2013 Cigars of the Year

Video recap HERE.

It's time to announce my cigars of the year. These represent the best cigars I've smoked during 2013. I reviewed 80 cigars this year. Many of them achieved high ratings. I don't typically place them in numerical order; rather group them in the rating they achieved. In the case of this year's cigars, I have decided to rate the top 15 in numerical order. The cigars below represent my top 15 of the year. They range in scores from 93 to 96. A link to to the original blog post is provided by clicking on the cigar name.


I'll start off with those cigars that achieved a rating of 93. (no. 8-15)

 

No. 15 E. P.Carrillo E-Stunner Corriente; 4x46 (9/15/13)

 

 

 

 

 No. 14 Arturo Fuente Anejo Reserva no. 50; 5 1/4x50 (12/8/13)  

 

 

 

 

No. 13 Cult Profile Robusto; 4 1/2x54 (6/30/13)

 

 

 

 

No. 12 L’Atelier LAT56; 6 1/2x56 (4/14/13)

 

 

 

 

No. 11 2013 Viaje Zombie; 5x52 (6/23/13)

 

 

 

 

No. 10 Oliva Serie V Milanio Maduro Torpedo; 5 1/2x52 (8/17/13)

 

 

 

No. 9 La Flor Dominicana Oro Chisel Natural; 6x54 (2/2/13)

 

 

 

 

No. 8 Ortega Wild Bunch Warrier Joe; 6 ½x50 (11/29/13)

 

 

There were several cigars that achieved a 94 rating this year.  (no. 3-7)

No. 7 San Lotano Oval maduro robusto; 5x52 (6/9/13) 

 

No. 6 Davidoff Nicaragua Robusto; 5x50 (9/8/13)  

And now The Top 5!
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Camacho Mike Ditka Throwback; 6x50 (8/11/13)

 

  

 

Aging Room M21 Fortissimo; 5 3/4x47 (11/24/13)

  

Aging Room M-356 Mezzo; 6x54 (3/9/13)  

One cigar achieved a 95 rating:
 
Kings Cigars Conde Churchill; 7 ½ x 52 (10/19/13)

 

This is a new cigar for me and it was more than a little impressive. Most of you may not have heard of it either but seek it out. It's worth the search! Available at limited locations. Check the blog post for more info and try them. You won't be disappointed.

 

 

 

 

The cigar with the highest rating this year achieved a rating of 96.
 

 

My Cigar of the Year is:
 

Room 101 Namakubi Ecuador Ranfla; 5 1/2x30/50 (6/22/13) 

 

 

The Namakubi Ecuador amazed me in June and nothing could match it the rest of the year. I have found the Namakubi Series to be very, very good. This cigar is certainly no exception.

 

 

**Manufacturer of the Year**
Based on the fact that two of their cigars landed in my top 15, both with 94 ratings, (no. 3 and no. 4)plus the Aging Room Maduro that received a 92 rating, my manufacturer of the year is: 

Aging Room Cigars and Rafael Nodal

Mr. Nodal has made some fantastic cigars and I truly look forward to what he has in store next.

 

**New Cigar Company of the Year**

This  year I decided to pick a New Cigar Company of the Year. I have reviewed several cigars from this new company and they all did very well. My New Cigar Company of the Year is:

  

Cult Cigars 

The Original series (90 rating), Fuerte (88 rating), and Ometepe series (92 rating) are all very tasty cigars that you should try. The Blood Red Moon series (89 rating) was also very good. The Profile series is the newest and definitely one of their best. The Cult Profile Robusto achieved the highest score with a rating of 93.

