"10"s, Part 2

As I write about these sticks, I wish I had a box of each in my humidor right now...of course, if I did, I would actually need a much larger humidor!

La Flor Dominicana, Double Ligero Chisel Maduro, October 16. The DL Chisel is an iconic cigar. The fact that I like the maduro version better than the regular stick was a surprise to me, but a very nice surprise.

La Flor Dominicana, LG Diez Cubano, October 20, and LG Diez Chisel, October 30. These two sticks are part of Litto Gomez's Dominican-puro line from the 2008 harvest year. Despite being two vitolas from the same line, they are unique enough to have their own reviews...and both were good enough to garner a perfect 10.

CAO La Traviata, November 4. After over a decade of pushing the envelope with marketing, packaging, and blending, CAO decided to make a "traditional, Cuban-style" stick...and, hey, let's make it for the cost-conscious smoker at the same time! The result was near perfection.

Savinelli Liga Especial, December 8. I would consider this to be one of the unheralded gems of the cigar industry: a great stick by a very old company that nobody seems to pay attention to, selling for a great price. I'd never even heard of it before this fall.

CAO Gold Vintage, December 24. CAO actually pulled it off twice this year...with two different cigars they released this year (sorry, Caramelo Joe wasn't good enough to pull the hat trick). In a year when I had already gotten a new favorite mild stick (Oliva Connecticut) and a new close second (Camacho Connecticut), this one surprised me by beating them both out.

What surprises will 2010 hold? I'm looking forward to finding out. By the time you read this, I will have started smoking and reviewing cigars for 2010...are any of those perfect "10"s? Tune in and find out. Thanks for being here for 2009...hope you have a happy and prosperous 2010.