Innehållsförteckning för January/February 2018 från Cigar Aficionado

TOP PANETELA 7-20-4 LANCERO Once a clear Havana produced in New Hampshire in the 19th century, this resurrected brand is now rolled in Honduras with a dark, Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper. HONDURAS 93 TOP CHURCHILL OLIVA SERIEO CHURCHILL This Nicaraguan puro sports Habano-seed leaves from the country’s three major growing regions: Jalapa, Condega and Estelí, where the cigars are rolled. NICARAGUA 92 TOP CORONA GORDA MONTECRISTO DOUBLE EDMUNDO This longer version of Cuba’s popular Montecristo Edmundo tied with another Cuban for top corona gorda, the Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo de San Juan (Tubo). CUBA 92 TOP FIGURADO UNDERCROWN SUN GROWN FLYING PIG Enrobed in an Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper, the Undercrown Sun Grown Flying Pig tied with Cuba’s Rafael Gonzalez 88 Exclusivo Asia Pacífico and the Dominican Villiger La Flor…

THE GREAT Sir Winston Churchill once said “Victory will never be found in taking the line of least resistance.” The legendary statesman (and unapologetic cigar smoker) lived up to that quote by navigating a tough draw to win CIGAR AFICIONADO’S Readers’ Choice Cover Challenge—he’s our most popular cover ever. He faced Michael Strahan and Matthew McConaughey in the first two rounds, then George Burns, another cigar-puffing legend. He then beat The Sopranos before taking on the Fuente family in our Final Four, and then squared off against John F. Kennedy in the final round. Kennedy’s road to the finals had him up against Tom Selleck, then Jack Nicholson before the final showdown with Churchill. The outcome was decided by more than 38,000 votes by our readers. One lucky reader will…

Since the turn of this century, high-performance, cutting-edge materials—from various kinds of carbon to high-tech ceramic to transparent sapphire crystal—have been the news in watchmaking. Now bronze—an ancient alloy of copper and tin that has more than four centuries of history in the industry—is making its own vintage-inspired design statement. Durable, anticorrosive and developing a protective patina with age, the metal has a long heritage in the bygone eras of mariners and pioneering aviators. Eterna ventured into the material for the first time with the KonTiki Bronze Manufacture Limited Edition ($2,950) that pays tribute to the 70th anniversary of Thor Heyerdahl’s storied raft expedition from South America to Polynesia, which was equipped with Eterna timepieces. Limited to 300 pieces and water-resistant to 200 meters, the watch stays true to KonTiki…

Everybody thought the Stork was brain damaged” is the line introducing Douglas Kenney’s character in Animal House, but the movie’s co-writer was far from that. From his Harvard days through the co-founding of National Lampoon magazine to motion picture triumphs he was a comedy comet, who would inevitably burn out and fall to earth. The son of a tennis pro turned corpo-rate exec, Kenney grew up in a Cleveland suburb, an experience he would later mine for comedy gold. In college, he joined the campus humor magazine, Harvard Lampoon, and wrote a spoof on Tolkien: Bored of the Rings. On graduation, he and two other alumni took it to another level with the scathing National Lampoon, which skewered everyone from the right to the left. Nothing was sacred: they tastelessly…

Oliva Serie O cigars are sometimes overshadowed by Oliva’s more full-bodied brands such as Serie V and Serie V Melanio, but the Serie O represents an interesting concept in the Oliva portfolio. The Churchill scored an outstanding 92 points. Unlike many cigars, which often incorporate different tobacco varietals within the same blend, the Serie O consists of tobacco all grown from the same seed type, yet from different regions of Nicaragua: Estelí, Condega and Jalapa. The same seed often produces very different tobacco when planted in different areas. This type of blending is more of a traditional Cuban method, one that emphasizes the diversity of terroir over seed type. ▪ Cigarmaker A.J. Fernandez is as creative as he is industrious. We’re reminded of this by the San Lotano Requiem Habano…

Despite the scarcity of lonsdales, we still have a few companies keeping this slim size alive. Norteño takes a bit of an unorthodox approach to this classic format. Made by Drew Estate in Nicaragua, the Norteño Lonsdale scored 91 points. It’s box-pressed but also ovular with rounded edges as opposed to having the sharp corners of a severe trunk-pressing. The smoke itself is rich in cocoa thanks to its three-country blend. Owned by Tampa-based J.C. Newman Cigar Co., Cuesta-Reys are made in the Dominican Republic at the Fuente factory. The Sumatra-seed wrapper is grown in Ecuador by Tampa’s Oliva family. It scored 90 points, as did the La Flor Dominicana Cameroon Cabinet No. 1., which brims with all the nutty, spicy qualities often associated with excellent Cameroon tobacco. NICARAGUA NICARAGUA…

