2016 Recap

Posted by Shawn

January 6, 2017

With it being the first of 2017, I hope everyone had a safe & happy holiday season.Â Prior to 2016, I typically enjoyedÂ 1 to 3 cigars in a day. 2016 was way different as I was lucky to have 2 or 3 a week. I didn’t get to try a sliver of the cigars I had on my “Try List.”Â I didn’t get in no where near enough reviews as I should have. My daughter started school this year which means I had more on my plate this year than last. With her school functions, homework, various dance classes and recitals, I was pretty wore out. My typicalÂ day starts at 4am and usually ends around 8 or 9; not leaving me much quality time to sit down with a cigar (to review or just enjoy). Then, theÂ closest local shop went up for sale middle of the year. With that being said, the owner didn’t get many, if any, new cigars in from there on out so I didn’t frequent it often.Â IÂ would have to travel 45mins or more to a stocked B&M. I was either pressed for time or didn’t want to travel the distance to get to the other shops.Â I also was saving and pinching pennies all year to try to save up for a summer Florida vacation, car tag, birthdays, Christmas etc…

With all that being said, I won’t be publishingÂ my 2016 Top Cigar list. I wish I could, but my list of cigars smoked was not as vast as I wished it to be and wouldn’t be a fair list in my opinion. What I am going to do is post up a few pictures of some cigars,Â in no particular order,Â that may have made it to the list this year.

I have madeÂ some 2017 cigarÂ relatedÂ New Years resolutions:

Try to get toÂ local B&MsÂ more frequently.
Try more cigars I wouldn’t typically try.
Visit the closest B&M more asÂ a new owner has taken over & see if the offerings have increased.
Order more online if I can’t findÂ a particular cigarÂ locally. (I only made one smallÂ online order in 2016 and it was for some pipe tobacco.)
Make or find time to enjoy more than 2 or 3 cigars a week.
Try to publish a weekly or biweekly cigarÂ review (new or old cigars).
Try to publish more cigar news (not personnel changes or things of that nature).
Looking at doing B&M tour postsÂ and possibly shop owner interviews.

Here are a few contenders of my favorite cigars I smoked in 2016. Some of these may or may not have made it to the list had I had a better selection to go by. Not all of these cigars were released in 2016, many are older than 2016 release.

All Time Classics

Oliva V Maduro (non 6×60)Â â€“ Last year I added the 2010 era of the Oliva V Maduros. I smoked quite a few of them over the past years and they have aged nicely. Not particularly the 2010, but basicallyÂ any with about 3+ years of age on them.Â The 6x60s introduced recently drove me away from the V Maduro this year and drove me more to enjoy the aged Toros in my humidor.

Viaje Satori Zen (2010) â€“ What can I say, the original release Satori is still one of my all time favorites. The Ayra came out a while backÂ and was itÂ good, but the OR Zen still takes the cake. I still have a box plus of theseâ€¦.

AVO LE10 â€“ My annual birthday smoke that still gives me a great smoking experience afterÂ 6 years. One of the best AVO LEs that has came out in a while. I wish I would have bought more than one box so I can enjoy them more than once a year.

A. Fuente Anejo Shark â€“ A cigar thatâ€™s very sought after that smokes great fresh or even better with a few years age on them. I buy these every year with some to smoke fresh and some to smoke aged. My aged selection is getting better and bigger each year. I did get to try the Eye of the Shark last year. It was a pretty good smoke, but its hard to beat an Anejo Shark with some age.

Reinado GER â€“ This cigar will be one that I will smoke regularly if available to me. A bit stronger than the original Reinado but still has never let me down. Just waiting for the Petite Corona size in this blend.

Drew Estate Unico Serie Dirty Rat â€“ Donâ€™t get me wrong, the No.9 and T52 are great smokes and somewhat readily available. But the Dirty Rat is the one I will seek out and pay a bit more for. The size and flavors are one of DEâ€™s best showings that I will always enjoy