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Cigar Review: Hoyo de Monterrey Executives

I was looking around in my local J&R store the other day for my next bundle to try, and I wondered over to my the shelf where they had my old favorites in the Hoyo de Monterrey brand.

I started smoking real cigars way back when in 1992 when I was in grad school at USC. Back then cigars were just getting popular, so lots of new brands were coming onto the market every month. We were on a pretty tight budget, but it was fun to be able to try so many different types of cigars.

After trying the good and the bad, I settled on the Excalibur Maduros. They were reasonably priced (like $6 per stick back then), they tasted good, they lasted a long time, and they were very consistent. All this was important because I was on a one cigar per week budget.

After a few years however, when the cigar boom hit fever pitch in the mid 90s, the quality of those cigars cratered. I dont just mean they were bad. I mean they approached being rancid. I understand that a lot of cigars went through that during that period, because demand was so high the manufacturers were sacrificing quality, using inferior tobacco leaves, and rushing them to market. So I stopped smoking them and have never really gone back with any regularity. My feeling right now is they are priced way too high.

But when I wandered over to the Hoyo shelf I found a cigar that I hadn’t seen before. The Hoyo Executives. They caught my eye because they looked a lot like the Excaliburs, but they were priced a lot less. So I bought a pack for a test drive.

And I wasnt disappointed.

They’re a 54 ring gauge and 7 inches long with a maduro wrapper,and they were only $16 for a package of five cigars.

The Review

Criteria #1: Price The Hoyo de Monterrey Executives are sold in packs of five for $16.50. So that puts them in the $3.30 range. They’re a dollar or so a stick more expensive than the J&R Alternatives that I like, but they’re still well within the guidelines for a cheap cigar. (You can get them online for $15 per pack) So these cigars earn the full 5 stars.

Criteria #2: Taste These taste pretty good actually. They’re robust and they taste better than most of the cheap cigars Ive tried. The do burn hot of you smoke them too fast or if you smoke them too short, but most cigars do that. The only issue I had with these is that some of them had a bitter aftertaste. So give this cigar 3 stars.

Criteria #3: Quality The quality of these cigars was excellent. The caps were affixed properly so they cut nicely. I usually use  Table Top Quad Guillotine and V-Cut which is one of my favorite cigar cutter. They burned evenly, stayed lit, and didn’t unravel. I was even able to get some really long ash going, which normally isn’t possible with cheap cigars. About what I expect from a cheap cigar from a major manufacturer. I give this cigar 5 stars for quality.

Criteria #4: Consistency Only one complaint in terms of consistency. A couple of these left me with a slightly bitter aftertaste, and it didn’t seem to related to smoking them too fast. Otherwise these cigars were quite consistent, again what Id expect from a major manufacturer. So I give them 4 stars for consistency.

Criteria #5: Wife Factor Good but not great. I thought they’d be at least a 4, but she says no. So I give them 3 stars.

Total: 20 out of a possible 25 Stars. This is a good score, and I’m planning on working these into my normal rotation. I highly recommend them.

Happy smoking!

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Cigar Accessories: Travel Humidor

The best travel humidor really provides the cigar enthusiast and connoisseur the luxury of having their cigars wherever they go.  When you are traveling on the road or jetting off on vacation, this portable humidor enables you to keep your favorite cigars fully protected and in a proper environment.

Are there any differences from travel to desk humidor?

Yes, there are some minor differences. Mostly you’ll see various sizes for portability, and a different type of shell covering on the outside for protection.  Also, some travel humidors have a thick foam lining with slots to accommodate various cigar sizes, while others still are equipped with the cedar lining.

How many cigars does a travel humidor hold?

Typically they range from 2 or 3 cigars to 30 or 40 cigars in a case.

This type can come in a variety of outer casings and styles to match your personal sense of style or purpose. They can be hard wood, with veneer, aluminum, metal, etc. With such variety in aesthetics, and range of pricing and styling, you can pretty much find one for any type of travel.

Choosing A Quality Cigar Travel Humidor

When you’re looking at all the selections of these, you want to not only have an aesthetically pleasing design, but you especially want to go for one that does its job of protecting your cigars, and sustaining some semblance of proper atmosphere.

Taking into account the type of travel, how long the trip is, where you’re going, etc. you’ll find a number of materials of outer shells, interior linings and protection, and humidifying devices to pick the best suited humidor for the situation.

