2011 is coming to an end and what a year it was. I remember when I was little my parents would tell me that the years just fly by when your older and now I truly do believe them. I have no idea where this year went but I know it is almost gone. So with that in mind, it is of course time for the Top 5 cigars of the year 2011! With so many great sticks hitting the market each year, it gets tougher and tougher to decide what has truly stood out from the pack. Manufacturers are using better tobaccos then ever before, trying new blends that most would never have thought to use and in general innovation has been huge for the market. So which sticks truly stepped up to the plate this year and hit a home-run in my mind? Here they are, from 5-1, the top sticks of 2011.
- Oliva Serie V Maduro 2011: For the past several years Oliva Cigar Co. has released a special version of the ever popular Serie V cigar with a maduro wrapper. For the first several runs this cigar was produced in a torpedo and the wrapper was changed each year. For the 2011 iteration, rather then changing the wrapper, they changed the vitola to a stadard toro and kept the wrapper and binder the same. There was a slight change to the filler tobacco used for this year’s release. So why did I like this cigar so much that it made my top 5? To me this year’s release had a little extra something that last year’s was missing. Maybe it was the change from the torpedo shade or the filler change or a combination of both. Either way this year’s release surpassed last years by a fair margin in my opinion. Full bodied with rich flavors of sweet tobacco, raisin, bitter chocolate and some spice in the sinus made this a complete cigar. It has a nice changing flavor profile from start to finish and provides a great ride through the flavors as you progress down the stick. When you factor in the price tag for a limited release product of only $8.95 a stick, it makes this an even better stick. With so many limited release product hitting the market now-a-days at $14 and up it was easy to expect this to have a higher price tag. Oliva has done a great job of keeping these sticks at an affordable price point while keeping production limited to just 50,000 sticks a year.
- Illusione Epernay Le Grande: While this cigar is not new for the 2011 year, it has more then earned its spot on this year’s top 5. Coming in at a corona gorda size of 6 x 46, this is a great cigar no matter the time of day. Whether you’re just getting your morning coffee or just finishing up a steak dinner, this stick has more then enough flavor to complement while staying in a nice medium body range. What stands out to me on this stick is its ability to appeal to both the mild and full bodied crowd. It has enough flavor that someone that wants a powerful stick will still enjoy it while it isn’t so strong that your 1 time a month smoker couldn’t handle it. If anyone has ever wanted to enjoy a Cuban cigar but has not because of the embargo, then this is where I would point them. This cigar fits the bill for your typical Cuban cigar in regards to flavor profile and strength. They provide a wonderful nuttiness paired with a wonderfully creamy texture from the smoke that you can just lose yourself in. The size seems to fit me just right too, not too big of a ring gauge while keeping the length at a manageable point that keeps this cigar around 90 minutes of smoking pleasure. At $7.75 before local taxes this isn’t a wallet buster of a stick, though box purchases can be tougher for some due to them coming in 50 count cabinet style boxes.
- Alec Bradley Black Market Churchill: I don’t often smoke Churchill’s as they are just not my cup of tea. I make a big exception with this new release from Alec Bradley however as it is the smallest ring gauge in the lineup of Black Market and in my opinion presents this cigar in all of its glory. Using a Nicaraguan wrapper with a Sumatran binder provides a rich and sweet taste to the palette. What sets this apart the most to me though is the Panamanian tobacco used in the filler. Not a tobacco you very often see used in cigars but one that I think we will be seeing more of in the coming years, much like the San Andres Negra wrapper coming from Mexico today. This cigar starts off medium in body and slowly builds it way to a full bodied flavor bomb midway through before evening out towards the end at a nice medium-full. A slight spice on the back of the palette provides a nice sensation throughout without ever distracting from the rich coffee and cocoa flavors on this stick. If this is what we can expect from Alec Bradley going forward, then the cigar world had better watch out!
- Curivari Seleccion Privada Maduro Eminentes: This small boutique blend hasn’t had the fanfare that the others on this list have had and most people probably haven’t even heard of it. Very few stores even carry it but if you find a store that does, be sure to check this stick out. Much like the Epernay at #4, this cigar is so close to Cuban many people may not be able to tell the difference. What makes this cigar stand out even more is that it is a Nicaraguan puro, made solely of Criollo and Corojo leaves grown exclusively in Nica. This company started out as a small house brand for a cigar shop in Greece which had customers that wanted something with a Cuban profile without the Cuban price tag. At $6-$9 a stick and a nice medium bodied, full flavor stick in hand, I would say it was a success. Having just launched into the American market in the last 18 months and keeping production small to this point, this cigar isn’t going to be on a lot of store shelves for some time I would suspect. The entire lineup of Curivari has been very good but this maduro stood out above the rest.
And the number 1 cigar of 2011 is…
- Casa Magna Domus Magnus Optimus: A limited release production in the Casa Magna line comes in at the top spot this year. If you like the original Casa Magna Colorado then this stick is a sure winner in your book. If you didn’t like the original, don’t be afraid to give this stick a try because it brought together some of the things the original is missing. While I thoroughly enjoy the Colorado this stick just seemed to add something a little extra to really complete the picture. Smooth, flavorful, medium-full bodied, and a great price-point make this a tough stick to beat. Rich in earthy flavor with a hint of sweetness and a nice aroma bring this cigar to the forefront of my memory. Trying not to smoke them all up and let a few age has been extremely difficult and has been an exercise in patience for me. Hiding them at the back of my humidor for the “out of sight, out of mind” effect seems to have worked thus far but for how long I am not sure. Letting them rest for 2-3 years may bring out even more of the sweetness that seems to linger when smoking these. Now if only we could get them to make this regularly I wouldn’t have to hide the stash from myself. A man can hope right?
So what sticks stood out that didn’t make the top 5 this year? There were plenty good releases this year and even some oldies that stood out as well. For me, there were 5 sticks that made my honorable mention list that didn’t quite crack the top 5. Here they are, in no particular order:
Drew Estate Undercrown: Great stick that will for sure help Drew and Co. in the non-infused market for years to come.
Tatuaje Black Petite Lancero: Flavorful and full bodied. What Pete does best!
Alec Bradley Fine and Rare: Limited production is the only reason this didn’t rate in the top 5. One of the most complex cigars I have ever smoked.
Padron 85th Maduro: One of the strongest Padron to date. Was like smoking a chocolate bar. Price tag and availability kept it off the top 5 list.
Perdomo Limited Reserve Cameroon Edition: What a little flavor-bomb this was. Sweet in all the right spots but size always left me wanting more. If only it was 2 inches longer.
So what were your top 5 cigars this year? How many cigars were added to your regular rotation of smokes in the humidor? I know I added quite a few this year with the lineup that was presented by our friends in Nica, Honduras, and the DR. Hopefully we can keep this train rolling through 2012 and beyond!
