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A 13-Year-Old Catalan Boy and a Tobacco Field

If Cohiba is the cigar of revolution, Partagás the cigar of old souls, and Romeo y Julieta the cigar of gentlemen, Hoyo de Monterrey is the cigar of elegance: born in 1865 from a low-lying riverside tobacco field, it pioneered cigar naming through the concept of "terroir" and received Cigar Aficionado's highest-ever score of 99 points.

The story begins in 1831. Don José Gener y Batet (born in 1818 in Catalonia, Spain) immigrated to Cuba with his family at age 13 and worked on the Vuelta Abajo tobacco farm of his uncle, Miguel Jané. Legend has it that he was almost illiterate, but he compensated for his lack of education with an imposing, forceful presence and absolute commercial ambition.

In 1851, Gener borrowed money from his uncle and opened a small factory at Calzada del Monte No.1 in Havana, founding the La Escepción cigar brand. This was the opportunity of the era that he seized after the collapse of Cuba's tobacco monopoly in 1821. After La Escepción succeeded, he used the profits to purchase, in 1860, a low-lying riverside tobacco field in San Juan y Martínez in the Vuelta Abajo region.

The name of that land was "Hoyo de Monterrey" (Spanish for "the hole of Monterrey") because it sat in a depression along the riverbank. This low-lying, humid, fertile soil was the environment most beloved by Cuba's finest tobacco.

The Cigar Industry's Earliest "Terroir" Brand

In 1865, Gener officially registered the Hoyo de Monterrey brand at his factory at No. 7 Principe Alfonso Street in Havana. It was one of the earliest cigar brands named after a specific tobacco farm: the beginning of the "terroir" concept in the cigar industry.

The wine world had long had the tradition of naming wines after specific vineyards (such as Romanée-Conti in Burgundy and Château Lafite in Bordeaux), but the cigar industry of 1865 was still in the stage of naming brands after individuals or families (Partagás and H. Upmann are both examples). Gener was the first person to say: "This cigar comes from this piece of land."

To this day, the entrance to the farm bears the inscription "Hoyo de Monterrey. José Gener. 1860", one of the most commemorative signs in cigar history.

Gener's Other Side: A Ruthless Commercial Magnate

The success story of Hoyo de Monterrey has two sides. One side is the elegant, aromatic cigar and its British aristocratic clientele; the other is Gener's ruthlessness toward his own family.

He started by borrowing money from his family, but after the business grew, he gradually forced his relatives out of the company. In the 1870s, he forged documents, turned all family members into "employees without ownership", and then threw them out onto the street. In 1873, he used his wife's money (from a wealthy family) to purchase all the land between the tobacco fields and La Majagua. The land he had taken from his uncle ultimately all came under his ownership, making him one of the largest landowners in Vuelta Abajo.

Gener returned to Spain in 1895 and died in 1900. It is said that he could not tolerate the idea of Cuban independence. Reports state that at his funeral, workers on nearby rooftops threw dead cats, dead rats, and dead dogs at the funeral procession, clearly showing how unpopular he was. At the time of his death, the La Escepción factory (where Hoyo de Monterrey was also produced) had more than 350 workers and was one of the largest factories in Havana.

But the workers' resentment toward Gener did not affect the inheritance of cigar quality. His daughter Lutgarda Gener took over the family business and ran it until 1930, making the family one of the few Cuban cigar families that remained independently operated after the War of Independence in 1910 (without being absorbed by American or British capital).

Fernández, Palicio y Cía: The Merger of Four Major Brands

In 1931, the Gener family sold the Hoyo de Monterrey and La Escepción brands to Fernández, Palicio y Cía, a company that already owned the two major brands Punch and Belinda. From then on, Hoyo became a member of a "four-brand federation", a structure that profoundly influenced the product-line architecture of today's Habanos S.A.

A key event that would affect the cigar industry in later years took place in the 1940s: the creation of the Le Hoyo Series for the Swiss distributor A. Dürr Co. At the same time, there was also the Chateaux Series, later borrowed by Switzerland's Zino Davidoff to create the Davidoff cigar brand.

This is the historical connection between Davidoff and Hoyo de Monterrey: Davidoff, today one of the world's top non-Cuban brands, has its roots in the Swiss custom-made cigars produced by the Hoyo de Monterrey factory in the 1940s. After Cuban Davidoff ceased production in 1990, Davidoff moved entirely to the Dominican Republic, but this Swiss + Cuban cigar lineage continues in the Le Hoyo Series.

After partner Ramón Fernández died in 1948, Fernando Palicio became the sole owner and founded Fernández, Palicio et Cía S.A. In 1958, Palicio's brands (Hoyo de Monterrey, Punch, La Escepción, Belinda, and others) accounted for 13% of Havana's total cigar exports, making it one of Cuba's second-largest groups at the time (second only to the Partagás group under Cifuentes).

