A Dozen Delicious Cigars You Should Be Smoking Right Now
The July/August issue of Cigar Aficionado covered a wide array of topics ranging from an exploration of the bonded whiskey market to an in-depth interview with Thanos “The Mad Titan” himself, Josh Brolin. Our tasting section also proved quite formidable with 38 of the 72 cigars scoring 90 points or higher. A dozen in particular truly stood out, scoring as high as 95 points.
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.
Cohiba Maduro 5 Mágicos (95 points, £73.20)
According to Habanos S.A., the dark wrapper of this Cuban robusto was aged for five years (hence the “5” in the brand name). Its hickory sweetness boldly stands out, but ushers in a note of salted peanut that harmonizes beautifully before a finish of fresh tobacco and honey. At 95 points, this cigar is Classic on our 100-point scale. See full tasting note.
Alec Bradly Tempus Natural Corona (94 points, $8.49)
Founder Alan Rubin created the Tempus brand to try his hand at blending more full-bodied cigars. The star of the blend is the wrapper, which was grown in the Trojés region of Honduras. The smoke from this strong corona is loaded with notes of chestnut, earth and fresh tobacco that ends in a rich raisin finish. See full tasting note.
Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series “A” (94 points, $36.85)
It should come as no surprise to find a Padrón on this list as the company has won Cigar of the Year a record four times and appeared on every Top 25 list by Cigar Aficionado since the list started in 2004. At 8 1/4 inches by 50 ring gauge, it’s a huge Nicaraguan cigar and full of equally huge flavor—cocoa, biscuit, dried cherry and licorice. See full tasting note.
Rocky Patel Conviction Toro (94 points, $100)
In the past, paying $100 for a single cigar was reserved for aged Cubans at auction. Today, there are some regular-production non-Cubans in the three-figure price range. This Toro is one of them. According to Rocky Patel, it contains 10-year-old tobacco from one of his first harvests in Nicaragua. Every puff is loaded with opulent notes of dark chocolate and cocoa atop an undercurrent of hardwood. See full tasting note.
Aksum Claro Robusto (93 points, $15.50)
This pigtailed robusto is clad in a leaf of Ecuador Sumatra—a first for Foundation Cigar Co. Inside is a Connecticut broadleaf binder and Nicaraguan filler. The brand used to be called Metapa, but it was renamed shortly after release. We call it delicious, as it imparts a core of coffee bean and earth enlivened by a mélange of sweet and spicy notes. It’s made in Nicaragua for Foundation by A.J. Fernandez. See full tasting note.
Arturo Fuente Don Carlos No. 3 (93 points, $11.40)
Africa meets the Dominican Republic on the Don Carlos No. 3, a toothy corona with Dominican tobacco and a wrapper from Cameroon. Named after Carlos Fuente Sr. (father of current family patriarch Carlos Fuente Jr.), the Don Carlos line was blended specifically to Fuente Sr.’s personal taste. Everything is in balance with ample notes of wood, orange marmalade and honey before a long vanilla finish. See full tasting note.
Cohiba Siglo IV (93 points, £92.10)
Casually referred to as the “Siglo Series” this Cuban line of Cohiba is officially called Línea 1492 and blended to be a bit milder than the core Cohiba line. At 5 5/8 by 46, it’s a standard Cuban corona gorda and quite refined with floral first puffs, oaky chardonnay notes, stewed pear sweetness and a nutty element of roasted cashew. See full tasting note.
E.P. Carrillo Encore Celestial (93 points, $13.50)
This toro is the slightly bigger brother to the See full tasting note.
La Aroma de Cuba Double Corona (93 points, $8.50)
La Aroma de Cuba has always been about value, and the Double Corona is the very definition of a cigar bargain. This double corona is a huge cigar, yet retails for less than $10. It’s made by My Father Cigars in Nicaragua for Ashton Distributors Inc. and is a long, flavorful journey from first puff to last. See full tasting note.
Montecristo Espada Oscuro Quillon (93 points, $17.75)
Montecristo comes in many different blends and expressions. This one is made by Plasencia Cigars for for Altadis U.S.A. and comes cloaked in a wrapper Altadis refers to as Habano Rosado Oscuro. The all-Nicaraguan cigar imparts layers of wood, dark chocolate, earth and a bit of licorice. See full tasting note.
Rocky Patel Fifty-Five Robusto (93 points, $12.55)
Tapered at both ends, the Fifty-Five cigar brand was released to celebrate cigarmaker Rocky Patel’s 55th birthday. The Costa Rican binder is completely surrounded by Nicaraguan tobacco, resulting in a tasty smoke of nuts, fruit and wood that remain in sublime balance. See full tasting note.
Viva La Vida Jester (93 points, $11.20)
When the Fakih brothers went from New York City retailers to brand owners, they turned to A.J. Fernandez in Nicaragua to make their cigars. Viva La Vida was the outcome, and this plump robusto was named the See full tasting note.
