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Cigar of the year 2011

Gavin

Gavin

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2009
Messages
3,345
Tis the season for top 10 lists and debate on the subject, so let the debate begin. What has your vote for cigar of the year? If you feel up to it, post a top 10.
 
Is this selection limited to, produced/released in 2011?
 
Not necessarily. I imagine everyone will have different criteria.
 
Right now it's a tie between the AF sungrown 858 & the Tat 7th capa especial, both of which I was lucky enough to score several boxes of each.
 
AF Hemingway Rosado
Jose Seijas preferido
Lost City Opus X robusto
Don Carlos Edicion de Anniversario
Sencilio Black Label torpedo
La Riqueza #2
EP Carillo torpedo
LFD Air Bender Maduro Guerrero

These were some of the best things I smoked this year, aside from the San Cristobal Fabuloso, which I smoke more of than anything else.

~Boar
 
Some smokes that hit my radar this year - not necessarily the "best", not necessarily in order. I smoke all of these in my normal rotation;

Tatuaje Fausto
- It's either the T110 blend or something very close, but there's a lot to like in this powerful, complex cigar. I like these a lot.

Tatuaje La Casita Criollo
- More on the mild side, but a nice cigar at a very good price point. A nice change up, to be sure.

Tatuaje Petite Cazador Reserva
- Hands down, my absolute favorite "AM with coffee" smoke. This little smoke is a blast of pepper, nice complexity, great stuff in a small 30 minute smoke. A favorite.

Tatuaje Wolfman
- I've never chased the Tat Halloween smokes, but a plane jane box of these more or less fell in my lap so scored it. A big cigar, fantastically constructed, with an interesting flavor profile that is to my tastes rather unique for a Tat. Jury is still out but it's a very interesting smoke. A fun one ot share with friends; torpedo top, shag foot...a cool cigar, to be sure.

Tatuaje Anarchy
- Rolled for Smoke Inn's 15th anniversary and IMHO Pete and Pepin hit this one out of the park. Great size, great shape, and the taste....wow. Creamy, rich, incredible detail and complexity...I put a couple boxes of these down. One of my favorite Tat's overall...I really dig these smokes.

Tatuaje L'esprit de Verite 2009 (5 X 50)
- Another one that the jury is still out on, but the flavor profile is amazingly complex. I'm giving the rest of my 10-box some nap time and let's see what they offer up in the next couple of months. Very good now, could be fantastic with some nap time.

Padron SI-15 1964
- A custom rolled Padron..?? Yep. These were rolled for Smoke Inn's 15th anniversary and are a 60 ring '64 monster. As much as I don't really care for 60 ring jawbrekers, this one is a winner. It's like a '64 on steroids; dense clouds of rich, sweet smoke, and the unmistakable Padron 64 flavor profile. I did a review on these with some pics in the review forum...it's a great smoke and a fun one at that.

Padron Family Reserve 45th (Maduro)
- I don't make this statement lightly: This is one of if not the best cigar I've ever smoked. Really. No kidding. The guys at Padron know how to make a fabulous cigar and they completely scored on this one. If they weren't so bloody expensive, I'd smoke one every day. I have never had one of these that didn't just blow me away. Never let me down, never dissapointed. If you haven't had one, get one and experience what a perfect cigar tastes like. "Wow" doesn't cover it. Yes, they are that good.

Padron Family Reserve 85th
- Probably 2nd runner up to the majestic 45th....which is saying a lot. A nice size, and wonderful complex flavors. Maduro and Natural wrapper versions of this smoke have different things to offer up, but they are both fantastic smokes.

Drew Estate Liga Privada #9
- I really grew to enjoy the LP series of smokes. I seem to prefer the #9 to the T52 wrappers but that is my preferance; they are both fantastic smokes. A very different flavor profile than my favorite Padron smokes, and I like them. A lot.

Drew Estate L40 Lancero
- These have a different blend than the other DE Liga Privada smokes, and are a slightly larger ring than the "typical" lancero (if there is such a thing). Just got a 6-er of these in and the first one really blew me away. The Liga Privada heritage is in the blend to be sure, but as they say, it's been fiddled with a bit. They are very good, might be fantastic with some down time. Big expectations for this one, to be sure.

Drew Estate "Undercrown"
- What a fantastic surprise from DE and what a wonderful cigar. Rumor is that this is the LP blend turned "inside out". You can taste the LP heritage in them, to be sure, and the word is that this will be a regular production smoke where the LP is sometimes problematic to make due to leaf availability. Whatever, these are great, very unique tasting smokes at a very good price point. Very, very different than the Padron or the Pepin smokes coming out of Esteli. I really like these smokes and plan to keep a box around. Specs on the L40 and the Undercrown can be found here.

