There are five different lines in the San Cristobal series, all with different wrappers and flavor profiles, but the one that stood out this year was the San Cristobal Quintessence Churchill. The Quintessence is made with a fifth-priming wrapper from Ecuador, meaning that the leaf grows fairly high on the plant. In terms of strength, it’s more powerful than the San Cristobal Revelation line, but not quite as strong as core San Cristobal cigars. Quintessence was blended to register as medium-to-full and does so splendidly with the Churchill.

All San Cristobals are made in Nicaragua by My Father Cigars for Ashton Distributors, owned by the Levin family. The brand started in 2007 when Ashton diversified and released its first Nicaraguan cigar. Since then, Ashton has been bringing different versions of San Cristobal to the market every few years. While plenty of cigars are made with Ecuador Havana wrapper and Nicaraguan tobacco, few are as successful, dynamic or interesting as the San Cristobal Quintessence Churchill. Much of the credit goes to the Garcia family of My Father Cigars and their profound understanding of Nicaraguan tobacco.

Everything came together quite harmoniously with the large Churchill. It’s rich, nutty and complex conveying an earthy foundation of coffee bean character, a mid-palate of baking spices and a charming, cappuccino finish.

What is it about the Partagás Serie D No. 4 that’s made it the most popular Cuban cigar in the world? Is it the eye-catching red band? Is it the cigar’s reputation for being more full bodied than most other Cubans? Whatever the reason, this perennial crowd pleaser maintained high quality this year, rising above other Cuban cigars for its ability to consistently deliver a flavorful smoking experience, despite its high production numbers.

The Partagás Alphabet Series started in the 1930s with many different sizes, but by the 1970s, the Serie D No. 4 was the only remaining remnant of the line. Then, in 2005, Habanos revisited the series, eventually adding four sizes. The red bands haven’t really changed much over the years, and yet the cigars, with their simple, streamlined lettering still seem fresh and modern. Part of that has to do with the introduction of the tubos, which are sold in handy three-packs. This red-on-black presentation gives the brand a sleek appearance and was a smart marketing decision by Habanos. Smart packaging only goes so far. The Serie D No. 4 lives up to appearances with its explosion of flavor from the first puff, showing a palate of leather, minerals and wood, sweeter notes of orange and vanilla, as well as a lasting hazelnut finish.

As a sentimental nod to the past, Casa Cuba evokes the early era in Arturo Fuente Cigar Co.’s timeline when the family was producing cigars with Cuban tobacco on the back porch of their home in Tampa. That’s the memory of the late Carlos Fuente Sr., the second-generation Fuente cigarmaker. And this was the idea behind Casa Cuba, which was the last blend he created before his death in 2016.

A few things have changed since those humble days in Tampa. Fuente has established a handmade cigar empire and now operates out of the Dominican Republic where Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia. produces more than 30 million cigars a year. The patriarch is now Carlos “Carlito” Fuente Jr., who runs the company with limitless energy. But while Carlito was busy with brands like the Fuente Fuente OpusX and Rosado Sungrown Magnum R, his father wanted to return to a cigar that reflected the elegance of simplicity. “Traditional” is a word that’s often used to describe Casa Cuba, as it stresses balance over strength.

The names in the line are a reference to the Cuban game of dominoes, and the Doble Cuatro tempers each subtle, spicy note with sweet intonations of molasses and licorice. It’s a bow to the past as Carlos Fuente Sr. saw it, and a lovely cigar no matter your family history.

The Cruzado line from Illusione has been overshadowed a bit by newer releases from the company, but this year, it stepped into the spotlight when the Robusto gave us the brand’s most impressive performance.

Cruzados first came out in 2008 and were presented as a less full-bodied alternative to the core Illusione line, which is quite strong. Then, in 2016, brand owner Dion Giolito gave Cruzado a makeover, changing the packaging and the blend. He even changed the factory, moving production from Honduras to the TABSA factory in Nicaragua (now called Aganorsa Leaf). What we have today is a cigar that’s more focused and detailed than it ever was before. The blend also serves as a stellar showcase for the Nicaraguan tobacco grown by Aganorsa. Illusione tends to rely heavily on Aganorsa’s tobacco, an element that Giolito prefers regardless of the brand. On full display with Cruzado is the Corojo wrapper that the company classifies as being “rosado” in shade and color.

In typical Illusione fashion, the boxes and bands are encoded with mysterious markings and curious symbols. Giolito is tight-lipped about the meanings behind the packaging design. Perhaps there’s something subliminal in the logo that suggests the cigar’s up-front notes of espresso, hickory and black pepper, as well as its refined layers of nuts and cocoa powder. Or maybe, it’s just the tobacco.

