Hoyo de Monterrey is the name of two brands of premium
cigar, one produced on the island of
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
for
Habanos SA
Habanos S.A. is a Cuban manufacturing company of tobacco that controls the promotion, distribution, and export of premium cigars and other tobacco products for Cuba worldwide. It was established in 1994.
Ownership of Habanos S.A. is split equa ...
, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company and the other produced in
Honduras by
General Cigar Company
General Cigar Company is the largest manufacturer of premium cigars in the world. It is a subsidiary of Scandinavian Tobacco Group with North American headquarters located in Richmond, Virginia.
Company history
In 1961 General Cigar, which was ...
, now a subsidiary of
Swedish Match.
History
In 1831, Don José Gener y Batet emigrated to Cuba from
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
at the age of thirteen, where he worked on his uncle's
plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
in
Vuelta Abajo
Vuelta Abajo (or Vueltabajo, literally: The lower roundtrip) is a geographic region in the Pinar del Río Province of Cuba. It lies in the extreme western part of the island, bordered on the north by the Sierra de los Órganos mountains. . Twenty years later, he would open his own cigar factory in
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. and begin producing his own cigar line, La Escepción. In 1865, after using his factory's profits to acquire one of the best tobacco farms in Vuelta Abajo, he registered a cigar line named for it: Hoyo de Monterrey.
Literally translated from
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
to
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
as "the Hole of Monterrey" in reference to the concave terrain favoured by growers of premium tobacco, the brand became popular, especially in the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
market and José Gener's factory subsequently became one of the largest factories in Cuba. In 1900, Gener died in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and his daughter Lutgarda Gener took over the business and it would stay in the family for another thirty years.
In 1931, the Gener family sold their cigar brands in order to focus more on their
sugarcane properties. The firm of Fernández, Palicio y Cía bought the Hoyo de Monterrey and La Escepción brands and added them to their impressive line-up, which already included
Punch
Punch commonly refers to:
* Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist
* Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice
Punch may also refer to:
Places
* Pun ...
and Belinda. Around this time, in the 1940s, the Le Hoyo series (along with the Chateaux series which would later be used to create the
Davidoff
Davidoff is a Swiss premium brand of cigars, cigarettes and smoker's accessories. The Davidoff cigarette brand has been owned by Imperial Brands after purchasing it in 2006. The non-cigarette portion of the Davidoff tobacco brand is owned by ...
cigar line) was created for Swiss distributor A. Dürr Co. After the death of partner Ramón Fernández, Fernando Palicio became sole proprietor of the business and by 1958 his cigar lines accounted for 13% of all Havana cigar exports.
After the
revolutionary government of Cuba unilaterally nationalised all the cigar manufactures in 1959, Fernando Palicio voluntarily left Cuba for Florida. He subsequently sold his cigar lines to the Villazon family, which continued to make Punch, Hoyo de Monterrey and Belinda cigars in their Tampa, Florida factory from Honduran tobacco for the American market.
Hoyo de Monterrey continued production in Cuba and in Honduras and is still a popular, globally marketed Cuban cigar line. Among
connoisseur
A connoisseur (French traditional, pre-1835, spelling of , from Middle-French , then meaning 'to be acquainted with' or 'to know somebody/something') is a person who has a great deal of knowledge about the fine arts; who is a keen appreciator o ...
s, the Epicure No. 2, Double Coronas and Le Hoyo series are particularly prized.
Being a globally marketed brand, Hoyo de Monterrey has been chosen for Habanos' annual ''Edición Limitada'' releases since 2000. The Particular had some production problems during the first Edición Limitada line-up in 2000, with few of the cigars getting out to vendors. This prompted Habanos to release it again the next year, the only Edición Limitada cigar so far to have had this happen. In 2004, a new size was added to the Hoyo de Monterrey line, the Petit Robusto, which also wore a slightly redesigned Hoyo de Monterrey
cigar band.
Available ''Vitolas'' in the Hoyo de Monterrey line
The following list of handmade ''
vitolas'' de salida (commercial ''vitolas'') within the Hoyo de Monterrey marque lists in order, their
ring gauge
A ring gauge, or ring gage, is a cylindrical ring of a thermally stable material, often steel, whose inside diameter is finished to gauge tolerance and is used for checking the external diameter of a cylindrical object.
Ring gauges are used for ...
