It kinda caught me off guard how slow this cigar was burning. I was about an hour and twenty minutes in and only halfway done. The burn was pretty wavy and I was tempted to touch it up a few times but let it run its course and it started burning razor sharp after the halfway point. The draw was just a tad looser that I normally like but the quality and quantity of smoke was unreal. The end kinda left my head spinning and I'm glad I had eaten before I started this review or I would have been in trouble. If you enjoy slow burning, strong, rich cigars I highly recommend picking up a few to try.
This was a truly wonderful experience. This cigar is box worthy several times over. Construction was nearly perfect as well as draw and burn. I really feel if it was closer to full i would have been more happy but that is simply a personal problem between me and the cigar. All personal problems aside, go buy and smoke this cigar.
The Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No 2 Reserva Cosecha 2012 is the latest in the annual line of Reserva cigars to be released from Habanos S.A. It was debuted on the first night of the 18th Habanos Festival on February 29th. These are some of the most exclusive and expensive cigars that come out of Cuba. Hoyo de Monterrey was the only national brand to not have a Reserva release prior to this year.
The Nestor Miranda Collection was released this year (2014). The Connecticut is a rebranded version of the Nestor Miranda Special Selection Connecticut. The blend is the same, so it’s nothing more than a rebranding of that cigar.
This was a really good cigar, probably my favorite Altadis release in recent history. These were just good traditional flavors that were very balanced at every turn. I think these are ready to smoke right now, and have some short-term aging potential to really bring out the bready flavors. The construction was spot on with the draw and smoke production, and never had to light again. I'm glad I have a couple more of these and plan on smoking another very soon.
I had high expectations going into this cigar with it being the 115th anniversary and all the hype over the last year. I have to say it did not disappoint as I enjoyed the flavor profile from beginning to end. I had to touch up the burn once or twice but overall it performed outstandingly. While the cigar is on the pricey side I would happily light up another given the chance. Highly recommend this cigar.
The Encore Majestic is the penultimate cigar smoking experience for me. Good looking, well constructed with a very good draw and burn, this smoking experience left me wanting nothing more than what I had. Easy to smoke, enjoyable to my palette and relaxing yet interesting, the Majestic maintained it’s great construction without need for touch-ups while producing a nice amount of bluish white smoke. The flavors were there right from the start with great progression and a weaving type quality that kept me very interested. It hits all my sweet spots of earthiness, chocolate and coffee, citrus and even a bit of nuttiness mixed in from time to time. I don’t buy a lot of boxes of cigars because I really do like variety but I dare say this is one cigar that will have a permanent place on my list of box worthy cigars.
This cigar while the first two thirds had a similar profile this for sure wasn't a bad thing. Enjoyed this cigar from beginning to end and always happy for that next puff. I have smoked plenty of the Julius Caesar in other sizes and have to say this perfecto was a treat. If you have a Diamond Crown lounge near you pick one up!
Although not overly complex, this cigar was more than what I expected. I have smoked a few RASS in the past and did not recall them being this good. Smooth, rich, creamy and very enjoyable sums up this cigar quite well. The appearance of the cigar on the pre-light may have led many aficionados to pass on this cigar (me included), but this is the perfect example of "don't judge a book by it's cover." I'll certainly be seeking more of these out.
Muestra de Saka is a collection of different cigar blends from Steve Saka of Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust, each to be released at separate times throughout the next year. It was unveiled at the 2016 IPCPR and Muestra de Saka translated means “Sample of Saka".