It’s not as if the Oliva Serie V Melanio needed improvement. With its Sumatra-seed wrapper and bold blend of Nicaraguan tobacco, the cigar was already a complex smoke that was both critically and commercially successful. This didn’t stop Oliva from taking it to the next level, which it did when it came out with the same cigar in a maduro version. Changing the Sumatra wrapper to a dark leaf of Mexican San Andrés turned an already extraordinary cigar into an absolute blockbuster.

The Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Churchill is powered by its core of Nicaraguan tobacco but the Mexican cover leaf adds a new dimension resulting in a complete work of balance and substance.

The cigar is made in Nicaragua at Oliva’s Tabolisa factory and shows a luxurious procession of rich, regal character starting with notes of German chocolate cake that segue into a smoke of baking spices, malted chocolate and lively, cedary accents. Polished and precise, the large Churchill is a bit of a commitment, but we urge you to take that time.

Since purchasing the company in 2016, Belgian owner J. Cortès has proven to be a worthy, respectful steward of the brand, maintaining the high standards that continue to put Oliva on the Top 25 list year after year.

There are few cigars on the market, Cuban or otherwise, as coveted and as instantly recognizable as the Cohiba Siglo VI. Since its release in 2002, the Siglo VI still shimmers with undeniable star power. At the time, it was the thickest Cohiba in the line. It was also the first cigar to be sold in a glossy, pop-top, lipstick style tube. Called a cañonazo—or cannon shot—in Cuban cigar factories, the size was conceived solely for the Siglo VI. Twenty years later, retailers still have a difficult time keeping this cigar in stock, despite its high price.

Casually referred to as the “Siglo Series” this line of Cohiba is officially called Línea 1492 and is blended to be a bit milder than the core Cohiba line, or Línea Clásica. According to Habanos, two aspects make Cohiba special. Firstly, some of the filler leaf undergoes additional fermentation time in barrels. Secondly, Cohiba’s tobacco is purportedly harvested from the five finest farms in Vuelta Abajo, Cuba’s famed growing region located in the western province of Pinar del Río.

If Cohiba is Cuba’s flagship brand, then the Siglo VI might very well be Cohiba’s flagship size, and for good reason. The nutty cigar brims with espresso, brown sugar and dried berries before a rich chocolate finish.

Between his many catalog lines and huge portfolio of brick-and-mortar brands Rocky Patel truly sets out to make a cigar for every palate imaginable—even for palates in other countries. When he first released the Grand Reserve, it was for international markets only. If you wanted to try it, you probably had to travel to Europe. The Grand Reserve debuted in Austria before its release across the European continent. In 2020, it found its way to the United States and the Robusto proved to be a great addition to Rocky Patel’s many brands. They’re made in Honduras at the El Paraiso factory, an operation owned by Nestor Plasencia that is dedicated almost entirely to producing Rocky Patel products.

Any time you hear a cigarmaker say that he’s blended a smoke for “international tastes” that’s usually shorthand for “Cubanesque.” But Patel never said that the Grand Reserve was meant to mimic Cuban cigars. Rather, this is a confident assembly of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos brought together by an Ecuadoran wrapper. Each puff is loaded with a savory, leathery quality that sets the stage for subsequent notes of crushed peanut and red meat. Sweet transitions to salted caramel and licorice are seamless. The Grand Reserve may have targeted an “international” audience at first, but this is simply a smoke for anyone in the world who loves a fine cigar.

It isn’t very often that Arturo Fuente Cigar Co. comes out with a new brand, but when it does, it’s released with great fanfare and normally lives up to the hype. This was the case with the Rare Pinks. A perfecto shape in the line called Happy Ending delighted us from first puff to last. The striking, glossy pink boxes may have some smokers wondering why Fuente opted for such an unusual color. Like most things made by Fuente, there’s a backstory. These cigars are tied to breast cancer awareness—a social cause quite important to Liana Fuente, daughter of company patriarch Carlos Fuente Jr. A pink ribbon, as many know, is the official symbol of this women’s health movement, and a certain portion of proceeds from the sale of every box fund the worthy cause. This cigar is fantastic even without the advocacy. Some of the sizes are modeled after the perfecto shapes found in Fuente’s Hemingway line. Though a tapered perfecto as well, the Happy Ending is unique to the Rare Pink series. It’s made in the Dominican Republic and is an exciting composition that starts slowly with layers of earth, hazelnut and coffee. Once the burn goes beyond the tapered foot, the smoke bursts like a literary climax with orange peel, cloves and gingerbread.