 

 

Review Cigars for 2013
The entire list of all cigars reviewed during 2013 is shown below with rankings for top 15:
 

96

1. Room 101 Namakubi Ecuador Ranfla; 5 1/2x30/50 (6/22/13)

 

95

2. Kings Cigars Conde Churchill; 7 ½ x 52 (10/19/13)

 

94

3. Aging Room M-356 Mezzo; 6x54 (3/9/13)
 

4. Aging Room M21 Fortissimo; 5 3/4x47 (11/24/13)

5. Camacho Mike Ditka Throwback; 6x50 (8/11/13)

6. Davidoff Nicaragua Robusto; 5x50 (9/8/13)
 

7. San Lotano Oval maduro robusto; 5x52 (6/9/13)

 

93

8. Ortega Wild Bunch Warrier Joe; 6 ½x50 (11/29/13)

9. La Flor Dominicana Oro Chisel Natural; 6x54 (2/2/13)
 

10. Oliva V Milanio Maduro Torpedo; 5 1/2x52 (8/17/13)

11. 2013 Viaje Zombie; 5x52 (6/23/13)
 

12. L’Atelier LAT56; 6 1/2x56 (4/14/13)

13. Cult Profile Robusto; 4 1/2x54 (6/30/13)

14. Arturo Fuente Anejo Reserva no. 50; 5 1/4x50 (12/8/13)

15. E. P. Carrillo E-Stunner Corriente; 4x46 (9/15/13)

 

92

CLE Corojo Robusto; 5x50 (1/13/13)

Murcielago Robusto; 5x50 (1/20/13)

Cuenca 5 Anniversary; 7x54 (3/2/13)

Black Patch Kenbano Robusto; 5x50 (3/3/13)

Cult Ometepe; 5 1/2x54 (3/29/13)

Ortega Wild Bunch Dandy McCoy Empire State; 6x54 (4/28/13)

Room 101 Daruma Sucio; 7x48 (5/4/13)

Martin Family Limited Edition 2013; 6x54 (5/18/13)

E. P. Carrillo Short Run 2013 robusto; 4.875x50 (6/16/13)

1502 Black Gold Toro; 6x50 (7/5/13)

Headly Grange Dobles; 6x50 (7/7/13)

El Centurion robusto; 5 ½ x 50 (7/21/13)

Room 101 Serie HN 305; 5x50 (8/4/13)

Perdomo Champagne Sun Grown Epicure; 6x54 (8/10/13)

Arandoza White Label; 5x52 (8/25/13)

Aging Room Maduro Rondo; 5x50 (10/5/13)

Azan Burgundy Line Short Robusto; 4 3/8x50 (10/20/13)

Viaje Late Harvest Hang Time 648; 6 x 48 (11/2/13)

Torano Vault D-042; 5x52 (11/3/13)

Ortega Wild Bunch Da Byrdman; 6x54 (11/30/13)

Drew Estate Nica Rustica El Brujito; 6x52 (12/7/13)

 

91

Bugatti Maduro Churchill; 7x54 (1/19/13)

H. Upmann Legacy Toro; 6x52 (3/23/13)

Ortega Wild Bunch Tony the Boss Enforcer; 7 1/2x49 (4/27/13)

Espinosa Maduro robusto; 5x52 (6/2/13)

1502 Emerald Toro; 6x50 (7/4/13)

Diamond Crown Julius Caeser robusto; 4 3/4 x52 (7/14/13)

CyB Toro Supremo; 6x54 (7/20/13)

La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age Churchill; 7x52 (7/27/13)

King of Kings Cuadrado; 6x64 (8/4/13)

Ortega Wild Bunch Wild Bill Cheroot; 6x46 (8/31/13)

Ortega Wild Bunch Gearhead Gary Crankshaft; 6x52 (10/12/13)

Azan White Label robusto; 4 7/8x50 (10/13/13)

Tatuaje 10^th Anniversary Bon Chasseur; 5 3/8x52 (10/27/13)

Torano Exodus 1959 Finite Robusto; 4 7/8x52 (11/10/13)

 

90

Arturo Fuente Unknown Reserve 2012; 6x48 (1/12/13)

Ortega Wild Bunch Island Jim Wahoo; 6 ½x52 (3/16/13)

Cult Classic Torpedo; 6 ¼x52 (3/17/13)

