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Ben’s Cigars of the Year 2011

Ben — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 06:30:46 +0000

This was a great year for cigar lovers. So many great new cigars were released as line extensions, new lines or limited releases. Every year it gets hard to try to come up with a list of the top cigars of the year. This year, I’m doing it a little different. I chose my cigar of the year and five runner up cigars that, at one time, were all my cigar of the year. After that, I have my Lucky 13 which I consider, for me, to be the best 13 cigars of the year. Finally, I picked two cigars that I call my budget cigar of the year and my surprise of the year. The budget cigar is pretty self explanatory, but the surprise cigar of the year one I consider that came out of nowhere and just wowed me. So, without further ado, here is my Cigars of the Year for 2011:

Budget Cigar of the Year:

Habana Port Tabacums

Coming in at around $4.50 a stick for the robusto, you just can’t beat these. They are worth more than that. They are available in both Connecticut Broadleaf maduro and Ecuadorian Habano, each one is a flavor bomb. Its hard for me to choose which one I like better.

Surprise Cigar of the Year:

Reinado Torpedo

When Antonio Lam sent me these cigars, I didn’t think much about them. He mentioned that they use a special fermenation processes that gives the cigar unique flavors. Wow, was he right. This cigar really caught my attention and I can see why this cigar is getting increasing popular. A little hard to find as they are a boutique brand, but the number of retailers carrying them in steadily increasing. This is one cigar not to be missed.

Best Limited Edition:

Casa Magna Domus Magnus Optimus

Wow, Quesada has really be on a roll this year. I was never a fan of the original Casa Magna line, so I was unsure what to make of the cigar. What a treat! This is the most complex cigar I’ve had this year. Flavors just came and went, evolving throughout the cigar. Amazing cigar. If it wasn’t for the Espana, this cigar would have been a contender for my Cigar of the Year as well.

Lucky 13 Cigars of the Year for 2011:

Quesada Oktoberfest Bavarian

This new cigar was introduced at the 2011 IPCPR from Quesada Cigars. The concept behind this cigar was that it was supposed to pair well with hoppy beers. Well, they accomplished that. This cigar has a great flavor and, maybe its a marketing, but I get a nice hoppiness out of the cigar. Never the less, one of best cigars I’ve had this year.

Illusion MKULTRA

This cigar is another flavor bomb. Such a rich and powerful cigar, it was supposedly the original blend of the MK. I’m glad Dion reintroduced this cigar. Amazing flavor in a great size for a great price. You just can’t go wrong with any Illusione.

Drew Estate Undercrown

The bastard child of the Liga Privada No. 9 and T52, this cigar was made for the workers at the Drew Estates factory to stop them from smoking up all the Ligas! Well, I’m glad Jonathan put a stop to that because they came up with a great cigar as a substitute. A very rich cigar, it combines the best of the No. 9 and the T52. Is it better than my beloved T52? Hell no, but it is still damn good in its own right….and cheaper!

Kristoff GC Signature Series robusto

This cigar was another surprise for me. My local shop, The Cigar Shop in Biloxi, MS, got in the whole Kristoff line after the owner tried their Ligero maduro cigar and fell in love. I love that cigar too, but when I saw these, I had to give it try. Out of all the cigars I’ve smoked in the shop, I’ve smoked this the most. Great flavors. Watch ou for the upcoming review soon.

Ashton VSG Pegasus

The Pegasus is a new line extension for my beloved Ashton Virgin Sun Grown line. Its a round short robusto format, but that’s not the only thing different about it from the standard line. According to Evan Carpenter, our Ashton rep, this cigar is the original Ashton VSG blend when it was released in the round format instead of the current box pressed shape. The flavors are mostly like the standard VSG blend, but with a nice sweetness to it. I’ve been grabbing at least one of these every time I go to the shop.

Nestor Miranda Grand Reserve

This box pressed torpedo is the flagship of the Nestor Miranda line and, with a $14 price point, it better be. Even at $14, the cigar delivers. Great rich flavors throughout the cigar. Definitely the best cigar every to come out of the Nestor Miranda line up.

EP Carillo New Wave Connecticut

I wasn’t enamored with the Inaugural Edition 2009, but, so far, every other release that Ernesto Carillo has produced as been a winner. This New Wave Connecticut is another. Great sweet, creamy profile, but with a lot of body, this cigar has redefined what a Connecticut cigar is all about.

