Innehållsförteckning för July/August 2021 från Cigar Aficionado

High-quality tobacco and blending creativity come together brilliantly throughout this tasting, which teems with cigars that scored 90 points or higher. Padrón shows its polished side with the 1964 Anniversary Series Torpedo. At 94 points, it was the highest score of an issue that included many great performances. TOP FIGURADO PADRÓN 1964 ANNIVERSARY SERIES TORPEDO Cocoa, hazelnut and pepper are woven together into a complex flavor tapestry in this celebratory Padrón, which earned the highest score in this entire blind taste test. NICARAGUA 94 TOP PETIT CORONA H. UPMANN REGALIAS Packaged in a fancy tin that looks like a flask, the Cuban H. Upmann Regalias is more than just a cigar in a pretty package. It’s a smoke of substance and character, tying with the Nicaraguan Illusione Ultra mk for…

The season for gin has returned—and not just because it makes a great summer cooler. With the resurgence of the cocktail culture, the drink’s complex flavors are being rediscovered. And the range of gins has never been wider, from the classic London dry to floral and fruity examples. BEEFEATER: A paragon of London dry gin, Beefeater shouts out juniper, with citrus and a range of spice and star anise. (94 proof) BOMBAY SAPPHIRE: With dialed-back pine notes, Bombay features 10 aromatics—that include almond, lemon peel, licorice and orris root—all listed on the bottle. (94 proof) THE BOTANIST: This is local gin to the max with 22 handpicked botanicals—e.g., heather, spearmint, elderflower and thistle—all from Scotland’s island of Islay. (92 proof) HENDRICKS: The Scottish pioneer of alternative gin brings cucumber and…

It was an NBA Sunday in Central New Jersey and Gadoon “Spanky” Kyrollos, one of America’s most prolific and successful sports bettors, was in his element. Some 88 miles away from the nearest casino, he occupied a conference room in the rear building of a suburban office park, placing tens of thousands of dollars’worth of bets, all of them online, and all of them legal. Two of Kyrollos’employees stationed themselves inside an adjacent room, monitoring lines of data identifying the everchanging odds of games set to go off during the course of the afternoon and evening. The advantageous opportunities were limited, making it a relatively light day for Kyrollos and his crew. Their big bet of the moment was $30,000 on the Charlotte Hornets to cover the spread against the…

Altadis U.S.A. sought to celebrate Montecristo’s 85th anniversary in style, and certainly succeeded with the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua. The box-pressed Churchill scored 92 points and is made in Ocotál, Nicaragua, at A.J. Fernandez’s San Lotano factory. The company isn’t saying much about the tobacco inside, other than it is being grown by Fernandez and has more age than usual. The Casa Magna Colorado Churchill scored 91 points. Made by Nestor Plasencia for Quesada Cigars, the brand gained notoriety when the Robusto was named the 2008 Cigar of the Year. Thirteen years later, the blend still impresses. It’s all Cuban-seed leaf grown in Nicaragua, with some tobacco from the Estelí region for more strength and other tobacco grown further north in Jalapa for elegance. NICARAGUA RING GAUGE: 52 LENGTH: 7"…

Cuba tends to excel at producing superlative petit coronas, but the country 90 miles south of Florida isn’t alone in its ability. Habanos S.A. recently revived the H. Upmann Regalias by putting it in a swanky tin as part of the Línea Retro series. More than just a cigar in pretty packaging, the Regalias scored 93 points. The Illusione Ultra mk from Nicaragua also scored 93. The small smoke comes from the creative mind of Dion Giolito, who named the smoke after a clandestine CIA program that conducted experiments on human subjects. If you’ve seen the movie The Manchurian Candidate, you’ll understand. The Cuban Cohiba Siglo II is part of Cuba’s Línea 1492 series, and scored 92 points. Three other smokes scored 91, proving smaller cigars can deliver big flavor.…