CAO Brazilia Carnivale; 6 1/2x60 (5/26/13)

La Duena robusto; 5x50 (7/28/13)

Cuenca 5 Anniversary robusto; 5x54 (12/1/13)

 

89

Bugatti Connecticut Churchill; 7x54 (1/5/13)

Ortega Wild Bunch Series Big Bad John; 6 7/8x60 (1/26/13)

Humo Jaguar Grande; 6x60 (2/9/13)

La Zona Habano Super Toro; 6 1/2x52 (2/16/13)

Black Patch Select Toro; 5 1/2x52 (2/22/13)

Surrogates Bone Crusher; 5 1/4x55 (3/24/13)

Asylum 13 robusto; 5x50 (3/30/13)

4/19 by Juanitos Cigarros; 5x50 (5/11/13)

Cult Blood Red Moon Mini Corona; 4 3/4x42 (5/19/13)

Ortega Wild Bunch Honest Abe Ringmaster; 6 1/2x52 (6/1/13)

Herrera Esteli Toro; 6x52 (7/6/13)

Ortega Wild Bunch Fast Eddie Eight Ball; 6 ½ x 38 (9/1/13)

CAO Flathead 554 Camshaft; 5x54 (9/7/13)

Romey y Julieta Nicaraguan; 6x52 (11/16/13)

 

88

Pinolero Toro; 6x52 (2/17/13)

Arandoza Blue Label Robusto; 5x52 (3/10/13)

Cult Fuerte churchill; 7x48 (4/6/13)

Saint Luis Rey Gen2 toro; 6x54 (5/25/13)

La Gloria Cubana Serie R Esteli No. Fifty-Four; 6x54 (9/14/13)

Allure Connecticut Torpedo; 6x52 (10/6/13)

Victor Vitale Tortuga 215 Reserva Tributo; (6x56); 10/26/13)

 

87

Ortega Wild Bunch Iron Mike I Beam; 4 7/8x54 (2/10/13)

Alec Bradley Nica Puro Gordo; 6.2x60 (6/29/13)

Ora Vivo Armand Assante; 6x56 (11/23/13)

 

85

CAO Right Coast; 6 3/4x72 (6/8/13)

 

84

La Zona Connecticut Robusto; 5x52 (1/6/13)



COHIBA DEBUTS COMADOR CIGAR IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SHAWN "JAY Z" CARTER

Richmond, VA -- General Cigar Company announces the launch of Comador, a super premium cigar developed in partnership with Shawn "JAY Z" Carter.

Comador was developed under Cohiba®, the preeminent luxury brand owned by General Cigar, and marks JAY Z’s first collaboration in the handmade cigar category.

Shawn “JAY Z” Carter said, “I worked with Cohiba because I knew they’d take my vision of a luxury cigar and bring it to life in the right way. We took our time working on this, to get the blend to exactly where I wanted it to be. Comador looks and tastes the way I think a cigar should.” 

The artisans of Cohiba spent two years collaborating with JAY Z to develop the cigar’s flavor and characteristics.

Dan Carr, president of General Cigar commented, “As a visionary, artist and connoisseur, JAY Z is the epitome of modern luxury and the ideal partner for Cohiba. JAY brought tremendous creativity to the development of Comador, and we responded by leveraging Cohiba’s assets to deliver an amazing cigar using rare, proprietary tobaccos, with contemporary, urbane packaging.”

Comador is a 6” x 52 toro-size cigar made entirely of proprietary tobaccos from the world’s most revered growing regions. Handcrafted in Santiago, Dominican Republic, Comador features a rare Connecticut Havana wrapper prized for its exquisite flavor and deep, lustrous appearance. When blended with hand-selected leaves from the Caribbean and Central America, the flavor delivers nuances of wood and notes of spice for an unforgettable smoking experience.

