Hoyo ICON Robusto

Hoyo de Monterrey is one of the oldest and most respected brands on the market today and with over 150 years’ experience they are one of the oldest cigar brands out there. Starting in Cuba it expanded production to Honduras in 1969 after the trade embargo was in place. In fact, they smuggled their Cuban tobacco seeds out the country in a diplomatic pouch! Hoyo de Monterrey joins an exclusive club by having the third honor of carrying the ICON release, right behind Macanudo and Punch. While Hoyo cigars are still made in Honduras, this particular cigar, which is produced in only one size, is handmade in the Dominican Republic. The blend starts with a core of Dominican Piloto long-fillers which is wrapped by a Dominican Corojo binder and a stunning Dominican Corojo wrapper, just like the kind Jose Gener grew in Cuba when the company was started in 1865. Medium in body, this smoke will have classic Cuban-esque flavors of cream, nuts, and cedar. Perfect for any time of day, enjoy this smoke with a classic Italian espresso.

Though tobacco is indigenous to Hispaniola, the tobacco industry in the Dominican Republic existed in the shadow of Cuba’s dominance through the 1960s. When the exodus of Cuban cigar makers began in the wake of the revolution, many decided the Dominican Republic would be ideal for the resumption of their livelihoods. Unrest in Nicaragua in the 1980s fueled the Dominican cigar industry further. The country now makes more than half of the premium cigars imported into the U.S.

The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid. Dominican puros were once unheard of as it was widely thought impossible to grow quality wrapper leaf on the island, but new growing techniques are now allowing some exceptional puros to be produced.