Curivari Reserve Limitada Cafe 52

I know some of you are saying, “Who?”. Curivari is another boutique cigar that has burst on the scene this year. Luckily for me, another one of my local shops, Crescent City Cigars in New Orleans, got in their whole line. Armando Ortiz, the owner, sent me a sample of some of them. They are all very good cigars, but this one blew me away. Coffee and cocoa bean are the main notes with a full body. This is the next big brand. Watch.

La Flor Dominicana Factory Press 4

This one is a late comer to my party. I first had this cigar after a big steak dinner at NY Prime in Atlanta during the Atlanta Tweet Up earlier this month. Wow. What a cigar, especially after a big steak dinner. Full bodied, spicy with leather and earthy notes. The box press on such a big cigar makes this one look like a candy bar. Amazing cigar. Watch for an upcoming review on this cigar.

Cromagnon Anthropology

As most of you know, this cigar is a collaboration between my friend, Skip Martin, and Mike Rosales of Adrian’s Cigars. These are full bodied…..and I mean FULL BODIED, but with great flavors. I saw it as a cross between a La Flor Dominicana DL660 maduro (official cigar of the CGAR Clan on Call of Duty) and the Joya De Nicaragua Dark Corojo. It comes in 5 sizes, but I prefer the Anthropology. Not just because its in my favorite size, but because it has a sweetness to it that I think adds more character to the cigar for me.

Viaje Late Harvest robusto

Another home run from Viaje. This cigar had a unique flavor profile that I haven’t found in any other cigar: buttery corn. I know, you’re saying, WTF? I swear its there and its awesome. I wish I was able to buy a box of these.

Lou Rodriguez Edicion Reserve Lancero

I could have picked any size of the Edicion Premier or Edicion Reserva from Lou Rodriguez, but I decided to go with the Reserva lancero. Mainly because it was the last one I smoked and because its one of the best lanceros I’ve ever had. Leathery, coffee and chocolate profile, this cigar just delivers….as does the rest of the line.

Gran Habano STK Zulu Zulu Habano

Another great lancero. I really like this bigger size also. Something about that 40 ring gauge….anyway, besides having amazing flavors, this cigar is also for a charity. Proceeds of this cigar will be going to Invisible Children. An organization that help being awareness to children soldiers in Africa. Great cigar, plus you’re helping a great cause? Winner, winner.

Cigar of the Year Runner Ups:

Quesada Seleccion Espana

Short robusto, robusto, corona…who cares. They were ALL amazing cigars. Complex, medium bodied, rich flavors. I know this has been thrown around a lot, but this is the most “cubanesque” cigar I’ve ever had. Only supposed to be sold in Spain….cough….cough…..I was able to get a sampler of 2 of each size. Let me tell you, this cigar is a death bed cigar. Quesada….FOR THE LOVE OF GOD….release this in the United States!

Crowned Heads Four Kicks Robusto

Well, I’m glad I have this picture to remind me what my box of Four Kicks robustos looked like. I swear I’ve never burned though a box of cigar like I did these. Amazing flavors in a medium bodied cigar. I have yet to find a person that didn’t love this cigar. This cigar is something special. I actually believe the hype UNDERsold this cigar. Absolutely unbelievable cigar. Epic.

Emilio Grimalkin

This is the only cigar I’ve ever smoked where I was smoking my one and only sample and immediately had to stop and set up my review station to record a review. It was so good, I just had to get it on video. Great flavors and at around $11 a stick, well worth the price. I sought out a box of these like Indiana Jones after the Ark of the Covenant. This is also the single most shared cigar I’ve ever had. I’ve given these out to my friends and cigar shops I want to carry them so they can see how great these are. One of a kind.

Viaje Tower 45th Anniversary Exclusivo

Best Viaje cigar I’ve ever had. That’s saying something considering I’ve smoked every Viaje cigar ever released. The Exclusivo blend really pops in this larger, boxed press cigar. Mark Just of Tower Cigars and Andre Farkas really came up with an all time Champion here. Its the only Viaje cigar that I’ve managed to get a whole box of and I was DETERMINED to get a box of these.

