Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo des Dieux

[Professor Twain]

This Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo des Dieux is from a 2002 box, code RSE DIC 02. It is a Corona Grande, 6 1/8 inches long, with a 42 ring gauge. This is a box that I picked up through one of Rob and Lisa's specials. I smoked the Hoyo this morning with my coffee while enjoying the paper out by my pool.

This is the third cigar that I have smoked from this box, and they have been completely consistent. All are beautifully rolled, and have a mild odor of sweetness and spice. When I clipped the cap I saw a nice little divot, so given the beautiful appearance I immediately felt confident that this was an expertly rolled cigar.

The cigar lit and burned smoothly throughout, requiring no touchups, and the draw was just right. From the start I got a unique taste of cooking spices, in the context of a mild, toasty tobacco taste. The first flavor that I identified was a sweet ginger. At different times, this cigar reminded me of gingerbread cookies, pumpkin pie, and cinnamon rolls, but these flavors werre subtle.

This cigar was mild in strength during the first third, but it build to a mild-medium strength during the second and third segments of the cigar. I didn't notice any marked changes in flavor over the course of smoking this cigar--rather, there was a slight building of strength, and at different times my attention was drawn to different variants of sweetness and spice.

In Rob's brief review in the Shop, he notes the presence of chocolate tastes. I didn't notice those, in contrast to the mocha type tastes that are very strong to me in Montes and VRs.

For me this is a great cigar to enjoy in the morning, when I am looking for something mild but flavorful. I could also see smoking this as the warmup to an evening full of stronger cigars.

Overall, I would give this cigar 4 out of a possible 6 smoke rings. This is a cigar that is pleasant, enjoyable, and that I am sure I will enjoy many times, but for me it doesn't merit star status. I may make this cigar a Sunday morning tradition, a great way to start my day off right.

Thanks to Rob and Lisa for making this outstanding cigar available.

[Tampa1257]

Very good review Professor.

[El Presidente]

Great review PT

At their best the HDM Dieux is alongside the Juan Lopez Seleccion No 1 as the finest of all Light bodied Habanos cigars.

Do me a favour with a follow up review but this time, take the cigar out of the humidor on Saturday....a full 24 hrs before lighting it up on Sunday morning. I have a humidor for my Dieux and JL Seleccion No 1 which I run at 60% RH as I find that the flavour intensity/complexity in these two cigars is magnified 3 fold as opposed to my standard cigar humidity levels of 65%. Try it ;-)

[Sir Diggamus]

Great review Professor!!

You made these sound very yummy!!

[Professor Twain]

»

» Do me a favour with a follow up review but this time, take the cigar out

» of the humidor on Saturday....a full 24 hrs before lighting it up on

» Sunday morning. I have a humidor for my Dieux and JL Seleccion No 1 which

» I run at 60% RH as I find that the flavour intensity/complexity in these

» two cigars is magnified 3 fold as opposed to my standard cigar humidity

» levels of 65%. Try it ;-)

Great suggestion, Rob. I will give this a try, since I do keep my humidors at 65%.

Do you also recommend this for the JR Seleccion #2?

[El Presidente]

» »

» » Do me a favour with a follow up review but this time, take the cigar

» out

» » of the humidor on Saturday....a full 24 hrs before lighting it up on

» » Sunday morning. I have a humidor for my Dieux and JL Seleccion No 1

» which

» » I run at 60% RH as I find that the flavour intensity/complexity in

» these

» » two cigars is magnified 3 fold as opposed to my standard cigar humidity

» » levels of 65%. Try it ;-)

»

» Great suggestion, Rob. I will give this a try, since I do keep my

» humidors at 65%.

»

» Do you also recommend this for the JR Seleccion #2?

No...I just run these two cigars at 60% RH. I happened upon this by accident. Last year I went canoeing at Harry's Hut with my son and my two brothers. I took in my travel humidor a range of cigars including JLS1/HDM Dieux/JLS2/CR/BBF/Partagas SDC No 1 &3.

