Innehållsförteckning för November/December 2022 från Cigar Aficionado

The magic has yet to fade on the 95-point E.P. Carrillo Encore Majestic, a former Cigar of the Year and true classic years after its debut. Other cigars shine, such as the 94-point Davidoff Nicaragua Diadema and a variety of cigars from Nicaragua and Cuba, including the Cohiba 55 Aniversario, one of the most expensive Cohibas ever released. TOP MISCELLANEOUS E.P. CARRILLO ENCORE MAJESTIC DOM. REP. 95 It got our attention when it debuted in 2018. It kept our attention when it was named Cigar of the Year. And now, it maintains its reputation with a jaw-dropping score of 95 points—classic on our 100-point scale. $12.50 TOP FIGURADO DAVIDOFF NICARAGUA DIADEMA DOM. REP. 94 Though made in the Dominican Republic, there’s no Dominican tobacco in this beautiful, double-tapered figurado. The…

In the 1970s, luggage maker American Tourister ran a TV commercial in which a gorilla savagely beats up on one of the company’s hard-sided suitcases to show its durability. Such a product may be good protection for the bags you leave to the devices of merciless luggage handlers, but for the valise that you carry personally a little more style is in order. When storing overhead and for short weekend trips, go to the soft sides of a leather bag. You may even be surprised how hard-wearing a bag with a natural exterior is—especially since leather, just as you do, develops character with age. Small nicks and bruises can be rubbed out and stains cleaned with saddle soap. Searching for the sublime leather bag can be a bit confusing as…

It is September 1992. The leaves are changing color, the air is crisp—the perfect weather to smoke a cigar. A car passes by and the new single from Guns N’ Roses, “November Rain,” is playing loudly over the radio. You amble over to your local cigar shop to grab something special to complete this perfect autumn day. As you make your way around the store, you peruse the small selection on the shelves and behind the glass counters. Many of the cigars are on the thinner side and are clad in light Connecticut shade wrappers. Some of them retail for less than $2—just a bit cheaper than a pound of coffee at the time. In this shop, there are a variety in terms of brands, but to a visitor from…

His advice is simple: “make peace with the chair”—the chair your butt fits in every day. Stephen Hunter has used his ethic of dogged persistence to great success—both as the creator of Bob Lee Swagger, the deadly protagonist of going-on 13 suspense novels, and as the second honoree for movie criticism by the Pulitzer-Prize committee. “I was able to write a book every two years, while writing 400 or 500 pieces for whichever of the two newspapers I was working for at the time,” he says, looking every bit the cliché of an author in his home in tony Federal Hill, Maryland, wearing a rust-colored sport coat. “I don’t remember it as being a particular ordeal. I don’t remember a transition. Because I liked both. I was getting a different…

Nicaragua dominated the Churchill category as three cigars made in this tobacco-rich country scored 93 points. From Nicaragua’s oldest producer of handmade cigars comes the Joya de Nicaragua Antaño 1970. When it first came out, the market didn’t have nearly as many full-bodied cigars as it does today. The brand is no longer alone in the strong cigar category, but proves that it’s still relevant by bringing strength and sweetness together with skill and balance. The Oliva Serie V brand has become a model of consistency. It tends to perform quite well in our tastings and the Churchill Extra showed a very precise palate of autumnal flavors. The Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua Churchill, made by A.J. Fernandez for Altadis U.S.A., stands out for its range as well as its density.…

Our collection here of oddities and miscellaney consists mostly of shorter sizes. And while the E.P. Carrillo Encore Majestic may seem a standard toro, it isn’t. Nor is it a standard cigar. The blockbuster scored 95 points—an instant classic right off the rolling tables of Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s factory in the Dominican Republic. If it looks familiar, it’s because Majestic was a former Cigar of the Year, showing that Perez-Carrillo continues to maintain his high standards of excellence. Three cigars scored 91 points. The Ashton Virgin Sun Grown Trés Mystique is made by the Fuentes in the Dominican Republic; Jochy Blanco brings us the La Galera Habano Half Corona from the same country; and the Cuban Partagás Serie D No. 6 is a truncated version of the very popular D No.…