AJ Fernandez San Lotano Oval

What a great shape for a cigar. Oval! It feel really great in the mouth and also doesn’t have all the burn problems of most box pressed cigars. The do this by pressing the cigar in a mold with oval sides. Works great. Also has outstanding flavors of wood, spice and coffee. Every size is great, but, for me, the robusto is something special.

….and now the moment you’ve all been waiting for……

Ben’s 2011 Cigar of the Year

Tatuaje L’Esprit de Vérité Robusto 2009 Vintage

One of the best cigars I’ve ever had in my life. Great flavor profile of sweet coffee, leather, cedar and nuts. Very elegant and smooth cigar. If you look up elegant and smooth in an dictionary, there will be a picture of this cigar and Billy Dee Williams aka Lando. All tobaccos are from a single farm which Pete Johnson has treated like Bordeaux wine. First, pricing them like Bordeaux wine futures and having vintages as well. What a great concept. As a wine newbie, this really sparked my interest. A truly world class cigar.

There you have it. My best cigars of 2011. I could have added about 10 more, but I had to draw the line somewhere. What a great time to be a cigar smoker.

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Win a trip to Austin, TX and a Limited Edition box of Cromagnon Cigars from Cromagnon Cigars

Ben — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:40:12 +0000

Editor’s Note – Skip Martin and Mike Rosales of Adrian’s Cigars are running a contest to celebrate the release of the Cromagnon cigar in is full cube box release. Below are the details of how to enter:

CroMagnon Culture Contest
CroMagnon Transcends Lifestyle. CroMagnon is Our Culture.

Prize (1):

2 Days in Austin, Texas (The Capital of the Best State in America!)
Airfare from There to Here. (Domestic – Our Choice of Carrier)
1 Night Lodging at the Landmark Driskell Hotel
Ground Transportation in Austin (Airport Transfer)
CigarBQ Herf at the World Famous Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Texas
Live Music Capital of the World Pub Crawl
A 2011 Limited Edition CroMagnon Cube Signed and Numbered 1/111

How to Participate:

All you have to do to be eligible to win is to submit four specifically formatted comments on the Smoke Signals blog, register at Hava Cigar Shop Online and send an email. Here is the step-by-step:

Submit a comment on this post letting us know what you think about the contest and indicating your intention to participate.
Determine your own Top 11 Cigars of 2011 lists. *
Register as a first-time user at Hava Cigar Online.**
Submit a comment on Chief Hava’s Top Cigars of 2011 (Honorable Mentions) with a list of your Honorable Mention cigars for 2011. ***
Submit a comment on Chief Hava’s Top Cigars of 2011 with your list of the Top 11 Cigars of 2011.****
Submit a comment on Chief Hava’s Cigar Hall of Fame: 2011 Inductees with your list of the 2011 Hall of Fame Inductees. *****
Between 12/17/2011 and 12/31/2011, send an email to Chief Hava (Skip Martin) with the Subject: CroMagnon Culture Contest. ******

Needless to say, this is a significant event for us. We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate it than to share it with you, our customers, who have made it possible. Good luck.

The Chief

For more information, check out Skip’s blog at Smoke Signals.

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Upcoming C4 Cigar Club’s Atlanta Christmas Herf

Ben — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:25:37 +0000

The C4 Cigar Club is a cigar club based in Cobb County, GA, a Northern Atlanta suburb. We get our name from our location, Cobb County Cigar Club, or C4. We have various events throughout the year to support our local B&M’s and to get great brothers and sisters of the leaf together for some fun and cigars. Earlier this year we hosted a Low-Country Boil, we’ve had blind-tastings and participated with other groups in Scotch tastings as well as steak and cigar dinners.

One of our most popular events is our Atlanta Christmas Herf. 2011 marks the 3^rd year for our Christmas herf and we’re looking forward to a great event this year. Last year’s event brought together approximately 75 cigar-lovers for an evening of food, drinks, fun and of course, cigars. We were lucky to have Sean Williams of Primer Mundo Cigars and Guillermo Leon join us for our party last year. They both donated generously with cigars and accessories to help make our event a success and spent time mingling, signing boxes and taking pictures. We’re lucky to have Sean Williams right here in Atlanta and Sean has always been a big supporter of the C4 Club. He’ll be joining us again this year as our special guest.