Like often happened I returned having not smoked the CR/HDM Dieux and JLS1. Opening the travel humidor 3 months later, the cigars were OK but on the dry side. Over a weekend I knocked off the CR/JLS1/Dieux. The CR was good but both the Corona Gorda's were exceptional. Since then I have run them in a drier environment and have just noticed a real intensity in flavour and complexity. I have done the same with fuller bodied cigars but have not had the same startling results.

[shrink]

this cigar reminded me of gingerbread cookies, pumpkin pie, and cinnamon rolls

Nice review, Professor. The flavor profile you describe hits the mark. Just don't forget to mention the underlying woody core. My SEP02 have gone into something of a "sick" period in the last few months, and I'm waiting until next year. But when they're ripe, they reveal a honeyed sweetness that makes them one of my "dessert" cigars.

Rob, what you say about lowering the humidity for some smokes is spot on. I find this to be particularly true for the smaller ring cigars, especially the lonsdales and coronas grande. Too much humidity "muddies" the flavor profile and can cause draw problems as well.

Some of those that I keep a little drier include:

Partagas lonsdales

Boli Inmensas

Diplomaticos No. 1

Raphael Gonzales lonsdales

La Gloria Cuban Medaille No. 1

Partagas Serie du Connaisseur 1, 3, and 3.

Hoyo des Dieux

Sancho Panza Molinos

Punch SS No. 1

Cohiba Lanceros

[cigardawg]

I really enjoy the des Dieux. Probably my favorite Hoyo de Monterrey period. I am smoking on a box from 2000 (probably one of the few with cigars that will draw :-P )...they are wonderful. Lots of woodsy and sweet flavors...kind of like dessert. My second box from '02 is "maturing."

Thanks for the review.

[Moglman]

» Rob, what you say about lowering the humidity for some smokes is spot on.

» I find this to be particularly true for the smaller ring cigars,

» especially the lonsdales and coronas grande.

»

» Partagas lonsdales

» Boli Inmensas

» Diplomaticos No. 1

» Raphael Gonzales lonsdales

» La Gloria Cuban Medaille No. 1

» Partagas Serie du Connaisseur 1, 3, and 3.

» Hoyo des Dieux

» Sancho Panza Molinos

» Punch SS No. 1

» Cohiba Lanceros

...and MC Esp #1

I'm in complete agreement. While I store and age at 65%, most small ring cigars with any length I will remove from the humidor or coolidor a few hours ahead of smoking. Makes all the difference in complexity, flavor, burn and draw.

[xibbumbero]

The HdM Des Diex is my fav of the Le Hoyo series. My cab is from 03 and is smoking XLNT.

I'm in the process of PU a 06 Cab for long term aging.

BTW,Nice review. X:-)

[Well Armed]

I find the DD to be extremely intense in taste. It may not kick your ass but it will blow your mind when they show you the motion of the ocean. I find myself smoking more and more of them. I love the size.

[josie67]

The Hoyo DD is one of my alltime favorite cigars and by far my favorite of the entire Hoyo line. I too have been keeping all my cigars in a slightly drier environment (62-64% RH), and I find that the flavors seem more intense and the tight draw rate has plummeted.

[Van55]

Damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn amn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn amn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn amn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn amn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn amn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn amn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn amn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn!

Why do people who find hidden treasure have to tell everyone about their find? The fewer of us who know about gems like Hoyo des Dieux and JL #1 the better, lest they be discovered and become scarce!

Rob, please delete this entire thread!

[Professor Twain]

» Why do people who find hidden treasure have to tell everyone about their

» find? The fewer of us who know about gems like Hoyo des Dieux and JL #1

» the better, lest they be discovered and become scarce!

»

» Rob, please delete this entire thread!

Don't worry Van, I posted a negative review on cigars-review.org to throw the masses off the trail.