Indholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2017 i Cigar Aficionado

This issue’s tasting shows how non-Cuban cigars can stand toe-to-toe with cigars from Havana. All of our 93-pointers are made outside of Cuba. Macanudo’s Inspirado Orange, which is made in Honduras, led all Churchills. Nicaragua’s Plasencia Alma Fuerte Generacion V, a box-pressed Salomon, tied with the Dominican-made Ashton Heritage Puro Sol Belicoso No. 2 for tops in the figurado group. Nicaragua’s My Father The Judge Grand Robusto sits alone atop the grande category. Guardian of the Farm Apollo Selección de Warped, which is also from Nicaragua, stood out as the best corona with a score of 92 points. Two Altadis-made cigars, the Montecristo Artisan Series Batch 1 Toro and Romeo y Julieta Rare 11 Years Old Toro, led the corona gordas with scores of 92 points, while another Altadis smoke,…

Rory McIlroy strode across the practice green, a compact vision of muscle and sinew in a red and black shirt. He clasped hands warmly with Ernie Els, the legendary South African golfer who seemed twice his size, three major championships shaking hands with four. Around them were golfers whose names were familiar to any fan of the game—Rickie Fowler, Camilo Villegas, Louis Oosthuizen, K.J. Choi. And there stood the grandest golf champion of all, Jack Nicklaus, the owner of a record 18 major championships. He was chatting with Justin Thomas, one of the hottest young players in the game, who was a month shy of his 24th birthday at the time. Nicklaus made a swinging motion as he chatted, rotating his hips, giving some instruction to the attentive and young…

Much like the State of California, the drought at Aston Martin is finally over, something we discovered while taking the longawaited DB11 for a drive through the rain-soaked mountain passes east of San Diego. The British maker, long known as the ride of choice for superspy James Bond, has gone through some tough times in recent years, but with substantial new funding in hand, the all-new DB11 marks the start of an unprecedented product assault that will see at least seven new products roll out in the years ahead. If the DB11 is any indication of what’s coming, Aston is in for a glorious future. Visually, the new coupe is a stunner. Of course, there’s that classic, yawning Aston grille that anchors a sculpted body that is both sensuous and…

The Macanudo Inspirado Orange line was originally released for Europe in 2014, but happily, General Cigar decided to bring it to the United States last year. Scoring 93 points, the Churchill is the highest-scoring Macanudo of the last decade. Many offshoots of the core Macanudo line have come and gone throughout the years, some concepts working better than others, but none has been as successful as the Inspirado Orange Churchill. While the blend may have been formulated for European palates, the Churchill is both a technical and artistic masterpiece that will be a welcome addition to any humidor in any country, especially at its low suggested retail price.…

Figurados were by far the most remarkable category in this issue, as nearly every cigar scored higher than 90 points. The shapes encompass everything from double-tapered Salomones to standard pyramids to more unorthodox forms. The Ashton Heritage Puro Sol Belicoso No. 2, scored 93 points. This brand doesn’t seem to get as much attention as Ashton’s other lines, and it’s unfortunate. The short torpedo is loaded with flavor and is a lot more full bodied than its wrapper suggests. Also scoring 93 points was the Plasencia Alma Fuerte Generacion V. It’s full of alluring tapers and plenty of strong tobacco that makes as much of a bold statement as the cigar’s appearance.…

Is it the gala dinners? Is it the lively entertainment? Is it the daily seminars and trips to the Vuelta Abajo and cigar factories? Is it the launches of new brands and cigars? For most attendees, the annual Festival del Habanos never comes down to a single choice, but a combination of those attractions. The 19th edition, held February 27 to March 3, was no different. Cigars always lead the way. The 2017 lineup was an interesting combination of an ultra-premium addition to Montecristo (Cuba’s biggestselling brand), a reconceived global strategy for Quai d’Orsay and the anticipated release of individual, special production cigars. Montecristo will come to market with the Linea 1935, a nod to the year the brand was founded. The cigar will be released initially in three sizes:…

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Mark August 30 on your calendar. That’s when the American cigar industry will get its day in court. On that day, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is scheduled to hear the lawsuit filed by The Cigar Rights of America, Cigar Association of America and the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These three organizations—which represent cigar smokers, cigar companies and cigar retailers—have taken up the fight against the FDA to oppose its Final Deeming Rule, which places severe limits on how cigars are made and sold in the United States. The people who champion the cigar industry claim—accurately— that the FDA’s Rule threatens the livelihood of cigar companies, imposes unreasonable demands and violates the First and Fifth Amendments.…

