Hoyo de Monterrey

Oscuro

Hoyo de Monterrey never left, but with the release of the new Oscuro it has announced a serious rebirth. General Cigar Co. has done incredible work revamping the age old Hoyo de Monterrey brand which, since 1965, has been producing some of the most iconic and well-known smokes in the world out of Honduras. Hoyo de Monterrey climbed onto the global radar during the Cuban embargo era. Utilizing seeds that were smuggled outside of the country via the pouch of a diplomat, the brand began using their time-honored methods to create Cuban inspired cigars amid the hospitable soils of their new home country. Providing this experience to countries all over the world starving for the premium taste of an authentic Cuban forever cemented the Hoyo brand as a trustworthy name. Of course, now we can add modern and boundary pushing to the list of accolades enjoyed by this brand. The Oscuro is a three-size line featuring a combination of Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, Ecuadorian Sumatra binder and filler from Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. The addition of the Mata Fina wrapper is a fascinating one as the leaf was more typically used as a binder for cigars given the fact that its appearance isn’t always flawless. However, premium cigarmakers were missing the fact that this particular leaf was delicious and added a unique earthy sweetness to a cigar’s profile. That’s because the Mata Fina is sun grown on Brazil’s east coast in one of the region’s lush micro-climates. Brazil has been a long-overlooked player in the tobacco industry, but many high-end smokes are starting to adopt and harness its flavors. The Herrera Esteli Brazilian Maduro, the AJ Fernandez Bellas Artes Maduro and the CAO Brazilia are among a few examples of elite, trustworthy brands straying from the hotbeds of Nicaragua and Honduras to cultivate a new and enticing flavor profile. In the case of the Oscuro, the company boasts tastes ranging from cayenne pepper, white pepper and freshly baked bread to a poppier and more sugary cherry cola note which gives the cigar a consistently zesty and sweet vibe. Ideally, this smoke is paired with a cup of quality coffee or, if the mood strikes, a spirit that has both a darkness and a sweetness to it. Suggestions include barrel aged rums and stout beers, many of which can enhance the unique vibe of this cigar. Despite the intensity of the flavors, this smoke is medium-bodied in strength. In a press release announcing its arrival onto the scene, senior brand manager Ed Lahmann said: “The launch of these blends represents more than just new cigars. They are about honoring the brand’s deep-seated foundation in Honduras. As one of the first Cuban ex-pat brands available in the US, Hoyo de Monterrey laid the foundation for Honduran cigarmaking nearly 60 years ago and has become a living legend in the world of premium cigars. With the launch of ‘Rojo’ and ‘Oscuro,’ the brand’s journey is reflected in its commitment to balancing traditional Honduran craftsmanship against the handmade cigar category’s ever-changing tides.” Rojo refers to the simultaneous release of a second blend being sent out at the same time as Oscuro. The Rojo is a combination of wrapper from Jamastran Valley in Honduras coiled around Nicaraguan binder and filler from Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. There is an absolutely premium feel to the product beginning with the textured and beautifully decorated black box with intricate gold and red artwork along the outside. Underneath the Hoyo logo is a memorable two-toned design that signals a demand for attention amid a cigar market that is bustling with newer boutique brands. Of course, the boutique brands don’t have what Hoyo possesses, which is more than 150 years of experience crafting cigars. As it says on the underside of the box lid, “From our inception in 1865 to our Honduran revival, our dedication to old-world techniques has remained constant for mo