Pete Johnson enjoys taking the road less traveled, but at the same time, respects the traditions of the cigar industry. His brand, Tatuaje, has a passionate fanbase, and his cigars consistently perform well in this magazine. But the Tatuaje Reserva A Uno may be Johnson’s most fitting cigar to make our Top 25. Though most Tatuaje cigars are rolled in Nicaragua at My Father Cigars, some Reservas are made in Miami. The Reserva A Uno is one of them. It’s also made in the rare “A” size, measuring more than 9 inches long, an old format that’s almost disappeared. The full-bodied cigar marries notes of dark chocolate, espresso and red-pepper spice with hints of leather and earth.—Garrett Rutledge
2024
My Father The Judge Grand Robusto
Rank:1
Rating:98
Price:$13.30
Made By:My Father Cigars S.A.
Factory Location:Nicaragua
Dimensions:5" by 60 ring gauge
Filler:Nicaragua
Binder:Nicaragua
Wrapper:Ecuador
Strength:Medium-Full
If the American Dream seems like an antiquated idea reserved for late-19th-century immigrants in history books, then consider the more recent story of My Father Cigars. Company founder José “Pepín” Garcia emigrated from Cuba to the United States in 2002, bringing with him a rare skill—the ability to roll the type of Cuban-style cigar that many in this country hadn’t seen since before the Cuban embargo.
Eventually, Garcia ended up in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood and opened up a small factory called El Rey de Los Habanos. Success came quickly. In just a few years, he outgrew the Miami location and expanded to Nicaragua, where Garcia increased production and had easier access to the Nicaraguan tobaccos he was accustomed to using. But Pepín didn’t do this alone. Both his son Jaime and daughter Janny were instrumental in growing the company, working with him in Miami and Nicaragua.
In 2008, Jaime surprised his father with a blend he’d been working on in secret. He presented it to Pepín as a dedication to all he’d done as a mentor and as a parent. The cigar was sentimentally named My Father, and the Garcias opened a grander factory in Nicaragua with the same name the following year.
There have been plenty of spinoff brands from My Father—La Gran Oferta, La Opulencia and Le Bijou 1922 (the 2015 Cigar of the Year). In 2016, the Garcias released My Father The Judge, a bold, full-bodied cigar packaged in boxes with lithographic art resurrected from 1905. With the exception of the dark, Sumatra-seed Ecuadoran wrapper, all the tobacco comes from farms across Nicaragua that the Garcias spent many years obtaining. As is typical of Cuban construction, the cigar is made with two binders, one Corojo and one Criollo. The tobacco comes from at least three regions: the La Bonita Two farm in Jalapa, El Pedrero in Estelí and San Rafael in Namanji.
The Grand Robusto’s thick ring gauge allows for a thorough exploration of Nicaragua’s tobacco appellations, making for a cigar that is rich and complex. It shows an ample core of earth, toast and wood along with finer nutty details and sweet undercurrents all amounting to a bold smoke that resonates with balance and satisfaction. Every puff is certainly a cross section of Nicaragua’s finest soils, but beyond that, it also affirms a passion for tobacco, a strong work ethic and an even stronger belief in the power of family. —Gregory Mottola
2024
Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua Espeso
Rank:2
Rating:97
Price:$18.00
Made By:San Lotano Cigars S.A.
Factory Location:Nicaragua
Dimensions:5 1/2" by 60 ring gauge
Filler:Nicaragua
Binder:Nicaragua
Wrapper:Nicaragua
Strength:Medium-Full
Sometimes, when a company makes a larger version of a successful cigar, the blend doesn’t scale up properly and it loses some of the elements that made it great in the first place. Not here. The Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua Espeso is a bigger, thicker representation of the brand, not only capturing all the coffee bean, earth and spicy notes of the original sizes, but actually enhancing them. The blend was conceived by Rafael Nodal of Altadis U.S.A. and Nicaraguan cigarmaker A.J. Fernandez as a tribute to the 80th anniversary of the iconic brand. Together, they struck gold with a rich, powerful cigar worthy of the Montecristo name. Accolades piled up quickly, including high scores in our blind tastings and the No. 2 spot in 2021’s Top 25 (for the No. 2 size). A few years after the brand’s release, Altadis added its first addition to the line—the Espeso. The word translates to “thick” in Spanish, because that’s exactly what this cigar is. It’s big, it’s box-pressed, it’s chunky and it’s delightful. It’s also proof that you can indeed enlarge a cigar without diluting its properties. In this case, you might even be making it a little better.—Gregory Mottola
2024
E.P. Carrillo Encore Celestial
Rank:3
Rating:96
Price:$13.50
Made By:Casa Carrillo
Factory Location:Dom. Rep.