In addition to great cigars from Primer Mundo we’ve also been fortunate to have Miami Cigar Co. sponsor our event again this year with a donation of 10 boxes of cigars to share and give out as prizes. We also have a great selection of cigars courtesy of Jameson Cigars and Emilio Cigars and some great accessories and cigars courtesy of Xikar, Inc. Many of the cigar companies will have their reps joining us to relax and answer any questions people have about their cigars.

The main goal of the C4 Cigar Club is to let local brothers and sisters of the leaf know about our local shops, the products they carry and their events and also let the shops know about the local cigar community. There’s no cost to join the C4 Cigar Club and you can follow us on Twitter @C4CigarClub, join us on our Facebook group “C4 Cigar Club” or visit our website at www.c4cigarclub.com.

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First Responders Herf sponsored by General Cigar

Ben — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:57:06 +0000

As many of you know, I was invited to go to the Dominican Republic to visit General Cigar's Dominican operations. While there, I was talking to our coordinator, Victoria McKee Jaworski, about and idea I had about doing a herf for our first responders (police, firefighters, EMTs, nurses, etc) that give all they can to protect us and keep us safe with very little in return. My idea was to buy a couple of boxes of cigars and have a get together at our local cigar shop, The Cigar Shop, in Biloxi, MS. Victoria thought it was a great idea, but she said, "Let me know what you need and I will gladly send it to you for that herf." Thanks to General Cigars, we had plenty of great cigars to smoke. Also, graciously, one of our friend's, David Bull, owner of Bernie's in Biloxi, MS also provided us with some outstanding food as well. Here are some pictures of the herf and thanks again to David, the crew at Bernies, Victoria, The Cigar Shop in Biloxi and General Cigars. Because of you, we had a great time and the herf was an outstanding success!

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Sometimes I Just Want an El Cheapo

Chris — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:00:29 +0000

There are a handful of cigars that are priced between $10 and $20 that I would love to smoke everyday and even more in the $7-10 range that I would smoke just as much. Even though most of the cigars I smoke fall into the second category it’s a third category, the $3-5 cigar, that really gets me excited. To me a great cheap cigar is hard to beat.

Take for example the Padron Palmas Maduro I’m smoking right now. I picked this cigar up a local B&M for $4.30. The cigar is burning and drawing well and to this point has been an extremely enjoyable cigar. The Palmas is full-bodied, well balanced and provides a satisfying combination of cocoa and coffee flavors with a healthy blast of spice. I could see myself smoking this cigar quite often, and at $4.30/stick I could see keeping a box or two on hand.

Over the last couple of years I’ve reviewed a number of budget friendly cigars, and I hope to keep that trend up in the coming years. To help me do that I’d like to ask for your help. Leave a comment below letting me know you favorite cigar in the $3-5 price range or a cigar in that price range that you’d like me to review. I’ll do my best to try and sample as many of your suggestions as possible. And just so I can make sure I get plenty of suggestions to pick from I’m going to offer up a 5 pack of the Padron Palmas Maduro to one randomly selected person. I’ll accept all comments posted up until 12/9/2011 @ Midnight EST and you must provide a legitimate e-mail address so I can contact you for shipping information. I look forward to seeing your suggestions.

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Proper way to roll a cigar

Ben — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:20:04 +0000

Thank you to the beautiful torcedor that tried to teach me how to roll a cigar. This is a video of her rolling a cigar the proper way.

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Cigar rolling attempt, take 2!

Ben — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:18:48 +0000

Here is my second, but not any better, attempt at rolling a cigar at General Cigar with my own blend. Thanks to Barry Stein from A Cigar Smoker for helping me record this video.

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Cigar rolling attempt 1

Ben — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:18:32 +0000

Here is my first attempt at rolling a cigar at General Cigar with my own blend. Thanks to David Jones from The Tiki Bar Online for helping me record this video.

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Bad way to bunch and bind a cigar

Ben — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:36:16 +0000

My horrible attempt at bunching and binding a cigar at General Cigar using my own blend I developed on site.

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Proper Bunching Technique for a cigar at General Cigar

Ben — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:33:39 +0000

One of General Cigar torcedors shows me how to proper bunch and bind a cigar before putting them in the press.

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