Hoyo de Monterrey Escogidos to Debut Wednesday in Warsaw (Update)

The new Hoyo de Monterrey Escogidos, a La Casa del Habano exclusive release from Habanos S.A., will make its global premiere on Wednesday in Warsaw, Poland at an event hosted by 5th Avenue Products Trading GmbH, the exclusive distributor of Habanos, S.A. products in Germany, Austria and Poland.

The Escogidos is a double corona that measures 7 1/10 inches long (180mm) with a 49 ring gauge, a size known as the pacos. It’s half an inch shorter than the Hoyo de Monterrey Double Coronas, a regular production size in the line. The vitola debuted in 1999 by way of the San Cristóbal El Morro, and has since been used for a handful of Edición Regional releases, including the recently released Punch Sir David for Hong Kong.

It gets its name from the Spanish word for the agroindustrial and manufacturing phases of the tobacco producing process called the escogida, or sorting, of leaves as they journey from the field to and through the factory. As such, the launch event is being titled “Hemos sido escogidos,” or “We have been chosen” with attendees given the opportunity to be among the first to try the cigar as well as enjoy several other surprises, according to a press release from Habanos S.A.

The Hoyo de Monterrey Escogidos is offered in wooden 10-count boxes and will be sold exclusively through the approximately 140 La Casa del Habano stores in 65 countries across the globe.

Habanos S.A. launched the La Casa del Habano exclusive cigar program in 2004 with a trio of Bolívar cigars—the Belicosos Finos, Hermosos No. 4, and Gold Medal—and since that time the list has added nearly 20 more cigars, with the program becoming more formalized in 2011. The Hoyo de Monterrey marca was first selected to be the brand featured in 2012, with the Epicure de Luxe the first of three releases bearing the marca for the program. The second arrived in 2016 as the Hoyo de Monterrey Elegantes, which also happened to be a rare figurado for the marca.

• Bolívar Belicosos Finos (2004)
• Bolívar Hermosos No.4 (2004)
• Bolívar Gold Medal (2004)
• San Cristóbal Muralla (2006)
• San Cristóbal Mercaderes (2006)
• San Cristóbal Oficios (2006)
• Partagás Culebras (2007)
• Partagás Salomones (2008)
• H. Upmann Noellas (2009)
• La Gloria Cubana Inmensos (2010)
• Ramón Allones Allones Superiores (2010)
• H. Upmann Royal Robusto (2011)
• Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure de Luxe (2012)
• Bolívar Libertador (2013)
• Romeo y Julieta Cedros de Luxe (2014)
• La Gloria Cubana Pirámides (2015)
• La Gloria Cubana Robustos Extra (2015)
• Hoyo de Monterrey Elegantes (2016)
• Trinidad La Trova (2017)
• Hoyo de Monterrey Escogidos (2018)

A formal release date for the Escogidos, as well as pricing, have not yet been announced.

It will be the second cigar to be released this year that will bear the La Casa del Habano secondary band, joining the San Cristóbal de la Habana Prado, which will be released in Bulgaria on Oct. 4. That cigar, however, will not be limited to LCDHs; Habanos Specialists, another tier of just over 900 retailers, will also have access to it.

Update (Sept. 25, 2018) — While a formal release date has not yet been announced, Christoph A. Puszkar, marketing director of 5th Avenue Products Trading GmbH, told halfwheel that he expects that only a limited quantity will be available following the event, and will be limited to stores in the Polish market at first. He added that it will be priced at €15.90 ($18.71) per cigar in Germany. For comparison, the Hoyo de Monterrey Double Coronas, which is half an inch longer, is priced at €18.30 ($21.53) per cigar.

Additionally, the list of LCDH exclusives has been updated after it was pointed out that several cigars had been omitted. Thanks to commenter Sara for pointing out the omissions.

Images courtesy of Habanos S.A.