Cigar of the Year, part 1: Honorable Mentions

I decided to do something a little different this year...smoke every serious Cigar of the Year contender again and take some notes on it from a fresh perspective. Sometimes it may have been a few weeks since the last time I had one; other times it may have been several months. Whatever the case, I decided that this would be the best way to tell how they stack up against each other: smoke them all in a relatively short time frame. I haven't followed the "first cigar of the day" rule that I use when writing full reviews...because these are not full reviews. I did try to smoke no more than two on a given day just to give them all a fair shake with a fairly fresh palate.

The other “rule” I instituted for this year’s Cigar of the Year decision was that no limited editions would be eligible. It just didn’t seem right to give a cigar that high of a recommendation when it might be pretty much impossible to find.

Today I'm presenting the "Honorable Mentions"; these were cigars that scored high through the year and several were actually a "lock" for Cigar of the Year at some point during the year.

Honorable Mentions:

Berger and Argenti Entubar Quad Maduro
How to follow up the innovative Entubar, with its discreet channel of Ligero running right through the exact center of the cigar? Do a Maduro version! And maybe it's just me, but I think this box-pressed Maduro is far superior to the original. Cold draw reveals flavors of dark roast coffee and tons of chocolate. The draw is so perfect, that while toasting the foot, smokes comes out of the clipped head on its own. After lighting, the Quad Maduro gives up more coffee flavor, along with baker's cocoa and a bit of chocolate sweetness. It really is a "chocolate bar of a cigar," as I heard one rep call it. My only problem with these is the price; at $10.50 or more for a Robusto, they are just hard to justify on a regular basis...I love them, but my bank account doesn't.

El Primer Mundo, Epifania
I discovered Primer Mundo Cigars hiding in plain sight in my local B&M a little over a year ago and soon considered the Criollo Maduro to be one of the hidden gems of the cigar world. Sean Williams runs the company out of Atlanta, and it has been a fairly small company, but it is expanding beyond the Southeast. For last year's release, Sean teamed with Willy Herrera and Titan de Bronze for the Liga Miami; at this year's Chattanooga Tweetup, Sean said the Epifania was similar, but tweaked. Whatever the tweak was...it worked. While I'm not a huge fan of the Liga Miami, this stick was magic from the moment I lit it. Sweet tobacco, molasses and earth stand out at first, wrapped up in a creamy smooth smoke.

Kristoff Brittania Reserva
This was the first cigar from Kristoff that I liked so much, I made it a point to seek it out and buy more. Although mild to medium, it contains a ton of flavor, even on the cold draw. After lighting, there was a blast of black pepper mixed into a creamy, sweet smoke. These are hard to find, but pretty easy on the wallet, especially for a boutique brand. Mild to medium sticks in the “new breed Connecticut” category seem to be a dime a dozen in the last couple years, but this is one of my favorites. Try it if you get a chance.

Pedro Martin Cigars, Ruby Lancero
One of the newcomers to the cigar industry this year, Pedro Martin Cigars was started by Maria Martin in honor of the memory of her father. Unlike many new companies, they started off with three distinct and excellent blends featuring heavy use of Corojo tobacco, and promised to have three more blends out before year's end (I haven't seen them on the shelf yet). My favorite of the initial three was Ruby, which features a reddish Corojo wrapper leaf and a brilliant, sweet flavor. My favorite of the Ruby is this Lancero. Sweet tobacco, earth, cedar and a little spice all play their parts in this fantastic blend.

Tatauje La Casita Criolla
Who would have thought that a cigar composed solely of Connecticut Broadleaf tobacco could be this good? Well...Pete Johnson thought so, actually, and that is why we ended up with the La Casita Criolla. I loved this one from the first time I sparked one up. They are available in three sizes, none of which has a ring gauge larger than 48, and the price is right. The only caveat on these is this: Broadleaf tends to be thick and moist...I've found the smallest size to have draw issues when kept at normal humidification levels. Simply dry boxing them for a few hours before smoking should alleviate any problems...or just go for the slightly larger sizes. The La Casita Criolla is earthy and leathery and mildly spicy at times, but more than anything else, it is sweet, as you would expect from an all Broadleaf cigar. Its medium body and affordable price tag make it all the more desirable for me.

Coming up on Thursday, the final 3...the Runners-Up and the Cigar of the Year...