Upon request, the review this week is the Hoyo de Monterrey Sambrosa EMS. This stick weighs in at 5 inches long with a 40 ring gauge and is priced under $30.00 per box of 25. The cigar is made up of an Ecuadorian Sumatra Wrapper, Connecticut Broadleaf Binder, and Fillers from Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic.

While inspecting the cigar I found the wrapper to have a good amount of heavy veins. When I ran my fingers across the wrapper it felt rough and lumpy but firm when pinched. The wrapper also had a dry appearance and had a wide range of color variations throughout the length of the stick.

After spending a couple of minutes inspecting the cigar I moved on to the cutting and lighting process. Both were quick and easy, and before long the cigar was producing a decent volume of thick smoke. Each puff left me with a thick syrupy feel, as if the smoke left a thin coating throughout my mouth. The initial body was in the medium range while the finish was mildly dry but smooth. The base flavor at this point was a typical tobacco flavor with a woody aftertaste.

The first third started off pretty well. The draw was a little firm but manageable. The volume of smoke was decent while putting off a mild aroma in the room that was pleasant. The base flavor remained a rich tobacco flavor with a woody background while the finish remained mildly dry and smooth. The body remained in the Medium spectrum and rounded out the cigar well.

While working my way through the second third I found the smoke to be very consistent. The base flavor was predominantly a rich tobacco flavor with a slowly building woody background. The finish remained slightly dry but smooth. The body remained firmly planted in the Medium range. The draw seemed to get a little better but was still firm while producing a slow and even burn.

The final third was a little bit of a shock. All of a sudden there was a spike in the body and flavor of the cigar. The body was suddenly Medium to Full while the flavor seemed to become deeper and richer. The base flavor turned to more of a Woody flavor with Nutty and Leathery flavors mixing back and forth. The finish was still slightly dry but lingered on the palate for a minute or so longer than before. The draw seemed to get a little better while the burn rate remained slow and even. The ash was dark grey and as firm as could be expected with a 40 ring gauge cigar.

Overall I think that this is a good value cigar to keep on hand. The small size makes it a good smoke when you are short on time and fits into the middle of the day well. While the sudden increase in body and flavor was surprising it was a nice change of pace. After smoking several of these over the past couple of weeks, I think that they will be becoming a regular item in my humidor.