Consider the corona size, a tidy shape measuring little more than five inches in length, with a slim ring gauge, typically 42. It can be hard to deliver big flavor in such a slim size, but Warped’s Kyle Gellis succeeds with his Cloud Hopper No. 53. Made in Nicaragua from an entirely Nicaraguan blend, the small smoke has intriguing notes of gingerbread, chocolate and sweet spices, with a finish that smacks of nuts. Gellis, a young man who is a relative newcomer to the cigar world, has made a big impact in a fairly short amount of time: he’s had cigars on our Top 25 in 2019 and 2017 as well.

Lanceros are the deep tracks of the cigar world, embraced by connoisseurs but ignored by many casual cigar lovers. The long, slim cigars are tough to make, and when made right they are exceptional, with a great amount of the flavor delivered by the wrapper. Such is the case for Luciano The Dreamer, the signature smoke of Ace Prime owner Luciano Meirelles. The cigar was born as a limited-edition in 2020, but its reception led Meirelles to change strategy and make it a regular release in 2021. Its combination of tobaccos from Ecuador Havana wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and filler, with just a touch of Peruvian leaf, give it sublime flavors of chocolate-covered almonds, café au lait and just a bit of spice.

Pete Johnson has become a cigar industry mainstay, a man with multiple lines of cigars that consistently score well in this magazine and make our Top 25. Most of them are rolled in Nicaragua, but this Tatuaje Reserva K222 is made in Florida, where the Tatuaje story began back in 2003. While the Tatuaje brand is closing in on 20 years of age, the K222 size is a newer release that first hit the market in 2016. It was created as a tribute to Johnson’s dog, whose name was Kona. It has that trademark gorgeous construction, a medium-to-full body, and rich, hearty notes of molasses, coffee bean and red pepper, with a cappuccino finish.

The Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua blend is no stranger to high honors. The torpedo-shaped Maestro was the 2019 Cigar of the Year and the brand makes a return to the Top 25 list with the Concerto, a box-pressed Churchill composed of Nicaraguan tobacco. It’s produced in Nicaragua by A.J. Fernandez for Rafael Nodal who owns the Aging Room brand along with his partners, Hank Bischoff, Jochy Blanco and his wife, Alina. There are many different Aging Rooms made in different factories, but this is the blend that gives us the finest performance: an orchestral suite of flavors that range from espresso and chocolate to pecan and caramel. A note of star anise resonates on the finish for a lasting encore.

As his lofty title suggests, master blender Willy Herrera has created many expressive blends for Drew Estate, the handmade cigar company now owned by Swisher International. His namesake cigar, Herrera Esteli first appeared in 2013 and is made in Nicaragua at the Gran Fabrica Drew Estate factory. Since its debut, Herrera has made a few more varieties of the brand, though this year, none have resounded as loudly as the original. The Herrera Esteli Habano is named for its Ecuador Havana wrapper. The Robusto Grande delivers a substantial, yet balanced, smoke of earth and pepper underscored by sweet, nutty elements of salted peanut, candied pecan and caramel. A toasty finish makes this cigar as cohesive as it is flavorful.

Joya de Nicaragua holds the distinction as oldest handmade cigarmaker in Nicaragua. For more than 50 years, the factory has produced what it believes to be the quintessential Nicaraguan cigar, consisting of only Nicaraguan tobacco. Joya Silver represents a new chapter in the company’s history, comprising other tobaccos to address the diverse palates of today’s market. Joya Silver doesn’t stray too far, as the filler is still completely Nicaraguan. However, the Mexican binder and Ecuador Havana wrapper bring a contrast to Joya’s native leaf, especially in the Robusto where its initial notes of earth and cocoa burst with roasted coffee, dark chocolate and dark fruits. The smoke is intense, though finely trimmed with an elegant crème brûlée sweetness.

The Garcia Family of My Father Cigars seems to come up with hit blend after hit blend. The Judge was created in 2016 as a fuller-bodied My Father cigar. This line extension was even shorter and fatter than the originals. Powered by Nicaraguan insides and a dark cover leaf of Ecuador Sumatra, the Grand Robusto has the look and taste of a chocolate bar, with sweet hints of peanuts, caramel and just a touch of red pepper spice. In a business where consistency is king, the Garcias deliver with this smoke: this is the second time this cigar has made our Top 25. In 2017, it made the list with the very same score of 93 points.

Cuba’s double coronas are a regal lot, long and stately cigars that are substantial but never go overboard on thickness. The Ramon Allones Gigantes is probably the least known of the bunch, but it’s a cigar that delivers big flavor again and again, seldom dipping below 90 points in Cigar Aficionado blind tastings. The latest versions we have smoked are delicious, nutty and floral cigars that build on a backbone of toastiness along with an array of spices, including white pepper, vanilla and cinnamon. These are long cigars meant for leisurely smoking, cigars that cannot—and should not—be rushed.