TOP SCORES 94 Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Torpedo Nicaragua • $17.80 • Figurado • Medium-Full 93 601 Blue Label Maduro Torpedo Nicaragua • $9.40 • Figurado • Full 93 Arturo Fuente Rare Pink Vintage 1960’s Séries Short Story Dominican Republic • $8.35 • Figurado • Medium-Full 93 Casa Cuba Doble Cinco Dominican Republic • $11.15 • Robusto • Medium-Full 93 H. Upmann Regalias Cuba • £18.20 • Petit Corona • Medium-Full 93 Illusione Ultra mk Nicaragua • $11.20 • Petit Corona • Medium-Full 93 Padilla 88 Aniversario Robusto Nicaragua • $13.00 • Robusto • Medium-Full 93 Padrón Dámaso No. 12 Nicaragua • $13.50 • Robusto • Mild-Medium 93 Partagás Maduro No. 2 Cuba • £27.40 • Figurado • Medium-Full 92 Cohiba Siglo IV Cuba • £35.10 • Toro • Medium…

Veteran actor Armand Assante, 71, takes his craft very seriously. You’ve seen him sail the wine-dark sea as Odysseus in the mythological miniseries “The Odyssey” and rise in the mafia ranks as organized crime boss John Gotti. But if you’ve ever seen him smoke onscreen, then there’s something you should know: he wasn’t acting. Cigars are a dedicated passion for the Emmy-award winner, whether the cameras are rolling or not. “For the past 15 years while I’m grappling with scripts that need work, which can be time-consuming, I like to retreat and basically slow my mind down,” he says. “I’ve always enjoyed how the taste of a great cigar can put me into a nice realm of thinking, a zone I like to be in—to work from—in silence and the…

Poker pro Shaun Deeb would have dug the game’s golden age. “I would have fit in great: the long sessions, the ball busting, the prop bets, the cigar smoking,” says the 35-year-old. He enjoys when his opponents smoke a cigar, because of the tells. “If they slam out smoke, it means one thing. If they exhale slowly, it’s something else. And if somebody does not take a puff, why are they afraid to breathe?” Deeb, who’s earned more than $20 million at the tables, currently favors Romeo y Julieta Belicosos, smoked after serious dinners, or with friends at the pool. While en route to a nearby game, however, he might opt for an ACID Kuba Kuba: “They’re perfect for 30-minute rides in the car.” Following stressful, high-stakes action, cigars are…

Pat LaFrieda’s day begins around 3:30 pm and finishes well into the morning, talking to chefs about meat. LaFrieda is the CEO of Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors, founded by his great-grandfather in Brooklyn, New York, in 1922. When the weekend comes and it’s time to relax with a cigar, his vocation is never far from that avocation. “I have a special appreciation for cigar blenders because I blend meats.” Blending creates flavor, the 50 year old explains. “When it comes to cigars, I can’t see how it would be any different.” “We’re one big family,” LaFrieda says of his company, now based in New Jersey. During the Covid-19 pandemic, they never stopped supplying fine meats and burger blends to more than 4,000 U.S. restaurants. Throughout, LaFrieda has looked forward to…

The past year and a half has been hard on just about everyone. Some have paid the ultimate price, others have lost loved ones, and even the luckiest among us have suffered. The pandemic put normal life on hold, but as we write these words in mid-June the outlook is one of hope. The masks are coming off. People are emerging from their homes. It’s time to take a deep breath and prepare to once again live our lives the way we remember. With so many negatives since March of 2020, it’s pleasantly surprising to hear some good news—the cigar industry is booming. Imports of premium, handmade cigars were up in 2020—despite a start of the year that shut down cigar stores and cigar factories—and the first quarter of 2021…

The cast-iron skillet is blistering hot. The 50 percent chuck flat/40 percent short rib/10 percent bone marrow burgers are perfectly seasoned with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Two six-ounce patties go in the pan. The sizzle is immediate. Ecstasy isn’t far away. Exotic toppings and special buns are fine, but the first step to a better burger is to blend cuts of meat that achieve the perfect balance of flavor and texture. It works whether you custom order from your butcher, do it yourself or tap an expert. Pat LaFrieda, the CEO of Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors, which sells burger blends to more than 4,000 restaurants, explains that “using an individual cut of beef for a burger can be very limiting.” So he makes them eight different ways. The…

