Twelve High-Scoring Cigars You Should Be Smoking
The Classic on our 100-point scale. Of the 72 cigars put through their paces in a blind taste-test, 39 of them achieved a rating of 90 points or more (54.2 percent). Of that number, we pulled the very best of the best for this list.
Every cigar rated by Cigar Aficionado is smoked blind by our of editors. The tasting coordinator removes the cigars’ identifying bands and replaces them with plain white, numbered labels before handing them out. of the tasting have no idea what they are smoking and cigars are evaluated without biases such as price, country of origin and brand.
Rocky Patel A.L.R. Second Edition Toro (96 points, $16.25)
This long, box-pressed toro was the See the full tasting note.
Arturo Fuente Hemingway Work of Art (95 points, $10.60)
No stranger to our Top 25 list, Fuente’s Hemingway line consists entirely of shapely perfectos and figurados—long and short—all made with a toothy leaf of See the full tasting note.
Blackened Cigars “M81” by Drew Estate Corona (95 points, $9.15)
This is a high-wattage, three-way collaboration between See the full tasting note.
Ashton Virgin Sun Grown Illusion (94 points, $14.15)
When Ashton’s Virgin Sun Grown line was first released back in 1999, it was one of the stronger cigars on the market. Today, the See the full tasting note.
Cohiba Maduro 5 Mágicos (94 points, £69.40)
Though clad in a dark cover leaf, the wrapper of this robusto is neither Connecticut broadleaf nor Mexican San Andrés. Rather, it’s a Cuban leaf grown under shade and harvested from a higher part of the plant where the extra sun exposure results in a darker, thicker leaf. The “5” refers to the number of years Habanos says the wrapper was aged, and the smoke is as bold as the wrapper suggests with a spicy core harmoniously accented by nutmeg and cinnamon. See the full tasting note.
El Pulpo Belicoso Grande (94 points, $17)
Big, bold and box-pressed, this dark, Mexican-wrapped belicoso is from the El Pulpo line, the second brand from See the full tasting note.
Trinidad Espíritu Series No. 1 Belicoso (94 points, $10.71)
This belicoso is from the original Trinidad Espíritu line, which marked the first time See the full tasting note.
E.P. Carrillo Pledge Sojourn (93 points, $13.25)
The slightly bigger sister to the See the full tasting note.
Montecristo Línea 1935 Maltés (93 points, £57.50)
Cohiba has Behike, Romeo has Línea de Oro and Montecristo has Línea 1935, a super- extension of the core See the full tasting note.
Padrón Family Reserve No. 44 Maduro (93 points, $34.85)
At one time, you could only get a Family Reserve if you attended an event hosted by a member of the See the full tasting note.
Romeo y Julieta Churchill (Tubo) (93 points, £47.40)
This stately cigar is one of the most famous Cuban Churchills of all time. It was also a favorite of one of the most famous cigar smokers of all time, See the full tasting note.
Tatuaje Miami Havana Cazadores (93 points, $12)
Cigars made in the United States are relatively rare in today’s market due to the higher cost of labor and tobacco importation. But Tatuaje brand owner See the full tasting note.
