Hoyo Du Gourmet SOT SEP 2011 Weekend Review Competition

[99call]

Love this cigar. My overwhelming opinion post smoke, was that I would of happily bought this box, if is cost me £150 more, than it did

Quite an astringent funky white wood with the cold aroma. a hint of the black currant vanilla sweetness to come

1st 3rd     The first third was Welsh cakes or "teisen gri" Little iron skillet cooked currant filled soft biscuits, slow cooked in butter, and dusted with castor sugar to finish.  There is little whiffs of the white woods to come

2nd 3rd    This is everything you want from a cigar that truly evolves, every third switches it's course, but somehow all in step perfectly in sync.    Thick ample smoke with strong buttery white woods.  The best way I could describe this taste/aroma, is if you placed dried white peach, currants, vanilla in cedar box for a decade, and opened it for a deep inhale.  

3rd 3rd     Tannic white woods take over, along with wonderful clean tang. Still has lots of power, almost lemony finish.    This exemplifies a light to medium bodied cigar that can seem 'strong' as its so clean, amplified and distinct.   

I've had older Gourmet, and they were always a clear second to the Dieux, but I couldn't so easily say that about this box.   So sad to see the death of such blending.  95-96 point cigar easy

[TheMonk]

Great job, thanks!

[Fugu]

On 6.7.2018 at 12:56 PM, 99call said:

Welsh cakes or "teisen gri" Little iron skillet cooked currant filled soft biscuits, slow cooked in butter, and dusted with castor sugar to finish.

Peeking my interest - any receipe you'd have?

Am enticing and in its lifetime so underappreciated cigar. Thanks for reviewing it!

[99call]

1 hour ago, Fugu said:

Peeking my interest - any receipe you'd have?

Am enticing and in its lifetime so underappreciated cigar. Thanks for reviewing it!

Ha, yep, It's very simple.  a couple of key things to making good "Teisen gri"   

1- the heat of the skillet, a bit like pancakes, you want it reasonably hot, so you can get good deep brown colour doing 5mins either side

2- the dried currants actually have to have taste, so much dried fruit these days taste like, they've been swept off the floor.  

3- use good salty fresh butter

4- Accompanying beverage should be a cup of 'Yorkshire gold tea' with a splash of milk

enjoy

https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/welsh-cakes-recipe

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Taylors-Of-Harrogate-Yorkshire-Gold-Tea/21091437?athcpid=21091437&athpgid=athenaItemPage&athcgid=null&athznid=PWVAV&athieid=v0&athstid=CS002&athguid=466001f5-b55528e9-36ef3634f8d5610e&athena=true

 

[Fugu]

9 hours ago, 99call said:

Ha, yep, It's very simple.  a couple of key things to making good "Teisen gri"   

1- the heat of the skillet, a bit like pancakes, you want it reasonably hot, so you can get good deep brown colour doing 5mins either side

2- the dried currants actually have to have taste, so much dried fruit these days taste like, they've been swept off the floor.  

3- use good salty fresh butter

4- Accompanying beverage should be a cup of 'Yorkshire gold tea' with a splash of milk

enjoy

https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/welsh-cakes-recipe

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Taylors-Of-Harrogate-Yorkshire-Gold-Tea/21091437?athcpid=21091437&athpgid=athenaItemPage&athcgid=null&athznid=PWVAV&athieid=v0&athstid=CS002&athguid=466001f5-b55528e9-36ef3634f8d5610e&athena=true

 

That sounds great, will certainly try it out!

Many thanks, Goo

[Fugu]

Want to say a big thank you @99call for turning me on to these Teisen Gri! Just great, we loved them (though no fine caster sugar and no tea for the time being).

Now I can even perfectly relate to your cigar notes - haha!

all done in less than an hour

....all done in less than 10 minutes! 

[99call]

nice first batch mate, good skills

[PigFish]

Great review my friend.

Tannins seem to be noticeably absent in newer cigars. And while I don't miss the young tannic flavor, the development of those cigars prone to tannins always seemed to develop into better smokes in the end. Perhaps I am imagining all this, as over and over I espouse cigar individualism. Yet as a belief, I do think tannins 'resolve' themselves and develop over time, and tend to create a more complex older cigar.

All speculation... I enjoyed the review!

-Ray

[PigFish]

On 7/27/2018 at 12:52 PM, Fugu said:

Want to say a big thank you @99call for turning me on to these Teisen Gri! Just great, we loved them (though no fine caster sugar and no tea for the time being).

Now I can even perfectly relate to your cigar notes - haha!

all done in less than an hour

....all done in less than 10 minutes! 

Lady Piggy, walking by my office says, "looking at recipes?" As we scanned the thread together and read the recipe, she says, "Oh, scones made in a pan... Download it and I will make some."

She makes great scones, and scones or not, I cannot wait to try these, they look fantastic.

Thanks for the share guys! -Ray

[99call]

1 hour ago, PigFish said:

Great review my friend.

Tannins seem to be noticeably absent in newer cigars. And while I don't miss the young tannic flavor, the development of those cigars prone to tannins always seemed to develop into better smokes in the end. Perhaps I am imagining all this, as over and over I espouse cigar individualism. Yet as a belief, I do think tannins 'resolve' themselves and develop over time, and tend to create a more complex older cigar.

All speculation... I enjoyed the review!

-Ray

Always great to hear from you Ray.   Tannins up front, often equals a young cigar is 'difficult' or 'awkward' for people with A.D.D.   Much like the blending of the Party 898 being toned down massively since 08 

A difficult truism, at the deepest edge of epicurean endeavour is,.... we have to risk the possibility of what may be unapproachable in youth, for what may become fantastic when aged..................this is all changing. HSA's model is now.......  pleasant young,  and very nice with a few years,  rolling over to dead after 10yrs. 

I think this calls for a piece of performance art my favourite artist (Roman Signer).  Mr Signer has the guts and conviction of presenting something which on the face of is could easily be passed off as stupid, directionless, pointless whimsy..................but the trick is.........for some unknown reason his work is enduring, fabulous, and asks the viewer to work, to wonder, to introspect and find out why it seems to make sense!?      All of life doesn't have to be easy...............this increasingly seems to be a lost art.

 

[Fugu]

2 hours ago, PigFish said:

Lady Piggy, walking by my office says, "looking at recipes?" As we scanned the thread together and read the recipe, she says, "Oh, scones made in a pan... Download it and I will make some."

She makes great scones, and scones or not, I cannot wait to try these, they look fantastic.

Thanks for the share guys! -Ray

Do it, they are great. But tell Lady Piggy to be sparing with the baking powder (I personally can't stand it, always notice it). Taking half the amount (a half level tsp) as given in the recipe did fine (first run, see above). Second time I thought they could have risen a bit higher and took a full level tsp. Wasn't as good (stil fine), as this is always slightly masking the taste for me. As 99call said, good ingredients seem to be key, as these Welsh cakes live on the fine buttery taste of shortbread combined with that delicate currant aroma in the back. Really nice.

3 hours ago, PigFish said:

Yet as a belief, I do think tannins 'resolve' themselves and develop over time, and tend to create a more complex older cigar.

Hear, hear - a rare case of Piggy in the aging camp!

[earthson]

Drool all over that cigar! 

The disappearance of the du Gourmet is the action by HSA that showed me that yes, there is somebody asleep at the wheel. Release them in limited quantities, restrict it to 50 cabs only (), but don't out right ghost such a masterful vitola and blend, s.