Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2 Reserva Cosecha

📌 Brand: Hoyo de Monterrey
📌 Line: Epicure No. 2 Reserva
📌 Size: Robusto (4 7/8" × 50)
📌 Weight: 12.6 g
📌 Age: 9 years
📌 Origin: Cuba

Tasting Notes

• Cream & Honey – Smooth sweetness with elegance

• Cedar – Classic Cuban woody core

• Almond – Nutty undertone adding refinement

• White Pepper – Gentle spice on the retrohale

First Impressions

The Epicure No. 2 Reserva shows off a dark, silky wrapper with a faint oily sheen. Pre-light aroma offers cedar, nuts, and sweet cream. Cold draw is perfect, delivering a preview of its refined complexity.

Smoking Experience

• First Third – Cream and cedar dominate with honeyed sweetness. Almonds peek through softly.

• Second Third – White pepper joins the mix, balancing the creaminess. Profile remains smooth and layered.

• Final Third – Pepper and cedar grow stronger, honey fades, and the finish is bold yet refined. Uneven burn requires a touch-up near the end.

Pairings

• Alcohol – Rémy Martin XO Cognac, with rich dried fruit, vanilla, and spice that elevate the cigar’s creamy nutty core.

• Tea – Taiwanese Oolong , floral and lightly roasted, complementing the cigar’s honeyed sweetness.

Music Pairing

“Little Wing” – Jimi Hendrix,

soulful and expressive, echoing the cigar’s creamy transitions.

Final Thoughts

The Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 Reserva is a refined Cuban robusto, creamy and elegant with honey, cedar, and almond complexity. A small burn issue at the end is the only flaw in an otherwise stellar smoke.

Final Score: 9/10
Why not a 10?
Uneven burn in the final third required a touch-up, keeping it just short of flawless.

Only cigars that deliver flawless draw, balance, flavour evolution, construction and satisfaction get a 10.