Dimensions:6 1/8" by 50 ring gauge
Filler:Nicaragua
Binder:Nicaragua
Wrapper:Nicaragua
Strength:Medium
It’s hard to find a cigarmaker with more experience than Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, who has been making cigars for more than 50 years. He began in Miami, and among the brands he made was one called La Gloria Cubana. In the first issue ofCigar Aficionado, in 1992, an exceptional rating for La Gloria Cubana ignited a demand Perez-Carrillo had never seen before. It was the early days of the Cigar Boom, and La Gloria was a star. Perez-Carrillo eventually expanded the business, and later sold it, leaving the cigar industry for a short time. Fifteen years ago, Perez-Carrillo joined his daughter, Lissette, and son, Ernesto III, and founded a new cigar company, crafting cigars in the Dominican Republic. In 2018, he released a brand called Encore, which earned him his first ever Cigar of the Year award with the Encore Majestic. This year, we honor a different size in the brand, the Encore Celestial. The Encore blend is a Dominican cigar made entirely from Nicaraguan tobaccos. It’s richly layered with notes of toffee, black cherry and coffee bean. This isn’t a strong smoke, but it’s far from mild, with a little ginger spice on the finish. What really stands out here is the balance. It’s the rare cigar that appeals to those who smoke quite often or to those who only smoke on occasion.—David Savona
2024
Padrón Serie 1926 No. 6
Rank:4
Rating:96
Price:$17.40
Made By:Padrón Cigars Inc.
Factory Location:Nicaragua
Dimensions:4 3/4" by 50 ring gauge
Filler:Nicaragua
Binder:Nicaragua
Wrapper:Nicaragua
Strength:Medium-Full
Padrón Cigars are the overachievers of the cigar world. The company has been named Cigar of the Year a record four times, and Padróns are no strangers to our Top 25. The Padrón story began in the most unassuming way, with founder José Orlando Padrón selling cigars for a quarter apiece from a modest storefront in Miami in 1964. Sixty years later it’s an industry leader known for unmatched quality. Jorge Padrón, who leads the company today, likes to say that he has only one brand, but there are differences among the Padrón cigars. The Dámaso line is milder than the rest, the core Padrón brand provides good value, the 1964 Anniversary Series has a creamy, cocoa character. Then there’s the Serie 1926, named for the year the founder was born. The 1926 is among the strongest of Padrón blends, and one that has earned our highest praise. (Two of the Padrón Cigars of the Year have come from the Serie 1926.) The No. 6 is the second-smallest cigar in the line, but it packs impressively big flavor, with complex notes that bathe the palate in a chocolatey smoke, along with notes of espresso, coffee and an earthy character backing up that sweetness.—David Savona
2024
Partagás Línea Maestra Maestro
Rank:5
Rating:95
Price:£71.30
Made By:Habanos S.A.