 

 

Comador is launching with three formats. The Comador Humidor is bound in hand-finished leather with a sleek, metallic Shawn Carter Collection crest that opens vertically to reveal 14 meticulously constructed cigars. Seven additional Comador cigars are contained inside the enclosed hand plated travel humidor which is lined in Spanish cedar.  Mahogany-lined doors, custom cedar trays and a humidification unit comprise the exquisite humidor which contains 21 cigars, with the capacity to house 63 cigars. Only 350 humidors have been made to commemorate the launch of Comador. This limited edition statement piece is available for a suggested retail price of $999. 

 

 

 

 The Comador Travel Humidor is available for purchase as a stand-alone item. Containing seven Comador cigars, it sells for the suggested retail price of $350. 

 

 

 

 

 

Rounding out the collection is the Comador Robusto Box which contains a wheel of seven Comador cigars housed in a bold, vertical-format box, for a suggested retail price of $210.

Comador is available for purchase at www.comadorcigar.com, at Club Macanudo and 40/40 Club in New York, and will be sold at select Barneys locations until January 2, 2014. For more information, please visit www.comadorcigar.com.

About Cohiba Cigars

True cigar connoisseurs recognize Dominican Cohiba cigars as one of the finest brands available in the U.S. Critically acclaimed for their meticulous construction and refined taste, the core brand of Cohiba is complemented by these premium collections: Cohiba Black, Cohiba Edicion Diamante, Cohiba Puro Dominicana and Cohiba XV.

Montecristo Monte Conde (5 1/2 x 48)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video review HERE.

 

 

(from the Montecristo website)

 

 

Though its name is short and succinct, the MONTE is a cigar with a wealth of complexity and depth. The MONTE’s signature feature is the inclusion of two binders: a spicy Dominican Olor combined with a strong and aromatic Nicaraguan Corojo which adds strength, firmness and complexity. This brand-new offering from the Grupo de Maestros is the most robust Montecristo yet, putting a revolutionary twist on a revered classic. The two binders couple seamlessly with aged Dominican filler and an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper to create an unforgettable experience.

Montecristo is one of the most iconic brands in the world. Each premium cigar in the long line of Montecristos is a distinguished and enduring smoke. The MONTE is unquestionably a cigar worthy of upholding this legendary mantle.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano    

Binder: Dominican Olor and Nicaraguan Corojo    

Filler: Aged Dominican

 

 

 

This cigar debuted at this year's IPCPR in Las Vegas. It comes in three sizes composing the initial release: the 6 x 60 Monte, 6 1/8 x 54  Jacopo No. 2, and the 5 1/2 by 48 Conde. Pricing is slated to be between $8.95 and $9.50, with each size coming in 16-count boxes.

 

 

 

The cigar is very well made and I love the little "fuse" on the cap. The cigar has a nice density also.

 

The test draw after cutting the cap was very good. The initial flavors were sweet cedar, cinnamon, dry wood notes, and earth. The pepper is rated at a 7 and it's a white pepper. The cigar is medium bodied. The finish is a cream with dry wood notes and some lingering pepper.




One inch in the cigar is burning very evenly. The cedar is now very sweet and rich with a sprinkling of cinnamon. The wood notes are very prominent. The earth is at the base and it's toned down. The finish is now a sweet cream. The cigar is still medium bodied.









About 1 1/2 inches in there is another flavor that is hard to pin down. It's actually been around since the start but I had a hard time nailing it down. It tastes like a sweet berry. I have decided that it's a grape flavor. It mixes well with the sweet cedar and cinnamon making a very unique flavor. The cedar is now the predominant flavor followed by the cinnamon and berry (grape) flavor. There are still notes of dry wood. The cigar is still medium bodied.





Just a half inch further I noticed there are buttery notes in the cigar. These buttery flavors mix very well with the other sweet flavors. Everything else is about the same. The cigar seems to be moving toward medium to full bodied.










With about 2 inches left everything seems to be in full flavor mode. The cigar is now medium to full bodied. There are nice, sweet cedar notes with the berry flavor. The cinnamon notes have tapered off. The wood notes are still very obvious and they are now charred. The buttery notes are also still there. The finish is the same.  







