Innehållsförteckning för March - April 2016 från Cigar Aficionado

Mexican tobacco is an important ingredient in the premium cigar industry, cloaking many maduros and prized for its flavor and burn. But cigars made in Mexico have traditionally underperformed in our blind tastings—until now. The Casa Turrent Serie 1901, a cigar made by Alejandro Turrent of Mexico’s famed Turrent tobacco family, has taken the highest score ever given by CIGAR AFICIONADO to a Mexican cigar. The 94 points for his Casa Turrent Serie 1901 Robusto is historic. The cigar took the highest score of the issue filled with 90-point scores from a wide variety of cigar-producing nations. Two cigars scored 93 points, and both have backstories. The Fuente Fuente OpusX Lost City Piramide is named after the movie Lost City, and the Alec Bradley Coyol Petit Lancero is named after…

You may remember the days of persimmon woods, struck heartily by such legends as Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Then came the boosted power of metal-headed drivers, a segment that took fire in the 1980s and quickly became ubiquitous among pros and amateurs alike, pushing woods made from actual wood to the dustbins of antiquity. Today, TaylorMade has moved beyond metal to create what it calls the “unmetalwood” category with the introduction of its snazzy new M1 driver, with a club head constructed from carbon fiber. The club is striking to behold, with a bright white leading edge cut in a shape reminiscent of a telephone receiver set against a sea of dark-gray carbon fiber. That contrast not only looks attractive, it serves as an alignment aid as well, preparing…

The actor Samuel L. Jackson once explained his affection for golf this way: “I love golf because it’s the only sport where you can dress like a pimp and nobody bats an eyelid.” And while Jackson’s wardrobe makes more of a statement on the course than his swing does, a number of top professionals are making their own fashion statements, taking some bold leaps forward at the same time they are clawing their way up the world rankings. When you think about today’s top players, you might very well imagine the clothing they wear rather than the clubs they play. There’s Rickie Fowler, with edgy, fashion-forward bold styles from Puma. There’s Billy Horschel, with brightly classic clothing from Ralph Lauren. There is Rory McIlroy, carrying the Nike swoosh banner that…

Brimming with 92-point scores, this tasting of corona gordas showed a diversity of styles, strengths and countries of origin. The CroMagnon Anthropology and Henry Clay Tattoo Toro relied on Connecticut broadleaf to define their character, while PSyKo Seven blended tobacco from six different countries. The Romeo y Julieta Cedros de Luxe is a puro, as it consists solely of Cuban tobacco, and the Laranja Reserva Caixa is centered around a Brazilian “Laranja” wrapper, so named for its natural orange tint. Perhaps one of the more modern blends, the El Centurion H-2K-CT uses a Cuban-seed wrapper grown in Connecticut that brand owner My Father Cigars claims is proprietary. NICARAGUA RING GAUGE: 46 LENGTH: 5 3/4" FILLER: NICARAGUA BINDER: CAMEROON WRAPPER: U.S.A./CONN. BROADLEAF CROMAGNON ANTHROPOLOGY Dark and oily in appearance, this cigar…

Long, slender smokes like panetelas and lanceros continue to have a dedicated niche following, and a few manufacturers who are still sentimental for the skinny size continue to serve that fan base with new releases. Take, for example, the Illusione Fume d’Amour Juniperos. At 92 points, it’s the highest rated cigar of the category and also the newest addition to the award-winning Fume d’Amour line (the Clementes size was CIGAR AFICIONADO’s No. 3 cigar of 2015). But the lancero fan can also lean more traditional with the Davidoff No. 1. It scored 91 points, and is, in a way, a reflection of everything that Swiss company Davidoff of Geneva stands for—Old World European elegance. NICARAGUA RING GAUGE: 40 LENGTH: 7 1/2" FILLER: NICARAGUA BINDER: NICARAGUA WRAPPER: NICARAGUA ILLUSIONE FUME D’AMOUR…

As Cuba prepared to honor 50 years of Cohiba, its most famous cigar brand, we at CIGAR AFICIONADO looked into our humidors to smoke some older versions to see how they had aged. The cigars did not disappoint. A box of Lanceros, the original size, dating back to around 1982 were first up. The white box seemed out of place, the cellophaned cigars bearing the familiar yellow, black and white bands, but in the older, modified pattern of dots rather than squares. The cigars were remarkably vibrant for their age, showcasing classic flavors of earth, coffee bean, chalk and honey. (For a video of the cigars being smoked, visit our website.) A pirámide-shaped Cohiba taken from a ceramic jar made for the millennium celebration proved almost as delicious. Both were…