Warm weather often means turning to clear liquor to keep cool, but when you’re fired up to celebrate independence on July 4th, the best way to show your American spirit is with the nation’s two great contributions to mixology in one glass—the cocktail and homegrown whiskey. Cocktails arrived on the drinking scene soon after the nation’s birth, when the term was defined in print as a drink “composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters.” American whiskey had already made a foothold in the New World’s colonial days, first as rye and then as Bourbon, an American creation. Both proved more than capable of playing the starring role in a long list of delicious cocktail recipes. As bartending became an art form, they supplied the perfect tools to…

Figurados turned out to be an extraordinary category, as six cigars scored 92 points or higher, most notably Padrón’s 1964 Anniversary Series Torpedo, which scored an impressive—but not surprising—94 points. Its consistently polished inflections of cocoa and hazelnut keep this brand in an elite class. Three cigars, each representing different countries, scored 93 points. The 601 Blue Label Maduro Torpedo rounds out its strong Nicaraguan tobacco with sweeter Connecticut broadleaf. The Partagás Maduro No. 2 is one of Cuba’s few cigars made with a maduro wrapper. A brand with a social cause, the Dominican Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Rare Pinks were released to raise awareness for breast cancer. The Short Story is as big on flavor as it is on advocacy. NICARAGUA RING GAUGE: 52 LENGTH: 6" FILLER: NICARAGUA BINDER:…

A trio of robustos scored 93 points, and in addition to being great smokes, all have a degree of significance behind their releases. When Arturo Fuente’s Casa Cuba brand hit the market in 2013, it was the first cigar blended by the late patriarch Carlos Fuente Sr. in many years. Sadly, it also turned out to be one of his last. The Doble Cinco, rolled in the Dominican Republic, is named for a Cuban domino. Padilla’s 88 Aniversario is an homage to Ernesto Padilla’s father, Heberto Padilla, who gained publicity as a poet and political prisoner in Cuba. The cigar commemorates what would have been his 88th birthday. Also from Nicaragua, the Padrón Dámaso was a complete departure for the company and represented its first foray into the world of…

Eric Ripert, head chef of one of New York City’s most acclaimed restaurants, Le Bernardin, likes the good stuff. His favorite cigar? The Cohiba Behike BHK 56. “When I can get them,” he says, a reflection of just how hard it is to find Behikes nowadays. He usually smokes a cigar on the weekend and he enjoys cigars when he vacations. Ripert, 56, is the master of fish, turning the catch of the sea into creative expressions that diners and critics rave about. But what’s his favorite non-fish meal? “Lately I’m enjoying cooking and eating different vegetable-focused dishes,” he says. His indulgence in vegetables inspired him to write a new cookbook, Vegetable Simple, which came out in April. When Le Bernardin was forced to close during the pandemic, Ripert turned…

Dear Marvin, As a proud subscription owner for the last 10 years of this distinguished magazine I have thoroughly enjoyed the publication. The recent inclusion of the new feature of “My Favorite Cigar” has added significantly to my enjoyment. As a cigar enthusiast for the last 25 years and a selfprofessed modern man, I have also noticed and welcomed the increasing numbers of the fairer sex who also enjoy the pleasures of the leaf. I believe the new feature would be enhanced with the inclusion of women and their favorite cigars and serve to highlight the inclusiveness of this passionate pursuit. At the same time, while we enjoy learning of the cigar experiences of well-known people, may I also humbly submit for your consideration as part of this feature, the…

Fat bikes—those mountain cycles with cartoonishly wide wheels and tires—may seem purpose-built for riding in winter when the air balloons they appear to sport afford excellent flotation on snowy trails. But the most plausible creation story traces their origin to warm desert climates. Exploring the dunes and dry washes of southern New Mexico and northern Mexico, the intrepid off-road biker Ray Molina decided he needed something better to pedal through sand. So he custombuilt a bike with 3.5-inch-wide tires—more than 50 percent wider than a mountain bike—and a new category was born. Today, just about every major bike manufacturer offers fat bikes, and they remain the best way to ride to, from and on the beach. Easily outfitted with racks, their stability also makes them better at carrying gear, from…