Factory Location:Cuba
Dimensions:5 1/4" by 56 ring gauge
Filler:Cuba
Binder:Cuba
Wrapper:Cuba
Strength:Medium-Full
There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Cuba didn’t release new cigars on a regular basis. Things have changed considerably. Today, Habanos S.A.—the Havana-based company that controls Cuba’s cigar industry—regularly creates one exciting new cigar after another. Among them have been high-end extensions to some of its most famous cigar brands. Cohiba has Behike, Romeo y Julieta has Línea de Oro and Montecristo has Línea 1935. Now, it’s time for Partagás to get the super-premium treatment, and its high-end line is the Línea Maestra. Partagás is an old cigar brand, created 180 years ago in Cuba by Jaime Partagás, and it’s become one of Cuba’s most recognizable smokes. The Línea Maestra is different—instead of the famed red bands found on other Partagás cigars, these have blue bands, and they are made with exquisitely tapered heads known as 109s, found on very few modern-day Cuban cigars. Línea Maestra was unveiled in early 2023 and didn’t start reaching world markets until mid-2024. The Maestro is the fattest in the three-sized line, and the one we found to be its star (box date: February 2024). Maestro is a slow starter, but it transforms into something truly remarkable, delivering big flavors such as malted chocolate, spices, biscotti and almond paste.—David Savona
2024
Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Torpedo
Rank:6
Rating:95
Price:$16.63
Made By:Tabacalera Oliva S.A. (Tabolisa)
Factory Location:Nicaragua
Dimensions:6 1/2" by 52 ring gauge
Filler:Nicaragua
Binder:Nicaragua
Wrapper:Mexico
Strength:Medium
When the Oliva Serie V first appeared on the market in 2007, it marked a true turning point for Oliva Cigar Co., as this was the most complex and sophisticated (not to mention full-bodied) cigar the company had ever produced. Then, in 2012 it refined the brand by giving it an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper and naming it Melanio after Melanio Oliva who, according to family history, grew tobacco in Cuba during the late 1800s. The Melanio went on to become a highly decorated brand and the Figurado was named Cigar of the Year in 2014. But despite all the critical praise and commercial success of Serie V and Serie V Melanio, Oliva wasn’t done with the brand. They took it into darker territory with the Melanio Maduro, which is covered in a leaf of Mexican San Andrés tobacco. However, rather than release an entire Melanio Maduro brand, it would come out with the Maduros one size at a time. The Maduro Torpedo hit the market in 2013 and it’s been impressing us ever since. Every puff is loaded with sweet wood, sea salt and dried fruit, but the tapered head of the Torpedo seems to concentrate the smoke for another dimension of flavor.—Gregory Mottola
2024
Rocky Patel Conviction Toro
Rank:7
Rating:95
Price:$100.00
Made By:Tabacalera Villa Cuba (Tavicusa)
Factory Location:Nicaragua
Dimensions:6 1/2" by 52 ring gauge
Filler:Nicaragua
Binder:Nicaragua
Wrapper:Mexico
Strength:Medium-Full
Can a single cigar be worth $100? Several cigars have reached (or exceeded) this price point in recent years as cigars grow increasingly expensive. But a high price tag is not a guarantor of high quality. In the case of the Rocky Patel Conviction Toro, however, the extreme price is paired with an extremely delicious smoke. Conviction sells for $100 per cigar, and it’s the most expensive cigar Patel has ever made. Why is the price so dear? Patel made the cigar with tobacco grown in Nicaragua in 2014, the first year he grew tobacco in that country. The cigar is all Nicaraguan on the inside, with a dark, Mexican San Andrés wrapper on the outside. We taste cigars blind atCigar Aficionado, which means when we rate them, we don’t know what country they are from, who made the cigar or how much it costs. We found the Conviction brilliant, a medium-to-full-bodied cigar that’s a superb performer, delivering an opulent core of cocoa powder and dark chocolate flavor. And it’s a cigar that builds in flavor, getting better and better the longer it is smoked.—David Savona
2024
Cohiba Maduro 5 Mágicos
Rank:8
Rating:94
Price:£77.00
Made By:Habanos S.A.
Factory Location:Cuba
Dimensions:4 1/2" by 52 ring gauge
Filler:Cuba
Binder:Cuba
Wrapper:Cuba
Strength:Medium-Full
There wasn’t too much going on with the Cuban Cohiba brand in the mid 2000s. Its international reputation kept Cohiba in high demand, but in terms of innovation, things were kind of quiet. Then, in 2007, Habanos S.A. announced the Cohiba Maduro 5—a Cohiba line rolled in dark, maduro wrappers. This was extraordinary news for a few reasons. Firstly, a Cuban cigar with a maduro wrapper was (and still is) uncommon. Secondly, any new release surrounding Cohiba is bound to generate buzz. More than a decade and a half later, the Cohiba Maduro 5 still impresses us, especially the Mágicos (box date: December 2023), a dark robusto-sized smoke with heady notes of salted peanut, sweet hickory and honey, all striking a balance between the sweet ripeness of a maduro wrapper and the elegant tobacco that defines Cuban Cohiba. It’s called Maduro 5 because, according to Habanos, the wrapper is aged for five years before it’s put onto the cigar. Cohiba in general has always differed from other Cuban cigars on account of the tobacco undergoing an extra fermentation cycle. This is one of the brand’s more intriguing points, but the aged maduro wrapper makes the mystique around Cohiba just a little darker.—Gregory Mottola
2024
Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Eye of the Bull
Rank:9
Rating:94
Price:$12.80
Made By:Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia.
