Indholdsfortegnelse for January - February 2016 i Cigar Aficionado

High scores abounded in this issue. Our highest review, 94 points, was given to a cigar of great pedigree, the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2. Perhaps the most revered of Cuban robustos by cigar smokers in the know, these short Hoyos keep putting up good scores. A pair of newer cigars—from established cigarmakers—scored 93 points. The Ashton Symmetry Prestige, which has only been on sale since late 2014, continued its run of high ratings with this 93 point score. The cigar is made by the Fuentes in the Dominican Republic. Our best toro, or corona gorda, comes from the Garcia family of Nicaragua. Their new El Centurion H-2K-CT Toro Box Pressed is blended with a Havanaseed leaf from the Connecticut River Valley. Note the presence of a newcomer to…

Every fisherman knows the primal joy of reeling in a fish hearty enough to eat. But true angler’s nirvana comes only when supper is caught using flies you’ve crafted with your own two hands. And in the dead of winter, when your local fishing spot is frozen over and there isn’t much you can do to quell those yearnings for downstream drifts and tight lines, retiring to your study with a stiff drink and the requisite fly-tying materials can be a tranquil diversion. What may seem like an arcane procedure best left to professionals is actually relatively doable, promises one expert in the field. Tom Rosenbauer, host of the Orvis Fly Fishing Podcast and author of The Orvis Fly-Tying Guide, says he teaches newcomers how to tie a working fly…

The calendar is full of entertainment occasions when sophisticated cocktails calling for a slew of specialized gear are in order, but when it’s Super Bowl time the drinking palate narrows to beer. And for that you have one essential equipment concern: a cooler. A good beer cooler provides a communal place for guests to service their beverage needs. It keeps them out of the kitchen and takes the strain off the refrigerator. Of course, all sorts of Styrofoam numbers will do the job, but a Super Bowl–worthy cooler does it with efficiency, with panache and with a fair number of bells and whistles. Obviously, cooling ability is a chief criterion. That stat is generally related in days that ice will remain in the box, which is a function of thickness…

Alec Bradley Nica Puro Rosado This offshoot of the company’s original Nica Puro showcases an all-Nicaraguan blend draped by a lovely reddishbrown wrapper. A. Turrent Casa Turrent 1901 First released in Canada and Europe, this new line from the Turrents is made with 80 percent Mexican tobacco and now available in the United States. Camacho American Barrel-Aged Covered by a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, this regularproduction cigar showcases Corojo leaf from Honduras that was aged in Kentucky Bourbon barrels for five months. Davidoff Escurio The company looked to Brazil for this new three-size line, which features the Cubanseed varietal called Cubra that’s grown in the South American country. Don Carlos Personal Reserve To honor company patriarch Carlos Fuente Sr.’s 80th birthday, the Fuentes released his private blend in a Robusto. Eiroa…

With the posse continually in the distance but always on their trail, Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy turns to Robert Redford as the Sundance Kid in their legendary 1969 buddy movie and says: “Who are those guys?” An explosion of new talent catapulted onto the PGA Tour scene at the start of the wraparound season in October. Emiliano Grillo, Smylie Kaufman, Justin Thomas, Peter Malnati and Kevin Kisner won five of the first six events and became first-time winners on the Tour, confirming their presence in the top echelon of the game. The established stars of the PGA Tour may have turned to each other like Butch and Sundance and asked the question: “Who are these guys?” These young players aren’t just anonymous pursuers of the game’s riches and acclaim.…

JANUARY 6, 2012, 10 A.M. A button is pressed in New York City and a copper, gold and blue cigar band appears on the screens of a waiting world. A minute later the phones begin to ring in the Dania, Florida, headquarters of Alec Bradley cigars. The small company’s Alec Bradley Prensado Churchill has just been named Cigar of the Year by CIGAR AFICIONADO magazine and everyone seems to want one. Nothing will ever be the same again. Orders fl ood in for the box-pressed smoke, which receives a rating of 96 points. Alec Bradley’s owner, Alan Rubin, is overjoyed. His sales boom, going up more than 70 percent in a single year. But as 2012 draws to a close he discovers a problem while he is handing out one…

As we write this editors’ note 2015 is coming to an end. It has been a stellar year for CIGAR AFICIONADO, with some of the most impressive subjects ever to grace our covers: Liam Neeson, Hugh Jackman, Vince Vaughn, Jon Voight and the incomparable Robert De Niro. At the same time, Cuba, the birthplace of the cigar world, is in the midst of great change. The reality of open visitation for all of our readers—not just a few—is closer than ever. In November we held our 20th annual Big Smoke in Las Vegas, attended by more than 4,000 people from around the United States and the globe. And we have chosen a superb Cigar of the Year, which you can read about on page 48. Yet there is trouble in…