TOP SCORES 95 E.P. Carrillo Encore Majestic Dominican Republic • $12.50 • Misc. • Medium-Full 94 Davidoff Nicaragua Diadema Dominican Republic • $22.60 • Figurado • Medium-Full 93 Cohiba 55 Aniversario Edición Limitada 2021 Cuba • $300 • Toro • Medium-Full 93 Joya de Nicaragua Antaño 1970 Churchill Nicaragua • $9.75 • Churchill • Medium-Full 93 Oliva Serie V Churchill Extra Nicaragua • $12.55 • Churchill • Medium 93 Romeo y Julieta Línea de Oro Hidalgos Cuba • £46.80 • Robusto • Medium-Full 93 Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua Churchill Nicaragua • $8.62 • Churchill • Medium-Full 93 Vegas Cubanas Invictos Nicaragua • $7.30 • Robusto • Medium 92 Allegria Robusto Nicaragua • $10.90 • Robusto • Medium-Full 92 Espinosa Knuckle Sandwich Habano Corona Gorda R icaragua • $11.50 • Toro • Medium-Full TOP VALUES 91 La Galera Habano Half…

Fernando Domínguez President and CEO Tabacalera S.L.U. An executive who has always put quality ahead of quantity, Fernando Domínguez is the CEO of Tabacalera S.L.U. He is an instrumental part of an organization that not only owns half of Habanos S.A., which controls Cuba’s cigar industry, but also owns Altadis U.S.A., one of the largest producers of premium cigars in the United States. He knows the world of Cuban cigars like few others, having served as co-president of Habanos S.A. for six years and living in Havana during that time. It would be neither hyperbole nor hubris to say that Domínguez was crucial in improving the state of Cuban cigars across the board. He’s been in the tobacco business since 1985, but his restorative efforts began in the early 2000s,…

The mention of Sherry may conjure images of little old ladies surrounded by dollies sipping from dainty glasses. Or more sinisterly, the fortified wine used to lure Fortunato to his doom in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado.” Or perhaps the title girl in a Four Seasons song from 1962. But the distinctive flavor of this tipple from Spain is absolutely vital to the flavor of many of the Scotch whiskies that we drink. Casks sourced from the Jerez-Xérès-Sherry designation of origin in the southern region of Andalusia are the second most popular vessels (after ex-Bourbon barrels) for aging Scotch whisky. And the results can be exquisite. The containers add an array of tasting notes to Scotch that variously include not only the expected fruits, like black cherry and raisins, but…

Known for making mild cigars with mostly Dominican tobacco, Davidoff went off script in 2013 when the company decided to experiment with leaves from Nicaragua. It was a total departure—the bands went from white to black, the tobacco was out of Davidoff’s normal purview and the power was turned up a notch or two. One thing that stayed the same was excellent construction. Nearly a decade later, the Diadema still piques our interest in both form and function. It’s a beautifully constructed figurado that scored 94 points and kept our palates awake and engaged the entire time. With similar tapers and curves, the Enclave Salomon scored 92 points and is made in Nicaragua by A.J. Fernandez, though his father, Ismael, created this blend more for balance than strength. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC…

Two cigars made on the opposite ends of the Caribbean Sea scored 93 points, though there’s an ocean of difference in price. When Habanos S.A. released the Romeo y Julieta Línea de Oro line last year, it gave the Romeo brand a super-premium category, much the way it did with Montecristo and Cohiba. The Hidalgos are quite superb and have the super-premium price to match—roughly $52.30 per cigar. By comparison, the Vegas Cubanas Invictos retails for only $7.30 and offers all the substantial Nicaraguan character that My Father Cigars is known for. Three smokes scored 92 points. Also from My Father, the La Opulencia is made in Nicaragua, as is the Allegria from Illusione Cigars. Cuba’s Montecristo Open series was meant for those who enjoy the sporting life. CUBA RING…