A few things to look for:

Outer Case

Regardless of the fact it might be a less utilized humidor, you still want a proper casing which will protect your cigars. As mentioned earlier, it can be aluminum, wood, and in some cases you can find leather covered humidors.Very important, it should perform a proper seal when closed. It has to be air tight.

Lining

Again, you’ll find cedar linings and custom foam linings. That is fine. You do want to be able to pack your cigars in the humidor so they fit snuggly in the case. You don’t really want them to be rolling around in there.

Humidifier Device

Even though this is usually a smaller case, it’s important to still equip it with proper humidification. Make sure it comes with its own humidifier.

This should get you really familiar with what a travel humidor is, their uniqueness and how to go about selecting the perfect one for your trips. Now you don’t have to be without your favorite cigars when on those business trips or vacations. They’ll be right along with you and in perfect protection.

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Cigar Review: JR Cigars Montecristo #2 Alternative

Theres one thing that I want to caution you about as I move forward with the reviews of these Alternatives and thats that they arent.

I mean seriously. The real Montecristo #2 is thought by many to be the finest cigar produced in the world. I smoked them often when I was traveling to Europe frequently for work several years ago, and I dont recall ever having a bad one. Its a powerful cigar though, not meant for beginners or people with an empty stomach. Ask me how I know. LOL

If I recall correctly when I was in Europe they were priced in the 5-6 euro range, which wasnt that bad because I could sneak a few onto my expense reports each trip. This is in start contrast to seeing them just a couple of years ago in a poorly humidified smoke store across the border from me in Windsor, Canada for are you ready? $45 dollars each. So they define the term premium cigar.

These Alternatives arent really alternatives to the real thing. Theyre just cheap cigars in all shapes and sizes that bear only a fleeting resemblance to their namesakes.

And the Montecristo #2 Alternative is no different.

One difference is that the real Montecristo #2 is a true Piramide style, while the J&R version is a Belicoso. (Big difference, which Ill explain in another post next week). Another is that the real Monte has a dark wrapper thats almost a maduro color, while the Alternative has a standard issue natural wrapper.

So the point is, the Alternatives are a lot different, and I dont plan to go into a lot of detail on the hows and whys going forward. I want to focus on reviewing the cigars.

The Review

Criteria #1: Price

The Montecristo #2 J&R Alternatives come in a bundle of 20 cigars, and at my local J&R shop they retail for $38.95. So my math says that works out to $1.95 a stick. Very affordable and at under $2 each this cigar earns a full 5 stars.

Criteria #2: Taste

Taste has been the most pleasant surprise with this cigar, and thats what has made it my favorite Cheap Cigar (for now) and daily driver. Its a mild smoke, and it doesnt burn too fast or too hot. It has a pleasant taste even when I smoke it farther down than I should. I deduct one star because there has to be something better, even though I havent found it yet. I give this cigar 4 stars.

Criteria #3: Quality

Cutting can be an issue with cheaper torpedo shaped cigars. Cut too much and the damn wrapper unravels and the cigar falls apart. Dont cut enough and you get a hot and intense draw thats pretty unpleasant. Im pleased to say that the Monte Alternative is a good quality cigar. The cap (where you cut) is generally on straight and right, so you can easily see where the maximum cut line is. It stays lit and burns evenly, and produces a nice ash. Theyre well constructed as well and dont look at all like cheap cigars. I give this cigar 5 stars for quality.

Criteria #4: Consistency

This has been another pleasant surprise. Cigar after cigar after cigar theyre all the same. I cant recall that Ive ever had a bad one. Thats a great feature of these cigars, because from my perspective it means theres no risk and no uncertainty, especially with an extremely limited cigar budget. I cant say enough good things about this model! I give it 5 stars for consistency..

Criteria #5: Wife Factor

Alas, this is where every cheap cigar has failed. Utterly and completely failed. I have yet to find a single one that passes this test. Sure some are better than others, but since Ive been smoking cigars now for two decades, and my wife often buys them for me, she can sniff out a cheap one in a nanosecond. She can even tell the difference between good cigars, my Alternatives, and the really bad machine made cigars. Sadly, the best score that these Monte Alternatives can earn is 3 stars.

Total: 22 out of a possible 25 Stars. This is an excellent cheap cigar that I highly recommend.

The link to buy them online is here: Montecristo #2 Alternatives

Happy smoking!