Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.3 Premieres in Spain

A new petit belicoso for the Cuban Hoyo de Monterrey brand premiered in Spain over the weekend and is expected to be in retail stores this week.

It is the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.3, a petit belicoso that measures 4 7/8 inches (125mm) long with a 54 ring gauge. It is a new size for the Cuban cigar portfolio, and in cigar factories, it is a vitola known as Originales.

This is the thickest vitola in the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure line, and the first figurado to date. The No.3 is offered in 25-count boxes, with Habanos S.A. issuing a press release stating it will also be available in 10-count boxes. There have also been reports of a three-pack of tubos being available at some point.

It comes wearing a band that indicates the cigar’s name, a trait it shares with the other cigars in the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure line. When they arrive on store shelves in Spain, the cigars will retail for €20, approximately $21.19 at current exchange rates.

As for when it will arrive in other markets, that remains to be seen. Nearly every distributor contacted by halfwheel said they simply didn’t know when they would arrive or what they would cost, though one distributor said he was completely sure it would not be this year.

The Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 3 becomes the eighth cigar to wear the Epicure name:

• Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.1 (5 5/8 x 46)
• Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2 (4 7/8 x 50)
• Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.3 (4 7/8 x 54)
• Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Especial (5 1/2 x 50)
• Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure de Luxe (4 1/2 x 52)
• Hoyo de Monterrey Double Epicure (6 1/8 x 50)
• Hoyo de Monterrey Grand Epicure Edición Limitada 2013 (5 1/8 x 50)
• Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2 Reserva Cosecha 2012 (4 7/8 x 50)

The Epicure de Luxe is an exclusive release for La Casa del Habano stores, while the Double Epicure was created for the travel and duty-free market. The Epicure Especial is also notable for debuting as an Edición Limitada release in 2004 before being added as a regular production line in 2008.

Update (Sept. 27, 2023) — The cigars have also been released in limited quantities in the Middle East, according to a representative from Phoenicia T.A.A. Cyprus Ltd., the distributor in the region. At the Beirut airport duty-free store, they are priced at $21.20 per cigar.

Image courtesy of Habanos S.A.