Factory Location:Dom. Rep.
Dimensions:3 1/2" by 55 ring gauge
Filler:Dom. Rep.
Binder:Dom. Rep.
Wrapper:Cameroon
Strength:Medium-Full
The creative well seems to never run dry at Arturo Fuente Cigar Co., and that has a lot to do with the imaginative mind of its owner and patriarch Carlos “Carlito” Fuente Jr., whose quirky cigar names and fantastic blends add up to unforgettable smoking experiences. The Eye of the Bull is certainly one of them. He took the much-heralded Don Carlos blend—which is defined by its Cameroon wrapper—and rolled it in a short robusto format. These particular proportions seem to amplify the smoke in an unexpected way, as Eye of the Bull ended up being bolder than typical Don Carlos cigars. Its head-strong qualities intensify with every puff, charging in with a run of baking spices, cedar and walnut notes that leave a zesty orange peel finish. Don’t mistake this short robusto for a quick smoke. Despite its length, the cigar burns slow and cool, but makes its purpose known at first light. If you look carefully at the head of the cigar before you slice off the top, you’ll see a circle of dark tobacco in the center. That’s the bull’s eye, a wink to smokers from Carlito that this isn’t the Don Carlos you’re used to.—Gregory Mottola
2024
Brick House Churchill
Rank:10
Rating:93
Price:$8.85
Made By:Puros de Estelí Nicaragua S.A. (PENSA)
Factory Location:Nicaragua
Dimensions:7 1/4" by 50 ring gauge
Filler:Nicaragua
Binder:Nicaragua
Wrapper:Ecuador
Strength:Medium
In a world where cigars seem to get more and more expensive, Brick House is a shocking bargain. The brand is owned by J.C. Newman Cigar Co., a Tampa, Florida company that has made cigars since 1895. Brick House is one of its older brands, named for the sturdy home where company founder Julius Caeser Newman lived as a boy. Originally it was made with Cuban tobaccos, but it fell victim to changing times during the Great Depression and was taken off the market, remaining dormant for decades. In 2009, J.C. Newman revived Brick House, and reinvented it as a Nicaraguan smoke made with local tobaccos and a Cuban-seed wrapper grown in Ecuador. Now, the Newmans make Brick House in their Nicaraguan cigar factory, which is known as PENSA. Brick House has been a solid performer inCigar Aficionadoblind tastings, earning several 90-point scores. The Churchill is a remarkably tasty smoke, showing a complex flavor profile of wood, leather and nuts, with sweet spices and a cappuccino finish. On top of that, it punches far above its weight class, and is clearly one of the best bargains in cigar shop humidors. A big, flavorful cigar for less than $9 (before taxes) is not so easy to find anymore.—David Savona
2024
La Aroma de Cuba Pasión Box-Pressed Torpedo
Rank:11
Rating:93
Price:$12.20
Made By:My Father Cigars S.A.