The cigar ended at 1 hour 10 minutes. The previous described flavors held to the end. The charred wood notes are really noticeable. The flavors in this cigar are very interesting and different for Montecristo. The berry notes, or grape notes as I decided they were, made the cigar very different from other cigars I've had recently. The cigar was not complex as it did not change much but different flavors were more prominent at points than others. These cigars should be on shelves now. Very good addition to the Montecristo lineup.

Score: 92

Ortega Wild Bunch Crazy Jack Psycho (7 x 58)

 

 

 

 

 

Video review HERE.

 

 

This is the December cigar in the Ortega Wild Bunch Series. It is also the final cigar in the series.

 

 

The entire Wild Bunch Series by month, name, size, and score:
(click on name for link to review)

January: Big Bad John Jackhammer (6 7/8x60)  89
February:  Iron Mike I Beam (4 7/8x54)  87
March: Island Jim Wahoo (6 1/2 x 52)  90
April: Tony the Boss Enforcer (7 1/2 x 49)  91
May: Dandy McCoy Empire State (6 x 54)  92
June: Honest Abe Ringmaster (6 1/2 x 52)  89
July: Wild Bill Cheroot (6 x 46)  91
August: Fast Eddie Eight Ball (6 1/2 x 38)  89
September: Gearhead Gary Crankshaft (6 x 52) 91
October: Warrier Joe Bushmaster (6 1/2 x 50)  93
November: Da Byrdman Boys Club (6 x 54)  92

 

 

 

The specs on the Crazy Jack Psycho:

Size: 7 x 58

Binder/Filler: Nicaragua Esteli/Jalapa

Wrapper: Esteli Habano

Profile: Full Body

Pkg: Boxes of 20 Cigars

** Only 500 boxes made

 

 

This cigar is as weighty as it looks. It is large and quite dense.

 

 

 

 

The wrapper is a little oily and the construction is very good. The test draw after cutting the cap was firm. I massaged the cap area a little while gently rolling it in my fingers. The draw loosened up and was fine.

 

 

The initial flavors at light up were a sweet pink grapefruit, cinnamon, graham cracker notes and leather. The cigar had a large amount of red pepper rated at an 8.

About one inch in the cigar has been burning for 20 minutes. The pink grapefruit notes have gone but in their place are nutmeg notes. Along with them are graham notes and just a hint of grapefruit citrus. The nutmeg and graham are the predominant flavors. The pepper remains very strong. The finish is a sweet cream with some nice lingering pepper.







About 3 inches in (one hour) the sweet notes have gone away. The nutmeg is still a predominant flavor but it has no sweetness. there are now hints of graham and grapefruit citrus. There are also quite a bit of earth notes. Everything else is about the same. I am hopeful that the sweet notes will cycle back around.








With about 3 inches remaining the nutmeg notes have changed back over to a grapefruit citrus and there are now some berry notes. The sweetness is still quite low. The earth notes are still the bottom flavor. There have been flashes of charred oak and cocoa but they don't seem to hang around. The cigar is medium bodied and burning very evenly. At this point I'm 1 hour 30 minutes in.






About 2 inches remaining and there are now notes of sweetness in the grapefruit citrus. There are underlying notes of nutmeg and charred oak. There is also some earthiness. The pepper remains very good and the finish is unchanged. The cigar is medium to full bodied at this point. At this point I'm about 2 hours in.







The cigar ended at 2 hours 40 minutes. The flavors are now grapefruit citrus, hints of cedar, and some charred oak and a little earthiness. The finish was unchanged. The cigar ended at medium to full bodied. The lack of sweetness was a negative for me. I really enjoyed the various flavors but there was not the usual sweetness associated with those flavors. As you can see, the cigar made numerous changes if flavors, which was a plus, but it lacked significant sweetness which kept the overall score down for me.

I would like to thank Eddie for sending these cigars to me to review. I have enjoyed reviewing them and look forward to his next creation.

Score: 88