Revolution: The Birth of Two Hoyo de Monterrey Brands

In 1959, Cuba's revolutionary government nationalized all cigar manufacturers. Fernando Palicio voluntarily left Cuba for Florida. Unlike the founders of Cohiba and Montecristo, he did not stay behind to "wait for the right moment"; instead, he immediately began an American production line.

Palicio sold the brand to the Villazon family, who continued producing it with Honduran tobacco at the Tampa factory in Florida for the American market. But the real turning point came in 1964, when Villazon factory owner Frank Llaneza (also the creator of Honduran-made Punch) established Danli's first tobacco factory, Honduras-American Tobacco S.A. (HATSA).

In 1969, the first Honduran version of Hoyo de Monterrey was rolled by cigar master Estelo Padron at the Cofradia factory. His son, Jose Padrón, later founded the world-class non-Cuban brand Padrón.

In 1996, Llaneza sold Villazon to General Cigar Company. Today, the Honduran version of Hoyo de Monterrey is made by General Cigar under Swedish Match. So, just like Partagás, there are now "two Hoyo de Monterrey" brands:

• Cuban Hoyo de Monterrey: produced by Habanos S.A. and released worldwide
• Honduran Hoyo de Monterrey: produced by General Cigar, primarily for the American market

1992: The Historic 99-Point Moment

If Cohiba Behike BHK 52 once received 97 points from Cigar Aficionado, and Montecristo No.2 once received 96 points, then Hoyo de Monterrey Double Corona received 99 points.

This is the highest score Cigar Aficionado has ever given to any "regular production" cigar. The blind review notes from 1992 wrote:

"Perhaps the greatest cigar of Cuba."

This 7⅝ × 49 Double Corona (vitola: Prominentes) was later listed as one of Cigar Aficionado's original five "Cuba's Star Cigars". When re-evaluated 25 years later, it still remained among the very top, standing alongside Cohiba Robusto, Cohiba Esplendido, Punch Punch, and Montecristo No.2.

Flavor: Elegance, Floral Notes, Cream

The Cuban version of Hoyo de Monterrey has a very clear positioning: it is one of the most elegant and most delicate brands among Cuban cigars:

• Strength: light to medium
• Flavor: floral notes, cedar, honey, cream, light café au lait, and a faint woody finish
• Positioning: the representative Cuban cigar of the "elegant school"

This is a completely different spectrum of cigar experience from the "full-bodied Cuban earthiness" of Partagás and the "intense pepper" of Bolívar. Hoyo does not need a heavy impact. It convinces you with floral fragrance.

All Cuban Hoyo de Monterrey cigars are "totalmente a mano, tripa larga" (entirely handmade, long-filler tobacco), continuing a craft tradition of more than 150 years. All the tobacco comes from the Vuelta Abajo region.

Flagship Products: 5 You Should Know

Double Corona (vitola: Prominentes, 7⅝ × 49) — Cigar Aficionado 99-point winner, a 2-hour experience, and one of Cuba's Star Cigars. A 10-year-aged Hoyo Double Corona is a lifelong pursuit for cigar collectors.

Epicure No.2 (vitola: Robustos, 4⅞ × 50) — The flagship Robusto, listed as one of "Cuba's Star Cigars". For many collectors, it is recognized as the "first choice for entering Cuban Robusto": mild in strength, high in complexity, and reasonable in price. It is the easiest entry point for learning the Hoyo style.

Epicure No.1 (vitola: Cervantes, 6½ × 42, Lonsdale) — The long-format version of the Epicure Series, a 65-75 minute experience that further reveals Hoyo's elegant, lingering finish.

Petit Robusto (4 × 50) — Added to the Hoyo de Monterrey lineup in 2004, along with a redesigned cigar band. It is the brand's representative work for entering the "short-format era". A 30-minute experience, suited to the rhythm of modern life.

Le Hoyo de San Juan (54 × 5.9, vitola: Geniales, Robusto) — A new work in the Le Hoyo Series launched in 2014, combining a thick format (ring gauge 54) with classic Hoyo elegance, with a red foot band added in 2025. It is one of the most highly regarded regular-production Hoyo releases in recent years.

In addition, Hoyo is a frequent participant in Habanos S.A.'s annual Edición Limitada program: Particular (released in both 2000 and 2001, the only limited edition in history reissued because of first-year production problems), Pirámide (2003), Epicure Especial (2004), Regalos (2007), Short Hoyo Pirámides (2011), Grand Epicure (2013), Maravillas (2015), and Hoyo Primaveras (2021, first launched in Hong Kong to commemorate the Chinese Year of the Ox).

What the Chinese-Speaking World Should Know About Hoyo de Monterrey

For Taiwanese, Hong Kong, and Malaysian Chinese enthusiasts, several facts are important:

1. Epicure No.2 is the absolute first choice for a "Chinese beginner's Cuban Robusto": mild in strength, reasonable in price, and high in complexity. It is much easier to approach than Partagás Serie D No.4, and is truly an entry-level cigar suitable for newcomers to understand the flavor of a Cuban Robusto.