When you think of London, you think of Sir Winston Churchill, and when you think of Churchill you think of cigars. Few images in this world are as memorable as the sight of the British statesman with a cigar clamped in his bulldog jaws. Fine cigars were always a part of this great man’s long life, in good times and in bad. Churchill smoked cigars during his darkest days, puffing away from his underground headquarters in London while marshaling the defense of Great Britain against the rockets and military forces of Nazi Germany. The Prime Minister even once fashioned a special adjustment to his oxygen mask to allow him a cigar while flying in an unpressurized cabin. Churchill is the very essence of London, and Britain’s capital city has long…

Whether you are completing an ensemble, sprucing up a dressed down one or have just decided to loose yourself of neckties all together, spring is a great time to bloom in color with the great selection of pocket squares so very much in vogue now. As an expression of personality pocket squares go a step further than neckties, since they can be arranged in so many ways. (Yes, ties have different knots, but they are basically of a type.) Hankies are endless in the ways they can be folded (or not really folded) in your breast pocket. And they all come with a separate message. The square fold (at top left) is the most basic and says you’re ready for business. It’s the no-nonsense presentation that Don Draper uses to…

It’s the trademark case that refuses to die and it’s still under litigation. Casually known as Cohiba v. Cohiba, the Empresa Cubana del Tabaco v. Culbro Corp. lawsuit started nearly 20 years ago when Cubatabaco, owners of the Cohiba trademark, sued General Cigar Co. for its use of the Cohiba name in the United States. General registered Cohiba in 1981 and then reregistered the trademark in 1995. In response, Cuba sought to cancel General’s U.S. trademark. Since then, the case has gone arduously back and forth with numerous appeals and reappeals that showed victories and losses for both sides—and the issue remains unresolved. The case raises an interesting question: Does a country have any trademark rights in the United States when it’s under an embargo? In the case of Cohiba—the…

The spectacle of seeing into the works of a watch has enticed enthusiasts since André Charles Caron, clockmaker to France’s Louis XV, came up with the skeleton, or openworked, concept in the mid-18th century. Now, this genre that exalts the purest expression of the micromechanical art form is being transformed with modern technology and high-tech materials to yield some of the airiest, edgiest watches we’ve ever seen from major brands and small independent producers alike. A major breakthrough with modern skeletonization reverses the design process. For centuries, creating a skeleton watch was a delicate affair that involved cutting away all but the most essential elements required for the watch movement to function, but not so much that the movement’s stability was compromised. Plates and bridges were pared down to expose…

As if Fuente Fuente OpusX cigars weren’t rare enough, the OpusX Lost City is an esoteric brand within a brand, and the Piramide scored 93 points. There’s an unusual story behind this line. When actor Andy Garcia was filming his movie Lost City, he needed verdant fields full of tobacco for the backdrop of a scene. Garcia asked Carlos “Carlito” Fuente Jr. if he could grow some late-harvest, throw-away tobacco just for the sake of the movie on his Chateau de la Fuente farm in the Dominican Republic. As it turned out, the tobacco was far from throw-away. Although it was grown and harvested far later than usual, the tobacco was unique, aromatic and ended up on this cigar brand. Like OpusX cigars, the Lost City is made in the…

Mexican and Nicaraguan tobacco come together sublimely with the Casa Turrent Serie 1901 Robusto, which scored 94 points—the highest rating of the entire issue and the top score ever given a Mexican cigar by this magazine. By brand owner Alejandro Turrent’s thinking, the Mexican tobacco would be his vehicle for taste and combustion, the Nicaraguan tobacco for strength and body. The wrapper is grown from Mexico’s native San Andrés Negro seed and the Mexican filler and binder from a Cuban-seed Criollo variety also planted in Mexico. The Serie 1901 is the newest brand from the Turrent family to use their name, as the company discontinued all previous brands that bore the word Turrent. Four cigars scored 91 points. Made in the Dominican Republic, the Arturo Fuente Casa Cuba Doble Cinco…