“I used to enjoy two to four Cuban cigars a day… Now I’m consuming two to three a month.”—Robert Hubbard, Burlington, Kentucky Dear Marvin, Here is all you need to know about Padrón [“A Tale of Two Families,” Sept./Oct. 2022]. A few years ago, there was a Padrón event at Holt’s Cigar Co. in Philadelphia that Jorge Padrón was attending. I thought it would be great to shake his hand so I went to the event after work. When I got there, I saw Jorge in deep conversation completely surrounded by a circle of cigar aficionados who got there earlier than I did. I realized it would be some time before I might have a chance to meet him, and given that I was pressed for time, I decided to…

Since a certain spy first requested his Martinis with vodka, in place of gin, the name of that classic cocktail has been erroneously applied to just about anything served neat in a cone-shaped glass with a stem. (The latest ersatz invention is the Veltini, made with a trademarked cheese spread.) But one variant worthy of the name—despite its lack of gin or even vermouth—is the Espresso Martini. The drink actually started life in 1983 with the more legitimate name of the Vodka Espresso. The legendary Dick Bradswell of London’s Soho Brasserie concocted it, supposedly at the behest of a supermodel who requested both a pick-me-up and a lay-me-out in one glass. Fashionable nomenclature later dictated the present name. (It’s also been called a Pharmaceutical Stimulant when served in one of…

CIGAR AFICIONADO has rated cigars blind in every issue dating back to our first in Autumn of 1992. Based on a 100-point system, our highest ranking is a classification we refer to as “classic,” and it’s reserved for cigars that scored 95 points or more. We have gone into our ratings database archive and poured through our classics by brand and manufacturer. This list of overachievers goes back 30 years and shows the top-rated cigar from each brand to earn this rare distinction. 99 Hoyo de Monterrey Double Corona Reviewed Winter 1992 This Cuban cigar set the standard for cigar reviews. In the second issue of the magazine, this stately double corona earned a near-perfect score of 99 points, a mark that has never been matched in one of our blind…

Aberlour A’bunadh120 proof • $100 The name—A’bunadh—may sound like the English “abundance,” but it actually means “the original” in Gaelic. Aged 100 percent in oloroso casks, it has a dominating Sherry/cherry flavor that gives way to a cereal-granola-honey quality and some licorice. Ardbeg Uigeadail 108.4 proof • $80 This is a melding of ex-Bourbon-aged-Scotch with whiskey aged in Sherry butts. You expect Ardbeg, famous as a peaty Islay Scotch, to overwhelm any Sherry influence, but raisin and cinnamon notes come through as a balance to Ardbeg’s salt air. Auchentoshan Three Wood 86 proof • $80 The three woods used in this Lowlands Scotch include two with Sherry influences (oloroso and Pedro Ximénez). The combination is a revelation for the whisky, lending it notes of raisins, red berries, orange peel, toffee,…

The Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua blend got a lot of acclaim last year when the torpedo-sized No. 2 was named the No. 2 cigar of 2021 by this magazine. Now, in much fatter, chunkier form, the Espeso tops the grandes category at 92 points. This is particularly noteworthy, as blends don’t always perform consistently from size to size. But A.J. Fernandez, who makes the cigar for Altadis U.S.A., was able to scale the blend up to this thicker, wider format while preserving the character of the brand. From Honduras, the Alec Bradley Maxx scored 90 points with a size called The Freak. It’s a 60 ring gauge cigar and shows more than a fair amount of flavor, but seeing how cigars of this size are becoming more and more common,…

To say that there was fanfare around the release of the Cohiba 55 Aniversario this year would be an understatement. Not only was the Cuban Edición Limitada celebrated with lavish launch parties around the world, it’s one of the most expensive cigars ever released by Habanos. The Cohiba scored 93 points, so the cigar is certainly a top performer, but don’t try to shop around. As of this year, all Cohibas are universally price-fixed no matter the country, so the 55 Aniversario will cost about the same anywhere you go. Two Nicaraguan cigars scored 92 points. The Espinosa Knuckle Sandwich, which was made in conjunction with television personality Guy Fieri, and the Micallef Reata Toro. The Mexican-wrapped Rocky Patel Sixty Robusto, also from Nicaragua, scored 91 points. CUBA RING GAUGE:…