has a Corojo wrapper grown by the Garcia family in Nicaragua, I assume over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. It’s decently priced around $9.50. I remember feeling extremely extravagant paying that for a Liga Privada when they first hit (double that today!). This was a perfect cigar to unwind with after a very busy Saturday. It has an interesting sourness, not off putting, with a floral overtone. It’s different from what I generally expect from a Tatuaje, but if they all tasted the same, what fun would that be? Perfect construction as always. I should have gotten a Tuxtla too, I haven’t had one in a while, but they will be readily available. Great cigar.
That’s all for today, until the next time,
CigarCraig