Pepin My Father Le Bijou 1922
- Like the Padron 45th, this line of smokes has turned into one of my favorites. From Al's custom blend Corona Gorda to the regular 1922 line, there's nothing "regular" about any of these fantastic smokes. My two favorite sizes are the Toro (6 X 52) and the killer little Petite Robusto (4.5 X 50) which is one of the best "quick" smokes going, IMHO. The harder to find box press torpedo's are wonderful, too. I have several boxes of these in the cabinet and I intend to always "go deep" on the smoke. These are one of my staples, and a world class cigar. Try one, you'll see why I like them so much.

Jamie Garcia Reserva Espcial (Petite Robusto)
- Jamie's "Reserva Espcial" blend is still a bit of a question mark, but his little Petite Roubsto (4.5 X 50) is a great quick smoke. Tons of pepper in this one, some aging may smooth them out a bit which wouldn't be a bad thing. Excellent price points on this make it a good one to try.

601 La Bomba (Napalm)
- Rolled by Pepin in the "My Father" tabacalara, this is without question the strongest smoke I've ever had. No kidding....wow. I was gifted one and smoked it after dinner one night, wondering if I'd end up on the couch sweating. Didn't kick my ass, but it did manage to surprise me....with fantastic, rich, dark, meaty, wonderful flavors. Power gimmics aside, this is one tasty cigar. It's a Pepin made smoke, so you know they are constructed well and smoke perfectly. If you like powerhouse, rich cigars, you'll like these.

JMHO, YMMV, BBQ, ETC..... :p

Happy New Year, gentlemen - B.B.S.

Edited to add - It's really hard for me to call something the "best" because there are so many variables in saying that. Again, these are smokes that I found good enough to buy boxes of, and smokes I enjoy regularly. You might like 'em, too.
 
BlindedByScience said:
Some smokes that hit my radar this year - not necessarily the "best", not necessarily in order. I smoke all of these in my normal rotation;

Tatuaje Fausto
- It's either the T110 blend or something very close, but there's a lot to like in this powerful, complex cigar. I like these a lot.

Tatuaje La Casita Criollo
- More on the mild side, but a nice cigar at a very good price point. A nice change up, to be sure.

Tatuaje Petite Cazador Reserva
- Hands down, my absolute favorite "AM with coffee" smoke. This little smoke is a blast of pepper, nice complexity, great stuff in a small 30 minute smoke. A favorite.

Tatuaje Wolfman
- I've never chased the Tat Halloween smokes, but a plane jane box of these more or less fell in my lap so scored it. A big cigar, fantastically constructed, with an interesting flavor profile that is to my tastes rather unique for a Tat. Jury is still out but it's a very interesting smoke. A fun one ot share with friends; torpedo top, shag foot...a cool cigar, to be sure.

Tatuaje Anarchy
- Rolled for Smoke Inn's 15th anniversary and IMHO Pete and Pepin hit this one out of the park. Great size, great shape, and the taste....wow. Creamy, rich, incredible detail and complexity...I put a couple boxes of these down. One of my favorite Tat's overall...I really dig these smokes.

Tatuaje L'esprit de Verite 2009 (5 X 50)
- Another one that the jury is still out on, but the flavor profile is amazingly complex. I'm giving the rest of my 10-box some nap time and let's see what they offer up in the next couple of months. Very good now, could be fantastic with some nap time.

Padron SI-15 1964
- A custom rolled Padron..?? Yep. These were rolled for Smoke Inn's 15th anniversary and are a 60 ring '64 monster. As much as I don't really care for 60 ring jawbrekers, this one is a winner. It's like a '64 on steroids; dense clouds of rich, sweet smoke, and the unmistakable Padron 64 flavor profile. I did a review on these with some pics in the review forum...it's a great smoke and a fun one at that.

Padron Family Reserve 45th (Maduro)
- I don't make this statement lightly: This is one of if not the best cigar I've ever smoked. Really. No kidding. The guys at Padron know how to make a fabulous cigar and they completely scored on this one. If they weren't so bloody expensive, I'd smoke one every day. I have never had one of these that didn't just blow me away. Never let me down, never dissapointed. If you haven't had one, get one and experience what a perfect cigar tastes like. "Wow" doesn't cover it. Yes, they are that good.

Padron Family Reserve 85th
- Probably 2nd runner up to the majestic 45th....which is saying a lot. A nice size, and wonderful complex flavors. Maduro and Natural wrapper versions of this smoke have different things to offer up, but they are both fantastic smokes.

Drew Estate Liga Privada #9
- I really grew to enjoy the LP series of smokes. I seem to prefer the #9 to the T52 wrappers but that is my preferance; they are both fantastic smokes. A very different flavor profile than my favorite Padron smokes, and I like them. A lot.

Drew Estate L40 Lancero
- These have a different blend than the other DE Liga Privada smokes, and are a slightly larger ring than the "typical" lancero (if there is such a thing). Just got a 6-er of these in and the first one really blew me away. The Liga Privada heritage is in the blend to be sure, but as they say, it's been fiddled with a bit. They are very good, might be fantastic with some down time. Big expectations for this one, to be sure.

