(Size: 4″ x 30 — Time: 30mins)
Here’s a quick little review of the small cigar that I kick-started yesterday’s herf with, the Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo du Maire. It’s a small cigar, and seemed to fit the early morning mood quite nicely – start small, work up!
Appearance /15
The du Maire is the baby of the Le Hoyo line-up (indeed, it’s the baby of the HdM and Cuban ranges in general). Despite it’s small size, the wrapper leaf used on this example was quite attractive. It was fairly smooth, and had a nice sheen to it. It definitely felt diminutive in the hand, but it was quite firm to the touch. Overall, this example looked and felt better than one might expect of a cigar this small. 13
Smoking Characteristics /25
On lighting the du Maire it became obvious that the reason for the firm touch was that there was perhaps just a touch too much tobacco in this small stick. The draw was slightly tight at the outset, and whilst it eased up during the middle section, it tightened up quite considerably as it finished. A relight was required towards the end, but otherwise this cigar burned very well, keeping a nice, straight burn line from start to finish. 21
Flavour /25
This cigar initially started off with honey and nut flavours predominating. These were present for much of the stick, with the initial honey fading to the background and allowing the nutty flavour to come to the fore, along with some fresh cedar. Towards the finish of the smoke, however, these flavours subsided and were replaced with something a little more fruity and floral. 21
Overall Impression /35
Overall, I think that the Le Hoyo du Maire packs quite a lot into such a small, slow burning cigar. The half-hour smoke time is more than one would anticipate by looking at this little ‘entreacto’. There is a fairly clear development of flavours, and the flavours present are pleasant, if not overly strong (you would struggle to suggest this was anything more than the top end of mild). In many respects, this is a perfect summer morning cigar – short enough that you can enjoy it after breakfast and before work if you plan your day well. 32
Grand total… 87/100
The Cigar Monologues 