Tagged "Epicure"


An Insight Into Hoyo de Monterrey's Excalibur Blends

Posted by freedomcigars on

Today we honor the legendary Excalibur blends by Hoyo de Monterrey.  Hoyo de Monterrey has always been a consistent, well made, reasonably priced brand. We will highlight the flavor characters of each of the following blends:  Excalibur Legend, Excalibur Dark Knight, the Excalibur Cameroon blend and Excalibur (as well as Excalibur Maduro).

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Excalibur Legend:
As one of the most well-known brands to come from Honduras it is only fitting that the Hoyo de Monterrey's Excalibur Legend would pay homage to this brand's pedigree with such a regal title and its rich flavors that just command such attention. The Excalibur Legend is blended with proprietary tobacco cultivated exclusively for the company on the remote volcanic island of Ometepe and combines it with a potent Dominican ligero tobacco. All the tobaccos used to make this blend give it a complex combination  with a spicy and rich finish. General Cigar Company took the same wrapper for the Excalibur Legend that it used on the Excalibur Dark Knight blend, which should give you an idea of the boldness of your smoking experience. The Excalibur Legend is clearly designed to appeal to a more "seasoned" smoker who demands a full-flavored stogie.  With its well-earned 91 rating by Cigar Insider (of Cigar Aficionado) they describe it with the following terms "This thick cigar is rich with leather from the the first puff, developing to show tea and toast flavors. A balanced smoke with a profoundly leathery core."  We couldn't have said it better! So jump on the Excalibur Legend bandwagon and prepare for a smooth and intense ride.

Country of Origin: Honduras
Flavor: Full
Wrapper: Honduran Claro
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler, Nicaragua, Dominican, Honduras
Cigars in the Legend line: Excalibur Challenger (5 1/4 x 50), Excalibur Conquerer (6 1/4 x 54), Excalibur Crusader (5 3/4 x 45)

[caption id="attachment_395" align="alignleft" width="198" caption="Excalibur Dark Knight at My Discount Cigar"]Excalibur Dark Knight at My Discount Cigar[/caption]

Excalibur Dark Knight:
The Excalibur Dark Knight line, the cream of the Hoyo de Monterrey crop, is wrapped in a beautiful Cuban Havana seed wrapper, complex filler and binder, giving them a robust but exquisitely smooth taste. This line was originally part of the Excalibur 1066 line (phased out by the General Cigar Company in 2010), the Excalibur Dark Knight now has its own platform to highlight the incredible taste of its unique and rich wrapper. Even though with a name like "Dark Knight" it does not come with a bat logo, experienced cigar smokers will vouch that since its introduction in 2004 it does however pack a punch with its rich, dark and complex flavors and is housed in a stained dark wooden box that resembles a treasure chest. The Hoyo de Monterrey's Excalibur Dark Knight blend expertly balances a rich, full flavor with full body. The consistent and beautiful burn make this cigar a dream to smoke. The Excalibur Dark Knight has just the right draw and exudes hints of wood, leather and sweetness. Stick after stick the Excalibur Dark Knight  will give you a very fulfilling smoking experience that makes it worth your money and your while.

Country of Origin: Honduras
Flavor: Full
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Dominican Republic
Cigars in the Excalibur Dark Knight line: Excalibur Dark Knight I (5 3/4 x 54), Excalibur Dark Knight II (6 1/2 x 52), Excalibur Dark Knight III (4 1/2 x 50), Excalibur Dark Knight IV Tubo (5 x 52)

Excalibur Cameroon:

After Hoyo de Monterrey phased out the 1066 line in 2010, the Excalibur Cameroon line was introduced. The Excalibur Cameroon cigar is a full-bodied Honduran cigar that is highlighted by its rich Cameroon wrapper and its flavorful Connecticut Broadleaf binder.  Its unique story is that the Excalibur Cameroon cigar was named "The People's Choice Cigar" because its blend was selected by cigar smokers who have a deep passion for cigars. The Cameroon series features a shiny Cameroon wrapper which enhances this collection with its uniquely spicy tone. The Excalibur Cameroon is a blend that combines Honduran, Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos. Its character is enhanced by a select Connecticut Broadleaf binder which is grown in the Connecticut River Valley.  Because the tobaccos of the Excalibur Cameroon are cured over a lengthy period of time, the flavors become richer with some spicy overtones, pleasing the most discriminating smoker. With an 88 rating by Cigar Insider (of Cigar Aficionado), the Excalibur Cameroon is undoubtedly a well-made cigar with a great draw and burn, a well-placed cap, silky smooth and balanced smoke, and flavors that range from pepper, ginger, floral, toasty, buttery, creamy with some chalky and vanilla notes throughout.