I’m in a park a quarter mile from the nearest power outlet working from a laptop with two percent remaining on the battery, and I’m not the least bit concerned. I plug my power cable into an outlet in my briefcase, and, eureka, I have enough juice to charge my laptop five times over. And when that’s tapped, I can get more power without moving. The Renogy Phoenix Generator isn’t just a 13-pound battery pack disguised as a briefcase. It’s a mobile solar power station. Unhitch two latches and the briefcase opens like a clamshell to reveal two panels capable of siphoning 20 watts of solar power into a 16-amp hour (about 250-watt) lithium-ion battery. Before I started using the Phoenix, I couldn’t have told you the first thing about…

If you’ve always wanted to skydive but can’t get past the part where you’re clinging to the threshold of the plane with your instructor shouting, “What are you waiting for?” there’s a simple, safe and relatively terror-free alternative. It’s indoor skydiving with iFly, a company with dozens of vertical wind tunnels in the U.S. and abroad (two of them on cruise ships). The experience involves floating on a fan-generated column of air, or rather hurricane force winds. People who have tried both say it’s a reasonable facsimile of free fall, the most important difference is that you don’t have to worry about your parachute—or manhood—failing you. I first flew with iFly, because who hasn’t dreamt of being Superman? I went back to see whether I could relax enough to enjoy…

Justin Thomas dropped to the practice green at Riviera Country Club, rolling around in hysterics, flabbergasted that Jordan Spieth’s caddie Michael Greller had missed a putt (and missed it badly) during a drill. It was the eve of the Genesis Open, and in a sport where silence and seriousness often reign, the 24-yearold from Kentucky was acting his age, his smile extending from his face to the sparkle in his eyes. He was acting out the sheer joy of how far he had risen in the game of golf. And why not? As the newest generation of players ascends to the summit of golf’s mountain, led by Rory McIlroy and Spieth, Thomas has joined the climbing party in an impressive manner and has fulfilled the imperative of his golf DNA.…

While many brand owners contract factories to produce their cigars, there isn’t much collaboration. Not so in the case of Guardian of the Farm. The Apollo Selección de Warped scored 92 points and was indeed a collaborative cigar blended by both Kyle Gellis (owner of Warped Cigars) and Max Fernández, owner of the Guardian of the Farm brand and operations manager for his father’s TABSA factory. The name is a playful nod to the cigarmakers’ pet dogs, as well as the idea of protecting the traditions of farming and blending. The cigar serves as a showcase for tobacco grown by Aganorsa, an agricultural company in Nicaragua also owned by the Fernández family.…

It’s time for traditionalists to accept reality: 6-by-60 cigars are here to stay. Every major brand produces at least one, and most of them are outselling the classic, thinner sizes. That’s not necessarily a reason to fret. Some huge cigars are packed with fantastic tobacco, and cigarmakers seem to be getting better at blending in such hefty proportions. The My Father The Judge Grand Robusto is a perfect example. It scored 93 points for a rich, memorable performance that stimulated the entire palate from the sweet to the savory. Its blocky trunk-pressing only serves to accentuate the cigar’s thickness. The box-pressed CLE Prieto 60x6 scored 91 points and has the same chunky appearance but a different flavor profile—notes of exotic spices are brought together by a foundation of earth and…

There was no shortage of classic ratings in this exceptional group of vintage cigars. Standing at the top is a well-aged Cohiba Lancero. In its 25th year, the smoke remains powerful, full of the hearty flavors that made Cohiba one of the world’s most famous brands. Right behind is a Montecristo No. 2 of similar age, another cigar that has aged very well and remains vibrant, with plenty of promise to come. The oldest cigar in the bunch, a 52-year-old Punch that was one of the house smokes of Dublin/London retailer J.J. Fox, was far more delicate, showing flavors of honeyed dessert wine on the finish. And in case you think only Cuban cigars age well, look at the score for the 2003 Tatuaje, which was rolled in Miami. It…

In the age of indoor smoking bans, the outdoor utility of windproof, jet-flame lighters is undeniable. But the 21st century aficionado would be mistaken to overlook situations in which the soft-flame variety can add a degree of accuracy—and style—to the cigar-smoking experience. It also avoids the undesirable charred notes of a torch gone wrong. Thankfully, the cigar accessories market is ripe with a range soft-flame lighters with designs fit for any occasion. Take, for instance, Caseti’s Lumos (center, $75), an ultra-slim soft flame designed for mobility. Less than one-eighth of an inch thick, the Lumos slides easily into trousers of even the slimmest cut, but still produces a robust yellow flame capable of lighting large-ring-gauge smokes. The one-press igniter has an easy-action trigger, which means you can take your time…