When someone tries to convince me of the pleasure of reading a book online or with a Nook, I wonder if he ever held a rare book in his hands and felt its aesthetic appeal. Hold the volume regarded by many as the greatest work of philosophy ever written: the first English edition of Plato’s Republic that is displayed in a glass case at Bauman Rare Books on 535 Madison Avenue in New York. Not only are Plato’s words timeless, but the feel of the pages and the sturdy red Morocco spine also resonate. “Take James Joyce’s Ulysses from 1922,” says Eric Pedersen, a bookseller at Bauman. “You can read it on a screen or with a Nook, but there is nothing like holding the first edition in your hands,…

For variations in form and function when it comes to men’s clothes, always look to outerwear. That’s because so much of it is handed down to us from specifi c uses, typically relating to sports or the military. Soldiers gave us trench coats, sailors passed on pea coats and horsemen handed down their hacking jackets and polo coats, etc. One top garment that we hope will gain more traction— even while it’s not as ambitious in terms of being activewear—is the estate jacket that Paul Stuart, the New York City menswear mecca is now showing. The name conjures up an image of the kind of garb that the lord of Downton Abbey would throw on before going out to survey his fi ef. And that would be a good use…

HEADS TURN AS DAMIAN LEWIS STRIDES into a Le Pain Quotidien franchise in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. Lewis, in sunglasses, walks the length of the restaurant unmolested to a table in the rear. It’s mid-afternoon and the lunchtime crowd has thinned on this summery late-October day. Still, it seems an unlikely place to meet one of the hottest actors in television. Asked how he happened to choose this particular spot to meet, Lewis, sunglasses now off, smiles quizzically and says, “I thought you chose it.” Tall and surprisingly rangy, Lewis has a slow grin, and blue eyes that can look both warm and icily transparent in the right light. His coppery hair actually appears to have a slightly chestnut cast this particular day. Normally Lewis is the most recognizable red-haired actor…

Everything being equal, Assani Fisher would much rather be in Las Vegas. But, like all professional gamblers, he follows the action. And, as of this past October 15, the world capital of wagering provides no action for anyone who makes a living betting on daily fantasy sports. Nevada’s Gaming Control Board decided that unlicensed daily fantasy sports would be banned. With no sites licensed in the state, Fisher and others of his ilk fled Sin City for places that are less sinful but more accepting of what those vested in the fantasy world insist is a game of skill. That’s how Fisher wound up in a nicely appointed apartment in San Diego, near the beach and around the corner from Petco Park, home of the Padres. There are floor-to-ceiling windows,…

“Your Editors’ Note came during a very, very important time. We do live in a media-crazed era where ratings and drama thrive. I struggle with finding my own outlets . . .” —Matthew Dwyer Hingst, Denver, Colorado Dear Marvin, Your Editors’ Note came during a very, very important time. We do live in a media-crazed era where ratings and drama thrive. I struggle with finding my own outlets and often find myself turning to international sources. I see this struggle through my peers. While some hold their sources on a pedestal, others denounce anything that contests their standard. Jim Morrison said, “Whoever controls the media, controls the mind.” So far that quote has rung more true than not. Alas, I do have faith. I hear questions being asked and I…

We live in expensive times. Even a cup of coffee can cost you $6. Fortunately, you can get a great cigar for about the same price. Just take a look at our list of all the cigars from 2015 that scored 88 points or higher and cost $6 or less (before taxes). You’ll fi nd a diverse range of interesting and attractive smokes, from the diminutive NUb Cameroon 358, which also placed number 23 on our list of Top 25 Cigars of 2015, to larger, big ring gauge cigars such as New World Virrey—at 6 inches by 58 ring ($6)—a real bang for your buck. This year, three Cuban cigars also made economy class, a rare occurrence in our budget-friendly fi ndings. In total there are 32 cigars to choose…

A group of extremists who turned the quiet streets of Paris into a war zone. A nuclear state hoping to launch its missiles across the globe. A former empire expanding its territory. Cutting-edge technology aimed at countering our finest weapons. Terrorists who engineered the bloodiest attack in the history of the United States. • These are the myriad threats facing the United States today. The world has become an increasingly dangerous place. There are countries where the laws of dignity and democracy go unheeded, where barbaric acts are common and lives are lost every day. And as technology makes the world smaller, threats are inching ever closer to our own front door. • Few have the knowledge, experience and foresight to look around the globe and recognize the true dangers…

churchills Ashton Symmetry is the first new Ashton brand in many years, and the Prestige size scored an impressive 93 points. Made by the Fuentes in the Dominican Republic for Ashton Distributors Inc., Symmetry didn’t reach the market until 2014, its release delayed due to a fire in a Fuente warehouse that damaged large amounts of tobacco intended for the project. It’s the first Ashton to be made with Nicaraguan tobacco, and it harmonized beautifully with the blend, putting it atop our Churchill category. Enclave is the newest release from growing Nicaraguan producer A.J. Fernandez, and it’s a cigar that touts balance over power. The Churchill earned 92 points. A perennial highscoring Nicaraguan cigar, the large and chunky Padrón Serie 1926 No. 1, scored 91 points. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC RING GAUGE:…