Country of Origin: Honduras
Flavor: Medium
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic
Cigars in the Excalibur Cameroon line:  Excalibur Cameroon Galahad (6 3/4 x 47), the Excalibur Cameroon King Arthur (6 1/4 x 45), the Excalibur Cameroon Lancelot (7 1/4 x 54) and the Excalibur Cameroon Merlin (5 1/4 x 50)

[caption id="attachment_397" align="alignleft" width="172" caption="Excalibur Cigars at My Discount Cigars"]Excalibur Cigars at My Discount Cigars[/caption]

Excalibur (Excalibur Maduro):

The Excalibur cigar is the perfect example of Honduran craftsmanship that combines a golden USA Connecticut Shade wrapper with a rich binder and filler, exuding a creamy aroma and a long finish. A superb cigar with great detail to construction, Hoyo de Monterrey's Excalibur is lighter in color than a Cuban cigar due to its fine Connecticut Shade wrapper and the excellent quality using the top 10% of the factory's tobacco from Nicaragua and Honduras.  Once these fine cigars are rolled by master cigar makers in tradition that dates back to 1865, they are then carefully packaged in lovely Spanish cedar boxes to enhance their character and bouquet. The Excalibur is aged in cedar, is mild to medium-bodied and complex. Seasoned smokers favor the Excalibur cigar's complexity.  This golden brown Excalibur cigar tantalizes the palate with toasty smoke and an array of flavors ranging from cedar, spice, earth, wood, nuts and slight sweet notes. It is mild to medium in body, but if you prefer a bolder and fuller flavor try the Excalibur Maduro blend with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. The Excalibur Maduro is a dark and attractive cigar enveloped in an oily, and toothy Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and a second layer of dark Connecticut Broadleaf for the binder. Not only did Cigar Insider (of Cigar Aficionado) rate the Excalibur Epicure Maduro as the #8 cigar of 2007 as "The 25 Best Cigars of the Year", Cigar Cyclopedia gave the collection an "A" rating as well. Excalibur, the cigar that was inspired by the legendary sword of King Arthur, strikes a perfect balance between the smooth flavors of its blonde wrapper and the straightforward taste of its rich filler tobaccos. With over 12 sizes and shapes to select from you have no excuse not to find one Excalibur to your liking.

Country of Origin: Honduras
Flavor: Mild to Medium
Wrapper: USA Connecticut Shade (Connecticut Broadleaf - Maduro)
Binder: Connecticut Shade (Connecticut Broadleaf - Maduro)
Filler: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Honduras
Cigars in the Excalibur (Maduro) line:  Excalibur #1 (Maduro #1) (7 1/4 x 54), Excalibur #2 (Maduro #2) (6 3/4 x 47), Excalibur #3 (Maduro #3) (6 1/8 x 48), Excalibur #4 (Maduro #4) (5 5/8 x 46), Excalibur #5 (Maduro #5) (6 1/4 x 45), Excalibur #6 (Maduro #6) (5 1/2 x 38), Excalibur #7 (Maduro #7) (5 x 43), Excalibur Cigarillos 20-Ct Tin (4 x 25), Excalibur Emperor (8 1/2 x 52), Excalibur Epicure (Epicure Maduro) (5 1/4 x 50), Excalibur Miniatures 20-Ct. Tin (3 x 22), Excalibur Prensado (6 1/8 x 48)

For the true test we suggest you try one of each of the Excalibur blends, starting with the Excalibur, followed by an Excalibur Cameroon, then sampling an Excalibur Legend and finishing off with an after-dinner smoke of an Excalibur Dark Knight blend.

The Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur blends are all available for purchase online at MyDiscountCigar.com.

To read more about Hoyo de Monterrey's Excalibur blends please visit their official site at CigarWorld.com.

~ Peace, Love, Cigars ~

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Seth Geise, of Seth's Humidor, Shares His Review of the Hoyo De Monterrey's Excalibur Epicure Maduro

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The other day I was smoking an Illusione ~4/2g~ and a Ramon Allones Gigantes side by side when I was asked by a customer what my opinion was on the Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Epicure Maduro. I immediately told him that I loved that cigar, and though I hadn’t smoke one in some time it was time to light one up. The cigar for me has always delivered wonderful flavors, nice medium body, and a great affordable price. The cigar did well by Cigar Aficionado in 2007, and I think they are just as great now as they were for the staff at Cigar Aficionado then. Though General Cigars and Altadis are not boutique manufacturers, the fact that they are so large gives them the opportunity to get some great tobacco that smaller manufacturers could never get. The Hoyo de Monterrey is one of the oldest cigar lines in the industry, and is one of the few lines that are made in and outside of Cuba to this day.

