"These have changed big time!"

Unfortunately like most cigars made in Miami, it s a matter of time until the quality slips. When these were released a few years back, they were good, around an 88 to 92 rating. Now the tobacco has changed, and they don t look, burn, smoke, nor taste the way they did. Cheaper tobacco and quality makes these sadly harsh and bitter now. Don t waste your time on these over priced and over hyped hipster sticks.

"True pleasure"

Four boxes of these showed up at the shop last week. I opened one for the show case and was caught off guard by the aroma. It screamed into my nostrils Cuban, but we can’t have Cubans so I read all the accompanying packaging information then did an internet search to learn more. I discovered a new to me wrapper type called Deflorada. So now I got to light one. Wow! That first taste was almost unreal. When searching for the nuances of a blend I allow the smoke to rest on my taste buds while breathing through my nose giving time for the distinct flavors to reveal their identities to me. By the fifth draw on this cigar I realized it was the Cuban Hoyo Epicure #2 where I had once before experienced this fine balance between a well-aged smooth tobacco taste and the minor essence of North Carolina Sourwood Honey. About midway through this cigar I went and pulled all the unopened boxes from the shelf, bought them and now search for more. I full well intend to put several hundred of these delightfully blended cigars on a shelf in my humidor. Considering the normal aspects the industry takes into consideration as well as my own contemplations I have no problem rating this cigar with a solid 95.