Factory Location:Nicaragua
Dimensions:6 1/8" by 54 ring gauge
Filler:Nicaragua
Binder:Nicaragua
Wrapper:Nicaragua
Strength:Medium-Full
When Ashton Distributors first introduced the original La Aroma de Cuba line in 2002, it was made in Honduras. Today, it’s produced in Nicaragua by the Garcia family of My Father Cigars, with multiple offshoots. One of the more recent versions is the Pasión line. According to Ashton’s Sathya Levin, the blend took two years to get just right, the star of which is the Cuban-seed wrapper, grown under shade by the Garcias in Namanji, Nicaragua. The tapered head of this torpedo concentrates every puff, which is both leathery and spicy at its core, complemented by notes of minerals and a sweet hint of cinnamon that ushers in a cedary finish.—Thomas Pappalardo
2024
Aksum Claro Robusto
Rank:12
Rating:93
Price:$15.50
Made By:Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez Cigars
Factory Location:Nicaragua
Dimensions:5" by 50 ring gauge
Filler:Nicaragua
Binder:U.S.A./Conn. Broadleaf
Wrapper:Ecuador
Strength:Medium-Full
The man on the band is Ras Makonnen, a 19th-century governor of the Aksumite Kingdom (now Ethiopia). This region is of particular interest to Nick Melillo of Foundation Cigars. Legend has it that Aksum is the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. Imagery and biblical stories aside, the cigar is an engaging composition of Nicaraguan tobacco, Connecticut broadleaf and an Ecuadoran Sumatra-seed wrapper. It’s made in Nicaragua by A.J. Fernandez and used to go by a different name: Metapa. Foundation rebranded the cigar in early 2024. Regardless of what it’s called, Aksum is a sweet-and-spicy smoke with solid underpinnings of coffee bean and earth.—Gregory Mottola
2024
Viva La Vida Jester
Rank:13
Rating:93
Price:$11.20
Made By:Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez Cigars
Factory Location:Nicaragua
Dimensions:5" by 56 ring gauge
Filler:Nicaragua
Binder:Nicaragua
Wrapper:Nicaragua
Strength:Medium-Full
In 2019, brothers and former New York City cigar retailers Billy and Gus Fakih founded their own cigar company called Artesano del Tobacco. The preliminary release was Viva La Vida, an all-Nicaraguan line made in collaboration with A.J. Fernandez, who also grew the tobacco. The plump Jester was added to the line later that year, though only offered in five-packs wrapped in paper. Its powerful range of leather, spice and earth notes settles down for warmer elements of raisin toast before a nutty finish. This marks the company’s third-ever Top 25 placement, and the second time the Jester has been on the list—an impressive feat for a company only half a decade old.—Thomas Pappalardo
2024
Casa Magna Colorado XV Anniversary 6 X 54
Rank:14
Rating:93
Price:$15.00
Made By:Quesada Cigars
Factory Location:Dom. Rep.
Dimensions:6" by 54 ring gauge
Filler:Nicaragua
Binder:Nicaragua
Wrapper:Ecuador
Strength:Medium-Full
Casa Magna Colorado first hit shelves in 2008, quickly endearing itself to smokers for both its power and sophistication, particularly when the Robusto became Cigar of the Year. Fifteen years later, Quesada Cigars decided to not only celebrate the brand’s anniversary, but to up the ante with an even stronger blend. Internally, this limited edition features the same Nicaraguan binder and fillers as the original but the Nicaraguan wrapper was replaced by an oily leaf of Ecuadoran Habano 2000. Its bold, leathery character is balanced by sweeter, dessert-like aspects of caramel notes and coffee with a sweet, nougat finish.—Thomas Pappalardo
2024
Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill
Rank:15
Rating:93
Price:£44.60
Made By:Habanos S.A.
Factory Location:Cuba
Dimensions:5 1/8" by 55 ring gauge
Filler:Cuba
Binder:Cuba
Wrapper:Cuba
Strength:Medium
What happens when you take a benchmark Cuban cigar like the Romeo y Julieta Churchill and make it shorter and fatter? The answer is the Wide Churchill, which is one of the thickest cigars in the Cuban portfolio. It’s also one of the best Cubans we smoked all year (box date: December 2023). Habanos seems to have taken all the magical elements of the Churchill and condensed them into this plump format. The smoke is earthy and leathery, accented by notes of graham cracker, cinnamon, orange peel and honey. Romeo’s Churchill series has become a brand within a brand with four different Romeo sizes bearing the Churchill name.—Gregory Mottola
2024
Perdomo 30th Anniversary Sun Grown Epicure
Rank:16
Rating:93
Price:$12.50
Made By:Tabacalera Perdomo S.A.