Dear Marvin, Representative Peter King’s assessment of the risks facing America was spot on [“Risks Facing America,” February 2015]. In light of the serious issues facing American foreign policy, doesn’t this present administration’s efforts to “normalize” American-Cuban relations seem like “smoke and mirrors?” I believe most readers of this magazine greatly prefer a more secure country to one where Cuban cigars are more readily available. James L. Wilkinson Sarasota, Florida Dear Marvin, Just finished your interview with Mr. Rubin [“Life After No. 1”, February 2016]. Tried the Prensado a few years ago and was disappointed for the reasons he pointed out and never went back. But after reading his very open and honest account of what happened I’ll be going back for another try. I appreciate someone who’ll man up…

It’s a running joke. When I go to a restaurant that has octopus on the menu, my friends laugh and say, “Well, we know what he is going to order.” It’s no use protesting. I love that ugly, suction-cupped piece of firm, slightly reddish brown flesh from the sea. And my test of a kitchen is whether it can produce a great octopus dish—of which there are many. I have consumed octopus salad with diced potatoes and garlic. I have had octopus tossed into green salads, the tentacles cut into small disks. I have eaten lightly braised octopus, thinly sliced in a tartare style, laced with some garlic and capers and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and served warm on the plate laid out like a fan. I have had it…

Much like your favorite well-worn jeans and loafers, these classic, no-nonsense sport watches are go-to pieces for any watch wardrobe. Newly revamped sport collections faithfully update time-honored favorites with pure designs that eschew high-tech complications for clarity, look sharp dressed up or dressed down, and stand up to some hard knocks. This year, Vacheron Constantin reinvented its Overseas collection, which debuted in the mid ’90s. Five new models include a clean three-hand version with or without date (shown at left, $19,900), ultrathins, a chronograph, and an ultrathin perpetual calendar. No ordinary sport watches are these. Their three new automatic movements qualify for the Hallmark of Geneva (a.k.a. Geneva Seal), which dictates a number of specific quality finishes and performance standards. A soft iron “Faraday cage” core encases the movements to…

While some of the Churchills in this category stray from traditional parameters, four cigars in the tasting scored 90 points, and they’re all from relatively new brands. Alec Bradley’s Nica Puro Rosado is made entirely from Nicaraguan tobacco. Also a Nicaraguan puro, the Perdomo Habano Bourbon Barrel-Aged Maduro is a new name given to an older cigar in order to emphasize the barrel-aged tobaccos in the blend. The Undercrown Shade is the lighter, Connecticut version of the Undercrown brand and is the brainchild of Drew Estate’s Willy Herrera, as is the Norteño Edición Limitada, which elevates its Nicaraguan filler with a dark, Mexican wrapper. NICARAGUA RING GAUGE: 50 LENGTH: 7" FILLER: NICARAGUA BINDER: NICARAGUA WRAPPER: NICARAGUA ALEC BRADLEY NICA PURO ROSADO CHURCHILL This solidly constructed Churchill offers lots of spicy…

While it’s true that the lonsdale fan has fewer choices today than he had, say, 20 or 30 years ago, he isn’t completely disenfranchised. Consider the Alec Bradley Coyol Petit Lancero. It may say “lancero” in the name, but it’s a lonsdale by our standards, and it scored an impressive 93 points. As the story behind the brand goes, Coyol was named after a farm in Honduras where much of the tobacco in this cigar is grown. Brand-owner Alan Rubin loved the tobacco from this farm so much he named the brand after it. It’s the highest-rated cigar of the tasting, but at only $6.95, it might just be the best bargain of this entire issue. Two lonsdales scored 91 points. The Cuban Romeo y Julieta Cedros de Luxe No.…

Cigars are listed first by country and then by score. Please refer to the main tasting pages for notes and prices. CIGAR AFICIONADO’S 100-POINT SCALE Classic 95–100 Outstanding 90–94 Very good to excellent 80–89 Average to good commercial quality 70–79 Don’t waste your money 0-69 Not available n/a Note: all prices are manufacturers’ suggested retail, before taxes. CUBA 92 Romeo y Julieta Cedros de Luxe 91 Montecristo No. 2 91 Quai d’Orsay Robusto Diplomatico Exclusivo Francia 91 Romeo y Julieta Cedros de Luxe No. 1 90 Cohiba Lancero 90 Cohiba Robusto 90 Montecristo Especial 89 Partagás 8-9-8 88 Romeo y Julieta Churchill (Tubo) 87 Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Especial (Tubo) 87 Montecristo Double Edmundo 87 Partagás Maduro No. 1 85 Diplomaticos No. 2 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 93 Fuente Fuente OpusX Lost…