The sleepy Saint Luis Rey brand got some new life last year when Altadis released the Saint Luis Rey Carenas, which is made in Honduras at the Flor de Copan factory. The theme here is “old world meets new world” and Altadis explains that the Puerto de Carenas is the antiquated name for the Port of Havana. That’s the “old world” part. The “new world” is represented in the blend of tobacco, an arrangement that’s all Honduran, save for the Nicaraguan wrapper. Of note is the binder, which is Honduran broadleaf, a thick varietal normally grown in Connecticut. The Toro kept us wide awake as spicy notes of ground red pepper, snaps of leather and almond played off the woody core.

Litto Gomez, the man in the hat, has built a reputation for creating powerhouse cigars, and this Air Bender Chisel lives up to those expectations. Not for the beginner, nor a great choice to smoke on an empty stomach, the Chisel has a combination of sweet cocoa buttressed by spicy licorice, savory leather and plenty of spice. The Chisel—one of the cigar world’s more intriguing shapes—has been around since Gomez created it in 2003. He was driving to his cigar factory one morning, chewing on a normal figurado, and by the time he arrived to work the head was flattened into a wedge shape. He showed it to one of his rollers, and the Chisel was born.

This new smoke hit the market earlier last year, created by brand owner Ernesto Padilla to honor the 88th birthday of his father Heberto. Heberto Padilla was a famed Cuban poet who was imprisoned in 1971 for criticizing the Cuban government, sparking what became known as “The Padilla Affair.” The smoke is gorgeous, made in Nicaragua by A.J. Fernandez, with a beautiful Ecuador Havana wrapper and a touch of Pelo d’Oro filler in the blend, a fickle seed varietal that’s tough to grow. The smoke has notes of butterscotch, earth and caramel, with a honeyed finish.

When General Cigar Co. turned over production and distribution of the Ramon Allones brand to A.J. Fernandez in Nicaragua, he was determined to make the cigar his own and exercised his creative freedom by putting together a blend of Nicaraguan tobaccos that he grew himself. With his name prominently displayed on the box and band, the Ramon Allones by AJ Fernandez is a bracing blend of medio tiempo wrapper, Corojo ’99, Criollo ’98 and a hybrid tobacco from Estelí. The other tobaccos are from Condega, Jalapa and Pueblo Nuevo, making this a true tapestry of Nicaragua’s major growing regions. Like many Fernandez cigars, the smoke is strong, showing a hearty mix of raisin and walnut notes with a tangy hint of cedar.

Combine Dominican filler tobacco with a gorgeous leaf of Ecuador Havana, grown by Tampa’s Oliva Tobacco Co., and the talents of Arturo Fuente cigars, and what do you get? Another high-scoring smoke from Ashton. This incarnation of the venerable Ashton brand gets its name from the sun, as the smoke is loaded with sun-grown tobaccos. It delivers a complex weaving of hickory, walnut and leather notes with a touch of smoky, earthy flavors reminiscent of your last dram of Islay Scotch. Ashton, which is owned by the Levin family, first hit the market in 1985. In its fourth decade, the marque continues to impress and deliver.

He’s been making cigars for more than 50 years, and the past few have brought immense success for Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, the maker of Cigar Aficionado’s Cigar of the Year for 2020. His La Historia blend has been lauded by this magazine before—back in 2014, it was named No. 2 Cigar of the Year. It returns to our list with its bold, flavorful blend, redolent of coffee, wood and earth, even a touch of briny olive. It’s made with Nicaraguan filler tobaccos (a longtime Perez-Carrillo favorite) with an Ecuadoran binder and a dark wrapper leaf grown in the open sunlight of Mexico’s lush San Andrés Valley. The hits keep coming for Perez-Carrillo, who shows no signs of slowing down.

The Rubin brothers, sons of Alec Bradley founder Alan, have adopted the esthetic of an Eastern art form and applied it to cigars for a high-minded brand called Alec & Bradley Kintsugi. Kintsugi is a Japanese art dating back to the 15th century that places emphasis on imperfection—broken pottery is shattered and then repaired with gold or silver thus highlighting the cracks and bringing a new form. With this concept in mind, the Rubins created Kintsugi as a metaphor for the cigar industry, which they believe is fragmented. Unbroken, however, is the clear rendition of flavor that’s so artfully conveyed by the corona gorda: dried fruit, cinnamon, espresso bean and hazelnut come together for a complete picture.