The Hoyo line began in Cuba in 1865, and was begun by Don José Gener y Batet. He originally came to Cuba from Spain in 1831, and before starting the line worked on the tobacco plantations in Pinar del Rio before starting his own factory in Habana, Cuba. The line quickly became one of the most popular lines in Cuba, and in a short time had the largest factory. Hoyo de Monterrey is translated as “hole of Monterrey”, and refers to the area in which the tobacco for this cigar came from. It was considered one of the best areas. Eventually the company was sold to Fernando Palicio who continued to make the Hoyo line along with the other lines they took on, Belinda and Punch. When the revolution came about in Cuba he sold the line to the Villazon Family, who was making cigars in Tampa, Florida at the time. There they continued to make the line from Honduran tobacco before being bought by another General. The company was run by Frank Llaneza at the time, and continued to be run by him till General Cigars bought them. Eventually the lines production was moved down to Honduras, and now it is made from tobacco from more than just Honduras.
My favorite cigar in the non-Cuban Hoyo line is the Excalibur Epicure Maduro. The Epicure measures 5 ¼” and has a 50 ring gauge. The cigar is composed of tobacco from four prominent growing nations, and from some of the best regions in those nations as well I imagine. The cigar begins with a Maduro Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and binder, and has filler tobacco from the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua. The factory in which the cigar is made is the Honduras American Tabaco S. A. in Cofradia, Honduras just outside of Danli. This is the same factory in which all Punch and Sancho Panza cigars are made. The Excalibur Epicure Maduro is truly a classic, and great to look at. The wrapper is a very dark brown, definitely maduro in coloring, and has a great cap to it. There are few veins if any present in the cigar, and it has a wonderful aroma of coffee, cocoa, wood and earth. It is slightly oily and toothy to touch as well.
As I light up the Excalibur Epicure Maduro cigar I am immediately greeted by flavors of coffee and cedar. The flavors are easy to pick out, and they stay with you on the long finish. As I get further into the first third I begin to pick up more notes of herbs, spices and rich chocolate. The cigar has a beautiful burn to it, it is perfect, and the ash is a very light gray. The ash is very strong and holding on to the cigar firmly, and it is producing a nice amount of smoke. The flavors are very pleasant and the cigar is a solid medium in body.
When I get into the second third the first thing that I notice is that the ash on this cigar is not letting go anytime soon, and I imagine that I will be able to hold on to it till the final third easily. I am still picking up those wonderful flavors of coffee, cedar and chocolate, but the herbal notes have faded some. The spice notes increase some in this third, but the cigar is still a solid medium. The flavors have not changed dramatically so far, but it is just delivering the wonderful flavors consistently, and that is what is most important, it is a solid smoke.
I am in the final third of the Excalibur Epicure Maduro now, and that beautiful ash is still there. The burn line on this cigar is still absolutely perfect, and it is producing a nice amount smoke after each draw. The flavors are fairly similar to that of the second third, and it is very enjoyable. The cigar is rich in cocoa, spice and coffee notes, and it makes the cigar perfect for me anytime of the day. The Excalibur Epicure Maduro is a cigar that is great to give to any smoker, and is a great everyday cigar. The cigar still has a spicy wood finish, and when I put the cigar down it was still smoking cool and wonderful.

Some might not have great things to say about this cigar because it is made by General, and because it is a cigar that is easily accessible and not boutique, but that is just silly. This is a cigar that always delivers, and never bores. It is not overly complex in the flavor department, but the flavors it does have are wonderful throughout and never dull. With flavors being consistent throughout the cigar has to be bunched just perfectly, and this cigar was. You could never go wrong with this cigar, and even though I do not smoke them often or have them in my humidor it does not mean it is bad. This is a cigar that every retailer should carry, and it will move. All the shops I recommend carry these smokes, and there is a reason for that. This is a consistent cigar aimed for every smoker. If I were to buy one cigar from General Cigars this Excalibur Epicure Maduro would be it, and following this it would be the Punch Uppercut. A 90 rated cigar that will always deliver. The Excalibur Epicure Maduro is a great cigar to share with your friends who are big time smokers, and a cigar that is great for newcomers as well.

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Thanks for a super review Seth!

 

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