When the Masters returned to its traditional dates in April, with the azaleas in full bloom and (a few) spectators providing golf’s version of a new normal, history was made—Hideki Matsuyama became the first male Japanese player to win a major golf tournament. But the runner up was equally fascinating. Will Zalatoris, skinny as a 2-iron, only 24 years old with a blond mop-top, grabbed his share of the Masters’laser-like spotlight. He was in the hunt all week, finishing top five in each round, hitting it long and high and putting Augusta’s notorious greens with confidence. In the end, he fell one stroke shy of the man who won the green jacket. Zalatoris’performance was part of what has become the new normal on the PGA Tour. It seems that every…

Because it came to life in Paris, rather than the United States, the Boulevardier may seem suspect as a patriotic American drink. But its creation sprung from a couple of American ex-pats living in France, and the only way this cocktail works is with its base of sweet and distinctive American whiskey. Harry MacElhone, of Harry’s New York Bar, committed the formula to print, combining Bourbon, Campari and sweet vermouth, in his renowned 1927 guide Barflies and Cocktails. But the saloon keeper credited it to Erskine Gwynne, himself another refuge from American Prohibition, who also published a shortlived Parisian magazine, The Boulevardier. The basic genetics come from the 19thcentury Milano-Torino, an Italian concoction of Campari and vermouth. When American tourists ordered it with soda it became the Americano, which James…

Two cigars in this category of girthy grandes scored 90 points. Both are puros, meaning the tobacco within the cigar all comes from the same country. The CLE 25th Anniversary is Honduran, a cigar created by Christian Eiroa to celebrate his 25 years in the cigar business. This chunky, box-pressed smoke puts the sometimes overlooked region of Honduras on full display, as it’s made entirely of Honduran leaf grown on the Eiroa family farms, including the Corojo’99 binder. With the enormous critical success of Oliva brands like the Serie V and Serie V Melanio, it’s easy to forget about Oliva’s Serie O. The Double Toro consists of tobacco grown from the same Cuban seed, but planted in three different regions of Nicaragua: Estelí, Condega and Jalapa. HONDURAS RING GAUGE: 60…

The term “toro” is used somewhat loosely in the cigar world. They normally measure between 5 ½ and 6 inches long with ring gauges from 46 and 56. Three cigars in this category scored 92 points, and they vary in size, style and price point. The Charter Oak Lonsdale by Foundation Cigar Co. is more of a toro by our parameters, but whatever you call it, this Nicaraguan cigar was not only one of the top performers here, but the best bargain as well. From Ace Prime comes the Pichardo Reserva Familiar Connecticut, a cohesive cigar with a three-country blend produced at the namesake Tabacalera Pichardo in Nicaragua. The Cuban Cohiba Siglo IV is one of the original sizes from the Línea 1492 line, which was launched in 1992 and…

Bill Terlato, the president and CEO of Terlato Wines, has been smoking cigars since he was young, following in the footsteps of his father, Tony. “He always had good cigars,” says Terlato, who keeps an enviable stash of smokes in his home. He smokes Montecristo No. 2, Cohiba and Partagás, but his go-to is the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2, or No. 1. He prefers his cigars with some age, so he has built an inventory. “I’m smoking cigars from’04 and’05 now,” he says. “I’m trying to leave them for at least 10 years or so.” Terlato, 62, normally smokes about three cigars a week, but he steps up his cigar smoking when he’s taking a break from work. “On vacation, I might smoke two or three a day,”…

“My first cigar was when I was about 12 years old,” says “The Hammer,” a self-referential nickname that the former NFLdefensive end Fred Williamson earned for his forearm smashes to hapless wide receivers. That’s the age Williamson began lighting his father’s cigar because he liked the smell so much. From then on, their ritual began, continuing until Fred began lighting cigars of his own. The former Steeler, Raider and Chief was a three-time AFLAll-Star cornerback who played in Super Bowl I, but he’s been in movies, including M*A*S*H and Starksy & Hutch, a reboot based on the 1970s TV series of the same name. Now 83, the spry actor is still at it, with a new film out now and a couple due for release. When he isn’t shooting high-octane…