Something Old, Something New

Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Legend

Size: 5.25 x 50 ("Challenger")

Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican

Wrapper: Havana-seed Connecticut

Price: $7.50

The HdM Excalibur was invented a while back--the 1970's, I believe-- because the public wanted the vintage taste of Hoyo de Monterrey in a milder, more palatable form. Fast-forward 40 years, and now the few cigar smokers left in America are in love with stronger, spicier, more flavorful smokes.  

So, introduced in 2008, the Excalibur Legend is being billed as the full-bodied younger brother of the now-classic mild Excalibur.  You can easily spot the Legend by the red stripe on the band.

I have no idea how one of these offshoots found its way into my humidor, but I'm always game for something new, so I gave it a taste.  Full-bodied is a little exaggerated, in my opinion.  I would say this cigar has hints of spice, medium body, a long finish, but a stub nose.  

It was a good cigar, paired well with a strong bourbon.  Would also do fine with a light scotch like Ardmore. It's very similar, in fact, to the traditional Hoyo de Monterrey.  I suspect General Cigar Co. may have just printed some new bands and slapped them on the same cigar they've been selling for decades.

Ramon Allones Reserve Corona Gorda
Size: 6.12 x 50
Wrapper: Ecuador Sumatra
Tobacco: Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic
Price: $5.50

I picked up a box of 20 Ramon Allones Reserve cigars on CBid for $43, including shipping. It was a gamble; I had never tried one before, but I was hopeful since they are made by Villazon and come in the same dark Sumatra wrapper that made the Flor de Allones so good.

I broke open the box after 4 months of aging, and handed these cigars out at a poker game to celebrate my son's birth. Someone asked me if they were any good and I responded, "I don't know. They're a lot like my son, I don't know much about him yet either." Hopefully, the cigars are an omen, because they turned out well.

They have the same trademark taste profile common to most Villazon brands: just a hair shy of full-bodied; burn well; loose draw; lots of earth and gentle spice, as opposed to "pepper" spice. Smoke well with a single malt scotch.

I sort of feel that if you remove the bands, it would be hard to distinguish between HdM, Excalibur, Punch, Bolivar, Ramon Allones, and Flor de Allones in a blind tasting. If I were to rank the Villazon brands right now, it would be in this order:

1. Flor de Allones (tie)
1. Punch Gran Puro (tie)
3. Ramon Allones Reserve
4. Bolivar
5. Hoyo de Monterrey
6. Punch
7. Excalibur
8. JR Ultimate
9. Belinda
10. El Rey Del Mundos

HdM Excalibur No. 1
Size: 7.2 x 54
Filler: Honduras/Nicaragua
Price: $6 (retail); $3.65 (online)

Every B&M I've ever visited has sold the Excalibur cigar, either the original, the 1066 Dark Knight, or both. Until recently, I never pulled the trigger on this brand, although I had tried try a couple JR Alternative-Excaliburs, which I thought were some of the better JR Alts available. But a few weeks ago, I got 10 Excalibur No. 1s for just over $2 each as part of a sampler on CigarBid; they were paired with 10 5 Vegas Golds in the same size.

The cigar itself is a beauty, with a light golden brown wrapper and a consistent, firm texture throughout. The wrapper is prone to tiny tears, but that has never caused a bad burn. I usually notice some harshness in the first 1/4th of the stick, before it mellows into an exceptionally smooth smoke; followed occasionally by a small spicy kick in the final act.

Unfortunately, this cigar has a few things going against it right from the start: (A) It is too big. It takes nearly 2 hours to burn one, and after an hour I usually start to experience the law of diminishing returns on any smoke. (B) It is milder than I generally prefer.

However, even with these two strikes against it, I have grown to enjoy this cigar in certain settings, such as the 90-minute drive from Bowling Green to Sarasota, FL with the windows down and the sunroof open... or with three shots of Glennfiddich and a bowl game on a big screen tv. It is a good choice when you have want a prolonged, relaxing experience.

Mister B's Handmade Cigars

You can't get many handmade cigars for $0.50 apiece, so I ordered a few bundles from JRCigars.com when they became available. Apparently, I'm not the only one who's had this epiphany, because more often then not these cigars are out of stock.