“Bermuda skipped a generation, so we need to reintroduce it to a whole new group of people,” says Allan Federer, general manager of the newly renovated and renamed Hamilton Princess & Beach Club (formerly the Fairmont Hamilton Princess). Following its “Mad Men”-era heyday, which peaked in the 1980s, Bermuda’s allure lagged despite its pristine pink-sand beaches, scenic golf courses and British charm and sophistication. But the island, which is only a short flight from East Coast hubs, is looking to reclaim its place on top destination lists, and the updated “Pink Princess” is poised to cater to the next generation of travelers with contemporary design and hotspot culinary venues. The island’s Green family who purchased it in 2012, have invested $100 million in upgrading the historic grande dame on the…

No piece of sporting equipment is more personal than a baseball glove. Someone asks to borrow your football for Sunday’s playground mud bowl? No problem. Mind if I take a swing with that bat? Help yourself. But from the first time you pounded a new glove with your fist, trying to beat the leather into softness—and into shape—that glove slowly became your glove. But the way to speed up personalization is to buy custom. Scott Carpenter, of Carpenter Trade LLC, located near the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, makes custom gloves—based on six hand measurements—for people the world over. Models include fielding gloves and catcher’s mitts ($499), extra-wide knuckleball-catching mitts ($549) and ambidextrous gloves (symmetrical with six fingers, $599). Starting with custom sneakers in 1999, Carpenter decided…

THE QUESTION WAS ABOUT GOALS: At this stage in his young and highly successful movie career, what is there that Chris Pratt still wants desperately to do? The answers, which came as he smoked cigars on a Hollywood Hills patio, were part personal, part professional, and then, well, weird. “I want to do a comedy,” says Pratt, speaking during a 72-hour furlough in Los Angeles from filming in London. “I want to flex my muscles as a collaborator, so that I have more creative control.” The 37-year old actor, who mixes Midwestern good looks with the physique of a tight end, takes a puff of his cigar, a Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2. “I want to catch a world-record large-mouth bass—a 25-pounder. I’d love it if my son became…

Altadis U.S.A. is the maker and producer of two major brands in the premium cigar industry—Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta. Of course, these are the non-Cuban versions created for the U.S. market, but Altadis is ceaselessly reinventing these storied lines, creating modern interpretations and new blends that will appeal to today’s smoker, but still pay homage to the history of both brands. That is always the goal and Altadis has succeeded with the Montecristo Artisan Series Batch 1 and the Romeo y Julieta 11 Years Old, both of which scored 92 points. The Montecristo was named on account of its blend being selected by specific members of the company’s “artisans.” The Romeo y Julieta gets its name from a number of factors. According to Altadis, the cigar was aged for…

The two top-scoring cigars were achieved by two of the most high-profile brands in the cigar industry: Romeo y Julieta and Montecristo. They are the flagship lines of Altadis U.S.A., the company responsible for creating the non-Cuban versions of these heritage cigars for the U.S. market. The Romeo Añejo by Romeo y Julieta Robusto scored 91 points and, according to Altadis, was made with vintage-specific tobaccos. The broadleaf wrapper is from a 2010 vintage, the olor binder from a 2008 crop and the filler tobacco harvested in 2009. Añejo literally translates to “old” in Spanish, but the connotation implies that the tobaccos are aged for refinement. The Montecristo Platinum may not be one of Montecristo’s newest versions, but the Robusto scored 90 points for its steady, balanced performance that began…

It’s like Graceland for fans of Dominican cigars, only with better taste. Or like a Napa Valley of sorts for cigar smokers, only not nearly as expensive. Better yet, the ProCigar festival can be easily described as a Mecca. Field trip by day and party by night, ProCigar is a nearly weeklong excursion to the Dominican Republic where cigar fans fly from all over the world for unprecedented access to the buzzing cigar factories and picturesque tobacco fields you only see in cigar ads. Unlike Graceland, you get to actually meet the people who make your favorite smokes—rock stars for sure in the world of tobacco—and they’ll give you more than just an autograph. They’ll give you cigars. In perhaps one of the largest national showings of Dominican pride and…