Factory Location:Nicaragua
Dimensions:6" by 54 ring gauge
Filler:Nicaragua
Binder:Nicaragua
Wrapper:Nicaragua
Strength:Medium
Nick Perdomo of Perdomo Cigars has been in the business for more than three decades. Although the company’s 30th anniversary was in 2022, the Perdomo 30th Anniversary Sun Grown brand didn’t come out until late 2023. When we put the entire line through our blind tastings, it ushered in a new era of high scores for Perdomo, but the Epicure size was the true standout. Perdomo says the wrapper of this all-Nicaraguan cigar was aged in Bourbon barrels and the tobacco in the blend was 15 years old before rolling. Oak certainly factors into the taste of this cigar, which also shows notes of leather, caramel and nougat.—Gregory Mottola
2024
Plasencia Cosecha 151 La Musica
Rank:17
Rating:92
Price:$13.50
Made By:Tabacos de Oriente
Factory Location:Honduras
Dimensions:5" by 50 ring gauge
Filler:Honduras
Binder:Honduras
Wrapper:Honduras
Strength:Medium-Full
Premium cigars are typically made with tobaccos harvested from different years, but the all-Honduran Plasencia Cosecha 151 line is made entirely of leaves from one particular season that the Plasencia family felt was exceptional. This vintage-specific blend comes from a 2016-2017 harvest, which marks the Plasencias’ 151st since 1865, according to family records. La Musica consists mostly of Criollo ’98 tobacco, and every puff of this robusto is like taking a bite of Christmas fruitcake as a chorus of baking spices, candied fruit, molasses and walnut notes all harmonize leaving a rum-barrel finish to bring the whole holiday effect home.—Thomas Pappalardo
2024
601 La Bomba Warhead X
Rank:18
Rating:92
Price:$16.00
Made By:San Lotano Cigars S.A.
Factory Location:Nicaragua
Dimensions:6" by 55 ring gauge
Filler:Nicaragua
Binder:Nicaragua
Wrapper:Nicaragua
Strength:Medium-Full
Sometimes the best weapon in your arsenal is a good argument or a good cigar. Made by A.J. Fernandez for Espinosa Cigars, 601 La Bomba Warhead X is the 10th installment in the limited-edition Warhead series. It’s also the first time a Warhead was made in an oval-pressed shape (flat on the top and bottom, rounded on the sides). The cigar is an all-Nicaraguan blend including its broadleaf wrapper, which is usually grown in Connecticut. The smoke launches into a bold mélange of Middle Eastern spices, graham cracker and a wisp of licorice, all achieving balance before it drops an orange honey note that explodes onto the finish.—Thomas Pappalardo
2024
Herrera Esteli Norteño Lonsdale
Rank:19
Rating:92
Price:$10.95
Made By:La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate
Factory Location:Nicaragua
Dimensions:6 1/2" by 44 ring gauge
Filler:Nicaragua
Binder:Honduras
Wrapper:Mexico
Strength:Full
Willy Herrera got his start developing in-house blends for the El Titan de Bronze factory in Miami’s Little Havana. But for the last decade, he’s been master blender at Drew Estate in Nicaragua. His influence is perhaps most evident in the brand that bears his name, Herrera Esteli. The brand has performed strongly in our Top 25 rankings, including the Herrera Esteli Norteño Robusto Grande, the No. 7 cigar in 2016. But its thinner counterpart, the Herrera Esteli Norteño Lonsdale, packs a stronger punch. The pressed Lonsdale is a full-bodied, leathery smoke with notes of toasted pecan and licorice before a latte finish.—Garrett Rutledge
2024
Cohiba Riviera Robusto
Rank:20
Rating:92
Price:$19.99
Made By:STG Estelí
Factory Location:Nicaragua
Dimensions:5" by 52 ring gauge
Filler:Honduras, Nicaragua
Binder:Honduras
Wrapper:Mexico
Strength:Medium-Full
The Cohiba Riviera Robusto represents many firsts for General Cigar Co. It’s the first time a non-Cuban Cohiba has placed onCigar Aficionado’sTop 25 rankings since it began in 2004. It’s also the first Cohiba in a Mexican wrapper, as well as the first time General’s Cohiba has ever been box-pressed. Riviera debuted in 2023 as a three-size line produced in Nicaragua. The Mexican San Andrés wrapper covers a Honduran broadleaf binder and a filler blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobacco. This bold Robusto delivers a chocolate-like smoke with notes of oak, spice and leather before a sweet and nutty finish.—Garrett Rutledge
2024
La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chiselito Maduro
Rank:21
Rating:92
Price:$9.30
Made By:Tabacalera La Flor S.A.
Factory Location:Dom. Rep.
Dimensions:5" by 44 ring gauge
Filler:Dom. Rep.
Binder:Dom. Rep.