TOP SCORES 93 7-20-4 Lancero Honduras • $8.35 • Panetela • Full 92 El Rey del Mundo Choix Supreme Cuba • £14.86 • Robusto • Medium 92 Hoyo de Monterrey Le Hoyo de San Juan (Tubo) Cuba • £27.43 • Corona Gorda • Medium 92 Montecristo Double Edmundo Cuba • £24.86 • Corona Gorda • Medium-Full 92 Oliva Serie O Churchill Nicaragua • $7.65 • Churchill • Medium-Full 92 Rafael Gonzalez 88 Exclusivo Asia Pacifico Cuba • HK$268.00 • Figurado • Medium 92 Tatuaje Black Petite Lancero Nicaragua • $8.50 • Panetela • Full 92 Undercrown Sun Grown Flying Pig Nicaragua • $12.73 • Figurado • Medium-Full 92 Villiger La Flor de Ynclan Torpedo Dominican Republic • $12.00 • Figurado • Medium-Full 91 Padrón Serie 1926 40th Anniversary Nicaragua •…

Right now around 700 million people around the world are using an iPhone. Both of us have iPhones of our own. But lately, looking at our screens makes us sad. That’s because Apple doesn’t believe in the First Amendment, doesn’t believe in free speech. The company, one of the largest on the planet, has declared war on cigar smokers. It banned CIGAR AFICIONADO’S Where to Smoke app from its store on October 30. Where to Smoke, which we created in 2015, is a free, informational app, which points our readers to more than 2,600 cigar shops, cigar bars and other cigar-friendly venues. In a world where fewer and fewer places allow you to enjoy a fine cigar, it’s a valuable resource. Our editorial staff dedicated an enormous amount of work…

The pinnacle of style is often equated with London bespoke clothing: gar-ments cut and made specifically for the wearer. But there are downsides. In a suit, that kind of service can easily run past $5,000. And that’s without travel to England. The good news is that many London tailors periodically visit major U.S. cities to tender their services in what are called trunk shows. Even better, you can get a taste of that custom tradition for a fraction of the price with bespoke shirts. Recently, James MacAuslan, bespoke cutter from Budd Shirts, located just off Jermyn Street, London’s renowned shirt mecca, visited Los Angeles as part of a swing through the States. With him came a century of shirt-making tradition, as well as 6,000 fabric choices (including the iconic Budd…

Renowned as the first whisky of the world, Scotch gets its fair share of praise, but what it doesn’t get is used in a lot of cocktails. Purists think it’s too precious to dilute. Others find it too curmudgeonly in a mixing situation compared with outgoing Bourbon and gin. But an elite coterie of concoctions prove that Scotch—once coaxed—can be a cocktail’s friend for life. You’ll recognize the Rob Roy as the Scots’ take on the Yankee Manhattan, only made with Scotch whisky in place of rye or Bourbon. Sure it’s a knockoff, but one that is distinctive enough to deserve its own name. The Rob Roy offers at least as many variations as there are single-malt and blended Scotches to be tried. Adjust the vermouth ratio to reflect the…

Kevin Bacon (Chip Diller) A minor part in Animal House (the preppy Omega freshman) launched what would become the most successful acting career among the cast members. Bacon followed his first movie appearance with minor film and television work before being a standout in Diner. His breakout leading-man performance came in the 1984 hit Footloose, in which he used 1980s dance moves to com-bat a fun-hating preacher played by John Lithgow. Solidly on the “A” list, he nevertheless pursued dark and quirky supporting roles as well. The 59-year-old is still among Hollywood’s busier actors, recently appearing in Patriot’s Day. Donald Sutherland (Prof. Dave Jennings) From The Dirty Dozen to MASH and Kelley’s Heroes, Sutherland was already a bankable star when he was cast in the small, but charming role of…

One of the thickest Cuban Hoyo de Monterreys is also one of the highest scoring cigars of this category. The Le Hoyo de San Juan scored 92 points for its ability to deliver layer after layer of big flavors. It’s the newest (and fattest) addition to the Serie Le Hoyo, which is a sub-brand of the core line. Hoyo de Monterrey as a brand has always appealed to both the beginner for its traditionally light body and the connoisseur for its nuanced complexity. While we certainly found the Le Hoyo de San Juan to be complex, it wasn’t exactly a light-bodied or mild cigar. The notes of wood, pistachio and espresso were clear and distinct. All the samples smoked here were packaged in aluminum tubos and sold in packs of…