2. Hoyo Primaveras (2021) is the most important commemorative release for the Chinese market: specially made to commemorate the Chinese Lunar Year of the Ox and launched globally first in Hong Kong. It is one of Habanos S.A.'s representative special projects for the Chinese market, reflecting the importance of the Chinese market in the Cuban cigar industry. If you are a collector, this is an essential piece.

3. The historical connection between Davidoff and Hoyo: the Chateaux Series custom-made by the Hoyo factory for Switzerland in the 1940s was the origin of the Davidoff cigar brand. Therefore, enthusiasts who like Davidoff's elegant style will discover, when returning to the Cuban version of Hoyo, that "it turns out to be the same bloodline."

4. Excellent aging potential: Although Hoyo's flavor is mild, it has strong aging potential. This is especially true of Double Corona and Epicure No.2; after 5-10 years of aging, the sweetness deepens and the smoke becomes rounder, making it widely recognized by cigar collectors as a "representative of elegant aging".

5. Red Auerbach's "victory cigar": American NBA Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach (Boston Celtics coach/executive, 1950-1997 + 2001-2006) was famous for his "victory cigar". When the outcome of a game was decided, he would light a Hoyo de Monterrey, one of the most iconic cigar moments in NBA culture. For basketball fans, this cigar carries an additional emotional connection.

Why Hoyo de Monterrey Is the "Endpoint of Elegance"

What makes Hoyo special is that it achieves the greatest layers with the least force.

For beginners, it is mild, approachable, reasonably priced, and free of pressure as an entry point. Epicure No.2 is one of the easiest Cuban Robustos in the world to fall in love with.

For seasoned connoisseurs, its Double Corona is the highest-scoring regular-production cigar in Cigar Aficionado history, an honor that has still not been surpassed. A 10-year-aged Hoyo Double Corona is one of the holy grails of cigar collecting.

For Cuban cigar director-level enthusiasts, Hoyo also has two unique values:

• It is the pioneer of the "terroir" concept in the cigar industry: every Hoyo you appreciate is a continuation of that low-lying riverside tobacco field from 1860, carried forward for 165 years
• It proves that "elegance" can surpass "power": in an era that pursues large ring gauges and strong tobacco, Hoyo reminds us that true cigar art is not about overwhelming the palate, but about making you linger through the most subtle layers

That tobacco field called "Hoyo de Monterrey" still breathes quietly on the riverbank of San Juan y Martínez. José Gener is gone, and his family's resentments have settled, but the cigar brand he left behind remains the world king of the elegant school.

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Appreciating Hoyo de Monterrey at W Cigar Bar

Hoyo de Monterrey is one of the Cuban cigars that W Cigar Bar Gentlemen's Cigar Lounge (located in Da'an District, Taipei City) continues to recommend to enthusiasts. The Hoyo de Monterrey series appreciation experience personally planned by "Cigar Prince" Wilson Tsai ranges from entry-level regular releases to rare Edición Regional and Limitada, allowing Taipei cigar lounge enthusiasts to fully understand the brand's lineage in a cigar dining lounge-level appreciation space.

W Cigar Bar advances through four official channels for Cuban cigars: PCC authorized dealer (Pacific Cigar Company), Cuban official state-run stores, Swiss official distributor, and Spanish official distributor. Diversified official sourcing and multiple authentication chains form the most critical pedigree for Taiwanese cigar enthusiasts in distinguishing authenticity. W Cigar Bar also provides multi-year aged versions for appreciation and collection, making it one of the few cigar dining lounges in Da'an District that combines orthodox Habanos pedigree with aging depth. For Hoyo de Monterrey enthusiasts:

• Beginners: experiencing Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2 at W Cigar Bar is the best starting point for experiencing the brand's "elegant floral school"
• Advanced enthusiasts: W Cigar Bar's VIP cigar cellar service can store Hoyo de Monterrey Double Corona (Cigar Aficionado's highest-ever 99 points)
• Collectors: W Cigar Bar regularly introduces limited Edición Regional and Edición Limitada Hoyo de Monterrey series

W Cigar Bible (bible.wcigarbar.com) is W Cigar Bar's cigar culture knowledge base, created with full dedication by "Cigar Prince" Wilson Tsai, organizing the complete histories, craftsmanship, products, and cultural stories of 60+ Cuban and non-Cuban brands.

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Copyright and Business Information

© W Cigar Bar Gentlemen's Cigar Lounge | This article was written and planned by "Cigar Prince" Wilson Tsai | Located in Da'an District, Taipei City

Taipei cigar lounge · cigar dining lounge · Cuban cigar culture space · Pacific Cigar PCC authorized genuine collection

W Cigar Bible bible.wcigarbar.com | This article is purely for educational purposes regarding cigar culture, history, and craftsmanship, and does not involve product sales promotion