/length in Imperial and Metric, their
Factory name and a colloquial description of size/shape:
''Vitolas''
* Coronations - 42 x 5.1" (16.67 x 129 mm), Marevas, Petit Corona
* Double Coronas - 49 x 7.6" (19.45 x 194 mm), Prominentes, Double Corona
* Palmas Extra - 40 x 5.5" (15.88 x 140 mm), Cremas, Corona
* Petit Robustos - 50 x 4" (19.84 x 102 mm), Petit Robustos, Petit Robusto
* Epicure No. 1 - 46 x 5.6" (18.26 x 143 mm), Coronas Gordas, Grand Corona
* Epicure No. 2 - 50 x 4.9" (19.84 x 124 mm), Robustos, Robusto
* Epicure Especial - 50 x 5.6" (19.84 x 141 mm), Gorditos, Robusto Extra
* Le Hoyo des Dieux - 42 x 6.1" (16.67 x 155 mm), Coronas Grandes, Long Corona
* Le Hoyo du Depute - 38 x 4.3" (15.08 x 110 mm), Trabucos, Short Panetela
* Le Hoyo du Gourmet - 33 x 6.7" (13.10 x 170 mm), Palmas, Slim Panetela
* Le Hoyo du Maire - 30 x 3.9" (11.91 x 100 mm), Entreactos, Small Panetela
* Le Hoyo de San Juan - 54 x 5.9" (21.43 x 150 mm), Geniales, Robusto
* Le Hoyo de Rio Seco - 56 x 5.5" (21.43 x 140 mm), Aromosos, Robusto Extra
''Edición Limitada''
* Particulares (2000 and 2001) - 47 x 9.3" (18.65 x 235 mm), Gran Corona, Giant Corona
* Pirámide (2003) - 52 x 6.1" (20.64 x 156 mm), Pirámides, Pyramid
* Epicure Especial (2004) - 50 x 5.6" (19.84 x 141 mm), Gorditos, Robusto Extra
* Regalos (2007) - 46 x 5.4" (18.26 x 137 mm), Regalos, Corona Extra
* Short Hoyo Pirámides (2011) - 46 x 5.3" (18.26 x 135 mm), Forum, Petit Pyramid
* Grand Epicure (2013) - 55 x 5.1" (21.83 x 130 mm), Montesco, Robusto
''Colección Habanos''
* Extravaganza (2003 and 2011) - 50 x 7.2" (19.84 x 184 mm), Nro. 109, Double Robusto
* Maravillas (2015) - 55 x 9.2" (21.83 x 233 mm), Maravillas, Giant Robusto
''Selección Habanos''
* Pirámide (2003) - 52 x 6.1" (20.64 x 156 mm), Pirámides, Pyramid
* Epicure No. 2 (2003) - 50 x 4.9" (19.84 x 124 mm), Robustos, Robusto
''Reserva''
* Epicure No. 2 - 50 x 4.9" (19.84 x 124 mm), Robustos, Robusto*
* HOYO DE MONTERREY DOUBLE CORONA'' - 49 x 7.5/8" (19.24 x 192 mm), Coronas, Large Corona*
''Habanos Añejados''
* Hermosos No. 4 (2015) - 48 x 5.0" (19.1 x 127 mm), Hermosos No. 4, Corona Extra
''La Casa Del Habano Exclusivo''
* Epicure de Luxe (2012) - 52 x 4.5" (20.64 x 115 mm), Mágicos, Petit Robusto
* Elegantes - 47 x 6.2" (18.65 x 158 mm), Tacos, Perfecto
''Réplica de Humidor Antiguo''
* Monterrey (2011) - 55 x 7.2" (21.83 x 182 mm), Maravillas No. 1, Double Robusto
''Duty Free and Travel Retail Series''
* Petit Robustos (2008) - 50 x 4" (19.84 x 102 mm), Petit Robustos, Petit Robusto
* Double Epicure (2010) - 50 x 6.1" (19.84 x 155 mm), Dobles, Robusto Extra
''Commemorative Humidors''
* Gran Piramides (2004) - 57 x 6.3" (22.6 x 160 mm), Gran Piramides, Pyramid
* Monterrey (2004) - 55 x 9.2" (21.83 x 233 mm), Diademas, Giant Perfecto
Trivia
*
Red Auerbach
Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was an American professional basketball coach and executive. He served as a head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Boston Celtics. ...
was famous for smoking a Hoyo de Monterrey "victory cigar" before the end of basketball games of the
Boston Celtics, the
NBA team he worked for as a coach and executive from 1950 to 1997 and again from 2001 until his death in 2006.
References
Further reading
* Min Ron Nee, ''An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars.'' Hong Kong: Interpro Business Corp., 2003.
External links
Official website of Habanos S.A.
See also
*
Cigar brands
This is an alphabetical list of cigar brands. Included is information about the company owning the brand name as well as a column allowing easy viewing of the source of that information.
If a brand name begins with the English word "The" or its S ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoyo De Monterrey
Habanos S.A. brands