Brands
Hoyo de Monterrey
Hoyo de Monterrey takes its name from a place, not a person: “Hoyo” denotes the hollow in which one of the most celebrated Vegas of the Vuelta Abajo lies, near San Juan y Martínez. The Catalan José Gener, who had come to Cuba as a thirteen-year-old in 1831 and worked his way up from plantation labourer to manufacturer, acquired the estate and registered the eponymous marca in 1865. After his death in 1900, his daughter Lutgarda continued the business — one of the early women at the helm of a Habanos house.
Stylistically, Hoyo de Monterrey represents the lighter, more elegant school among the Cuban brands: aromatic but without force — traditionally a recommendation for the introduction to the world of Habanos. The most celebrated ambassador is the Epicure No. 2 in the Robusto format; the Le Hoyo series cultivates slimmer, spicier vitolas alongside it.
Like many Cuban brands, Hoyo de Monterrey has existed in duplicate since the break of 1959 to 1962: alongside the Cuban version stands a Honduran line of the same name, whose Excalibur range has achieved its own renown — the same name, two different cigars.