Drew Estate "Undercrown"
- What a fantastic surprise from DE and what a wonderful cigar. Rumor is that this is the LP blend turned "inside out". You can taste the LP heritage in them, to be sure, and the word is that this will be a regular production smoke where the LP is sometimes problematic to make due to leaf availability. Whatever, these are great, very unique tasting smokes at a very good price point. Very, very different than the Padron or the Pepin smokes coming out of Esteli. I really like these smokes and plan to keep a box around. Specs on the L40 and the Undercrown can be found here.

Pepin My Father Le Bijou 1922
- Like the Padron 45th, this line of smokes has turned into one of my favorites. From Al's custom blend Corona Gorda to the regular 1922 line, there's nothing "regular" about any of these fantastic smokes. My two favorite sizes are the Toro (6 X 52) and the killer little Petite Robusto (4.5 X 50) which is one of the best "quick" smokes going, IMHO. The harder to find box press torpedo's are wonderful, too. I have several boxes of these in the cabinet and I intend to always "go deep" on the smoke. These are one of my staples, and a world class cigar. Try one, you'll see why I like them so much.

Jamie Garcia Reserva Espcial (Petite Robusto)
- Jamie's "Reserva Espcial" blend is still a bit of a question mark, but his little Petite Roubsto (4.5 X 50) is a great quick smoke. Tons of pepper in this one, some aging may smooth them out a bit which wouldn't be a bad thing. Excellent price points on this make it a good one to try.

601 La Bomba (Napalm)
- Rolled by Pepin in the "My Father" tabacalara, this is without question the strongest smoke I've ever had. No kidding....wow. I was gifted one and smoked it after dinner one night, wondering if I'd end up on the couch sweating. Didn't kick my ass, but it did manage to surprise me....with fantastic, rich, dark, meaty, wonderful flavors. Power gimmics aside, this is one tasty cigar. It's a Pepin made smoke, so you know they are constructed well and smoke perfectly. If you like powerhouse, rich cigars, you'll like these.

JMHO, YMMV, BBQ, ETC.....

Happy New Year, gentlemen - B.B.S.

Edited to add - It's really hard for me to call something the "best" because there are so many variables in saying that. Again, these are smokes that I found good enough to buy boxes of, and smokes I enjoy regularly. You might like 'em, too.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. Lots of good stuff. The liga privada line is hard to find down here so I'm going to look on the devils site.
 
BlindedByScience said:
Tatuaje Petite Cazador Reserva
- Hands down, my absolute favorite "AM with coffee" smoke. This little smoke is a blast of pepper, nice complexity, great stuff in a small 30 minute smoke. A favorite.
Click to expand...

This. I walked into a B&M in Chesapeake over break and told the guy I wanted a quick spicy smoke and he suggested that. The price was cheap and I was blown away. A new craving.
 
Some new sticks that hit my radar this year that I really enjoyed are the Curivari line(thanks to Mark at Tower) along with a few of Pete's new releases this year. Oh yeah and not to forget Dion's CG4 maddie.
 
H. Upmann EL 2009, pretty damn good, I'm going to have a Behike for the new year, I'll let you know how that is!!!
 
Going through my "notes" from the year, these are the cigars that stick out. My notes aren't nearly as copious as BBS's (no doubt owing to my tastes being a bit more pedestrian and newbish), but here we go, in no particular order:

Tatuaje Petite Cazadores Reserva- Complex with a little bit of spice, this cigar wowed me several times this year

Padron Family Reserve #44- Solid tobacco flavor along with impeccable Padron construction

El Triunfador Lancero- This cigar isn't a powerhouse, but the taste is always excellent

Don Pepin Garcia My Father Le Bijou 1922 Toro- A hardwood and spice flavor profile that was very enjoyable

La Riqueza #2- Best vitola of the line, and another one that consistently performed for me this year

Cabaiguan Guapos Maduro Junior- I think this was the best cigar of the year for me. Intense cinnamon flavors and noticeably aromatic smoke; this one blew me away.

Fuente Fuente Opus X xXx- I'm not an Opus whore, but this Power Ranger really hit my sweet spot. Maybe because it was the last cigar of my deployment?

Illusione ~2~- My favorite of all the Illusiones with solid medium bodied smoke. Consistent.

Padron 2000 Natural (2006)- Creamy smoke with no noticeable spice. Pleasant.

Illusione mk- A close second to the ~2~

Hopefully 2012 offers as many great cigars as did 2011. Happy New Year everybody!
 
A couple new cigars to me that I remember from this year.

Undercrown. Pretty good. Would buy some more, but wouldn't go out of my way to buy more.
Casa Magna Limitada. I was really surprised by these. I'll be buying a box.

Illusione maduro. I love Illusion. I love maduro. Didn't like this this. Give me the #2 or the 88.
 
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