Challenger, 5.25" x 50 ring gaugeI have had a long-term affinity for General Cigar's Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur line of cigars. To the best of my memory, a "regular" Excalibur was my first cigar ever back in the summer of 2001 in San Luis Obispo. Those regular Excaliburs became my "go-to" stick for quite some time after that and I eventually tried the more full-bodied 1066 line and the mild Royal Sterling. I must say I really enjoyed the Hoyo de Tradicion when it came out a couple years back. The year 2008 seemed to be the year that the cigar giants, General and Altadis, woke up to discover that their constituency was moving upscale and away from the mostly mild, frequently uninteresting blends they were offering. That was the year that the Macanudo 1968, Romeo y Julieta Habana Reserve and La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Miami all appeared, and that is when this latest Excalibur surfaced. The cigar is composed of Nicaraguan filler with binder and wrapper from Connecticut.
Although one website states the wrapper is a Connecticut shade, this is certainly darker than any shade-grown leaf I am used to. The wrapper is a medium-brown with darker shading around the veins. The veins are clearly visible, but--except for one prominent exception--they are not raised and lumpy to the touch. There is a light oily sheen on the wrapper as well. The aroma from the body is fairly muted, but I was able to pick up hints of alfalfa and barnyard; the foot had a more pronounced mocha aroma. I picked up the same on the prelight draw, although more on the chocolate side and less on the coffee.
The draw was firm at the beginning and the flavors were leather and cedar. There was also a fair bit of black pepper, especially on the finish. I eventually had to do some work to correct the draw and it helped quite a bit, although it ended up not fully opening until somewhere after the halfway point. I also had to make several corrections to the burn as it just did not want to burn straight. Through the first third, the Legend built in spiciness while maintaining the woody and leathery characteristics.
During the second third, the cigar got easier as the draw opened up. It remained peppery and I found that it would be in the low end of full in the body category. The leather and cedar notes mostly diminished to be replaced by a black coffee note.
Although it remained med-to-full in body, the Legend started showing some strength in the nicotine department during the final third--not an unwelcome amount, but definitely unexpected in the Excalibur line of cigars. There was also a tangy flavor that started to make itself known during the last portin. Overall, a worthwhile addition to the Excalibur lineup and one that I would recommend to those who say that all General Cigars offerings taste the same.
Body: 8/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 7/10
AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 1/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8/10
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