Wrapper leaf has a considerable influence on a cigar’s overall character, especially on thinner cigars. It’s a simple law of ratios—the thinner the cigar, the more the wrapper comes into play. By this logic, one cannot create a panetela of quality with a mediocre wrapper. In the case of the 7-20-4 Lancero, the Brazilian wrapper was not only gorgeous to behold, but bursting with flavor. The lancero scored 93 points, which is the highest score Cigar afiCionado has ever given to a cigar from the 7-20-4 brand. ▪ Made in Nicaragua, the Tatuaje Black Petite Lancero (92 points) was first released in a vertical stand-up box, but is now available a hinged, 8-9-8-style box, albiet in small quantities. HONDURAS RING GAUGE: 40 LENGTH: 7" FILLER: NICARAGUA, HONDURAS, MEXICO, COLOMBIA BINDER:…

There are two reasons why pre-Castro Cuban cigars sell for such high prices at auction. They get rarer by the day (the world supply gets smaller every time one is fired up) and in many cases they have aged into phenomenal smokes. Take, for example, this Hoyo de Monterrey Corona from the mid-1950s. It’s not very large, a mere 5 1/2 inches long with a slim ring gauge of 42, but the 60-year-old cigar was brimming with flavor, just a touch of earth balanced by a vibrant mixture of sweet baking spices. It scored a near-perfect 99 points. A much larger (and far younger) Hoyo, the Royal Hunt No. 10, was close behind, with a score of 98 points. Note that we also have a rating here for a rare…

Dear Marvin, My compliments on a terrific and refreshing interview with Michael Jordan [December 2017]. Now I under-stand more fully why he ranked as the most popular athlete in history in The Harris Poll. Your frank discussion with Mr. Jordan reinforced why we love heroes— because we remember them at their strongest. Michael never disappointed. When the stage was the biggest he seemed to always rise to the occasion. The funny thing about heroes though—they’re regular people. For every-thing he has accomplished, Michael appeared calm but remarkably humble during your interview. We will all remember Michael Jordan for being the greatest winner of our lifetime because that’s what he is. No one else could be like Mike. Tim Groza Greensboro, Georgia Dear Marvin, Congratulations on your 25-year anniversary. It took…

John Belushi could reduce audiences to tears of laughter with a well-timed waggle of one expressive eyebrow. While he had blown up on TV as a founding 1975 cast member of “NBC’s Saturday Night” (later called “Saturday Night Live”), what Belushi really wanted to do was make movies. Just before Animal House, he’d played a smaller role in Goin’ South, a film directed by and starring Jack Nicholson, and complained to his brother, Jim, about how dissatisfied he’d been with the experience. But Animal House was different. He was working with screenwriters who were friends and longtime colleagues from The National Lampoon stage and radio shows. They understood the comic dynamo that was Belushi, and created a film to harness that comedic power. “The part was built for him by…

SCOTTY Cameron couldn’t be more hands on. The legendary putter maker is an inventor, a designer, a machinist, an artisan and a promoter, deeply involved in every detail of the process of creating what are now the most famous putters on the planet. He does it by hand, always has and always will, building an international reputation on the success of his flatsticks. But on this sunny Southern California day at his studio in San Marcos, California, he has something a little different to show for his hands-on approach. After the introductory handshake in the lobby of his headquarters, he points to an upper front tooth that is now rather like a fang. “I was hand-stamping a putter last night and a shard flew off and broke my tooth,” he…

More than half the cigars in this category scored 90 points or higher, outstanding on our 100-point scale. The top three scored 92 points, and represent three different countries and styles. Made in Cuba for the Asia Pacific region, the Rafael Gonzalez 88 is a delightful double figurado with tapers on both ends and a comfortable ring gauge. As a brand, Rafael Gonzalez is tiny, kept alive by the Regional Edition program. The Undercrown Sun Grown Flying Pig is made in Nicaragua by Drew Estate and rolled in a quirky fat perfecto size. Villiger’s La Flor de Ynclan has experienced a fantastic rebirth. Discontinued in 2008, it was reblended, redesigned and rereleased last year. CUBA RING GAUGE: 48 LENGTH: 5 1/4" FILLER: CUBA BINDER: CUBA WRAPPER: CUBA BOX DATE: DECEMBER…

Once a formidable brand with many sizes, El Rey del Mundo isn’t much more than an afterthought for Cuban monopoly Habanos S.A. The Choix Supreme is one of the few sizes remaining, and the recent runs have been excellent. Sampled from a box packed in May 2017, the Choix Supreme scored 92 points. Elementally, it’s a sweet and earthy cigar, but there is structure and specificity, rendering complex notes of caramel and coffee. ▪ Headley Grange is a concept from Tennessee-based company Crowned Heads realized by cigarmaker Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, and the Hermoso No. 4 scored 91 points. It’s made in the Dominican Republic with Ecuadoran Sumatra-seed wrapper and Nicaraguan tobacco. The idea was for the smoke to taste like the heavy drumbeat heard in the beginning of the Led Zeppelin…