Wrapper:U.S.A./Conn. Broadleaf
Strength:Full
La Flor Dominicana is defined by its ligero tobacco, grown on Litto Gomez’s La Canela farm in the dry, hot Cibao Valley of the Dominican Republic. The climate helps produce tobacco with strong, spicy, concentrated flavor that’s further emphasized by the company’s signature, wedge-shaped Chisel cigar. La Flor Dominicana’s Double Ligero Chiselito Maduro offers a miniaturized version of this distinct shape, but with power and intensity to match. Small and intense, the cigar delivers prominent notes of toasted coconut, wet leather, raisin and dark chocolate. The raw power of the ligero tobaccos is rounded out by a dark, Connecticut broadleaf wrapper.—Garrett Rutledge
2024
OneOff Black & Tan Robusto
Rank:22
Rating:92
Price:$16.00
Made By:Aganorsa Leaf
Factory Location:Nicaragua
Dimensions:5" by 52 ring gauge
Filler:Nicaragua
Binder:Nicaragua
Wrapper:Nicaragua
Strength:Medium-Full
OneOff has a complicated past. It was started in 2001 by an Italian retailer and gained a loyal cult following, especially in the United States. One of those fans was Dion Giolito of Illusione Cigars. Fast forward to 2017—the brand ends up in Giolito’s possession and by 2018, a new line of OneOffs were on the market. Black & Tan is the OneOff brand’s newest spinoff, and comes in only one size. Not much is disclosed about the specifics of the tobacco other than it contains a varietal not typically grown in Nicaragua. What we know for sure is that it’s a brilliant smoke, layered with tasty notes of shortbread, caramel, marzipan, pecan and anise.—Gregory Mottola
2024
Warped Corto X52
Rank:23
Rating:92
Price:$11.50
Made By:Aganorsa Leaf
Factory Location:Nicaragua
Dimensions:4 3/4" by 52 ring gauge
Filler:Nicaragua
Binder:Nicaragua
Wrapper:Nicaragua
Strength:Medium
Corto from Warped Cigars first came to market in 2015 in a single size that measured only 4 1/2 inches long. Corto means “short” in Spanish and owner Kyle Gellis never intended this to be a large cigar, but consumers kept clamoring for a longer Corto and he finally gave in. Last year, he released Corto in the X52 size—just a little bit longer and a little bit thicker, but still on the shorter side. The blend remained the same, consisting of a Corojo ’99 wrapper and binder, and a filler combination of Criollo ’98 and Corojo ’99 tobacco all grown by Aganorsa Leaf in Nicaragua.—Gregory Mottola
2024
Ferio Tego Summa Corona Gorda
Rank:24
Rating:92
Price:$18.00
Made By:Quesada Cigars
Factory Location:Dom. Rep.
Dimensions:5 3/4" by 46 ring gauge
Filler:Dom. Rep., Nicaragua
Binder:Ecuador
Wrapper:Ecuador
Strength:Full
After Nat Sherman International closed its doors in 2020, it seemed the company’s premium cigar brands were fated for oblivion. But in 2021, former Nat Sherman executives Michael Herklots and Brendon Scott formed Ferio Tego, and soon bought the rights to Nat Sherman brands such as Timeless, Metropolitan and Epoca. After limited-edition releases of Ferio Tego, the company debuted its flagship, regular-production line with Ferio Tego Summa in 2023. The Ferio Tego Summa Corona Gorda stands out with a spicy core of black and red pepper accented by notes of roasted chestnut, leather, orange peel and cocoa powder.—Garrett Rutledge
2024
Tatuaje Reserva A Uno
Rank:25
Rating:92
Price:$24.00
Made By:El Rey de Los Habanos
Factory Location:U.S.A.
Dimensions:9 1/4" by 47 ring gauge
Filler:Nicaragua
Binder:Nicaragua
Wrapper:Ecuador
Strength:Full
Pete Johnson enjoys taking the road less traveled, but at the same time, respects the traditions of the cigar industry. His brand, Tatuaje, has a passionate fanbase, and his cigars consistently perform well in this magazine. But the Tatuaje Reserva A Uno may be Johnson’s most fitting cigar to make our Top 25. Though most Tatuaje cigars are rolled in Nicaragua at My Father Cigars, some Reservas are made in Miami. The Reserva A Uno is one of them. It’s also made in the rare “A” size, measuring more than 9 inches long, an old format that’s almost disappeared. The full-bodied cigar marries notes of dark chocolate, espresso and red-pepper spice with hints of leather and earth.—Garrett Rutledge
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