First, it just can't be ignored, these are some ugly stogies. The wrappers are often wrinkled, vein-y (is that a word?), and bumped. That's probably why they're sold at such low prices. But most of them smoke well, because as we all know, the wrapper rarely affects taste or burn. They are loosely wrapped concoctions, with fair but not great quality tobacco. On the plus side, they smoke fast when you don't have much time, but they also tend to go out quickly if you don't attend to them often. I don't particularly care for the taste of the naturals, but the maduros were smooth.

I may try them again, but for now I'd rather pay a little extra ($1.25) for the JR Alternatives






Macanudo Crystal Cafe

James and Laura gave me a box of 8 for my 30th birthday. & let me say, these are easily the best Macanudos I've ever had. Smooth, evenly rolled, slow-burning, perhaps a bit too mild -- but definitely a Ritzy cigar. They come in airtight glass tubes with foam-padded, gold-tasselled corks at the top. I probably can't justify the price (nearly $5 apiece), but a very good smoke. Redeemed the Macanudo brand name, in my opinion -- just don't give me anymore of those damn Hampton Courts!

















Excalibur Prensado (JR Alternative)

Another excellent heavy-bodied cigar from the JR Alternative line for the economically challenged. As good as -- if not maybe a tad better -- than the JR Ultimates.

OK, first the bad news:

JR Cigars has increased the price of a bundle of JR Alternatives by $5. So now, with shipping, the JR Montecristo #2 costs me $1.45 and the JR Punch Double Corona is $1.35. Still small potatoes compared to retail prices, but with a baby on the way and Michelle's impending unemployment, I'm pinching pennies like never before.

Now, the good news: I bought a bundle of 25 Consuegras, which are very high quality seconds from the makers of Punch, Hoyo de Monterrey, Excalibur, El Rey del Mundo, and JR Ultimates.

Mild, almost to the point of blandness sometimes, but they smoke very cool and very long. I did notice some variability; that some cigars were smokier than others, and some more flavorful.

At this price, they are probably one of the best cigar bargains on the market.

Tonight, Let’s first talk about size:

For me, the perfect size of a "big" cigar is between 6 and 6.5" in length with a ring size of 50 (roughly the dimensions of the Montecristo #2). I call these my ballgame cigars because you can nurse them through a basketball game or at least half a football game. I’ve had good cigars that were larger (like a Punch Double Corona), but after a while even the good ones can become overkill.

A medium cigar should be about 5.5" in length, with a ring size of 44. These last 30-45 minutes and are perfect when you’re grilling chicken in the backyard. Examples of these are the Riata 400 series, the Fuente Breva Royale, and just about anything in the "corona" size.

But I am still looking for my "halftime cigar", something that tastes good and lasts less than 20 minutes. I don’t like cigarellos because they’re too small and taste like cigarettes. I’m thinking about trying some petite coronas or petite panatelas. I haven’t bought any yet but I’d like to try the JR Ultimate Habinito, Partagas Black Pronto, and Aristoff Cigarito.

Another possibility would be Consuegra No. 9 Rothschild –although they may be a tad too big. (Consuegras are the bundled segundos and production overruns made at the Villazon factory in Honduras - the makers of Punch, Hoyo de Monterrey, Excalibur, El Rey del Mundo, JR Ultimates, etc.)

Now, on to the reviews:



1) Guantanamera Habana

My friend Anthony smuggled a few of these small Cuban cigars back from his vacation in Mexico. Although it was not a change-your-world cigar, it did share many of the characteristics of good Cubans: a slow cool burn; a mild relaxing flavor; and very little excess smoke.

2) Arturo Fuente Breva Royale
Size: 5.5" by 42
Price: $1.90

Nothing too fancy about this one, except it had a very nice golden brown wrapper. Very smooth, but it also committed two cigar sins: the second half burned too hot and bits of tobacco leaf flaked off into my mouth.


















3) Riata 400
Size: 4.5" by 44
Price: $0.80

These are tagged as "the best selling bundled Honduran cigar". They are made with medium filler leaves, rather than long filler. I’m about half way through the bundle of 20 I ordered. A very average cigar, but at a great price. They are well constructed, burn slowly, and don’t get too hot. Not bad tasting, although there is nothing particularly distinctive about them.

I should note that I ran across one bad apple, though – a hopelessly plugged cigar that wouldn’t draw and tasted downright foul. It was the only mar on an otherwise terrific night of tournament poker (I came in 1st place out of 50 at the Fox & Hound Pub).