Cigar of the year

Emilio AF Suave

An amazing mild to medium cigar that I have already bought 2 full boxes plus numerous singles of. I can smoke this stick one right after another and still enjoy them all the same. I bought more of this cigar than any other cigar released this year and it comes in at a great price point.

Rest of the top 10

Ortega Serie D natural

Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, this is a hit. People have talked about the maduro for a while but nobody seems to be giving much love to the natural, which is a shame. This cigar has the flavor to stand on its own and offer a smoking experience that is truly enjoyable. If you have overlooked the natural, take time to smoke one and you may just agree with me.

Rocky Patel Freedom

Relaxing. That would be the one word to describe this cigar to anyone. It is not overly complex but offers a nice medium body experience you can just sit down and enjoy. I like this cigar even more with some Woodford Reserve.

Nat Sherman Timeless

Timeless is an accurate description of this cigar. Flavor profile is great and the body does not overpower. If this is the new direction Nat Sherman is taking I imagine we will be hearing a lot more about them in the future other than being a solid older company.

Casa Magna Domus Magnus

Everyone freaked when the Casa Magna made a certain top cigar of the year list and I will see it as an oversight if the Domus Magnus doesn’t get at least the top 10 treatment. This is a cigar that stands above the original Casa Magna and gives just a bit more of everything to satisfy most cigar smokers out there.

La Duena

This cigar has an amazing taste to it and may have been higher on the list if I could have smoked more of them. One of the few cigars that I think does better in a smaller ring gauge as it brings out the intense flavors a lot better.

Rocky Patel 2003 Cameroon

I hope Rocky is feeling the love LOL. I really enjoy cameroon wrappers and this Rocky Patel Cameroon stands up nicely. There is something about a cameroon wrapped cigar that tastes so good when they are blended properly and this one is done right. Little more on the pricey side due to the cameroon but well worth it in my book.

Nomad Cigars

New company of the year in my book. Fred has taken Nomad Cigar Company and made it a name that is known all over social media while also creating a cigar that is a great freshman release. I loved the Fugitive and wish it would come back as a normal production stick. Solid experience with a flavor profile that says “Here I am, watch out”. I am eagerly awaiting a sophmore cigar to see how they respond.

Rocky Patel Burn Naples Florida

I first enjoyed a Burn from my friend Rob Griff. Now the one he sent was the original Burn but made me excited to try this new nationwide release to see how it would stand up to the original. I think it did that and more. Price point is spot on and the experience is on par with the original Burn. I expect to see this cigar in production for a long time.

Regius

I was debating on adding this cigar or not as I havent seen them in the wild but it was a great stick that I am looking forward to getting more of. Keep your eyes peeled for this as it makes it to the USA. I was hoping it would be distributed all over by now but one of these days soon I hope to find it locally.

Limited cigar of the year

Tortuga 215 Edicion Limitada

I don’t like the limited cigars in a top 10 list due to the limited factor but this cigar stood out and warranted its own category. Tortuga is a name a lot of people have not heard of but you should definitely seek them out and give them a try. Just a solid well constructed cigar that I wish was not limited.

Honorable mentions

Headley Grange

Rocky Patel Fifty

Fernando Leon

CyB

Undercrown Flying Pig

La Sirena “A”

I figured I would throw some honorable mentions out there for everyone. Some of these got too muddied of flavors (due to my palette and strength preferences probably) at that final inch or two for me to put on the top 10 but were so darn close I had to mention them. Some of them I just can’t find and haven’t had a chance to smoke more of to formulate an opinion. Some of them are so limited (Undercrown Flying Pig) that I doubt I will ever have a chance to smoke one again but really wish I could. One was released last year but just had to be mentioned.

Budget cigar of the year

Wicked Indie

I can hear the sighs and screaming now. Yes, I picked a budget cigar of the year and yes, I stand behind it. It was released November of 2011 but with all the hatred about to fly for a budget smoke, deal with it. I was impressed by this cigar for the price point and aim to make it a staple in my humidor once the Christmas season is over.

Accessories

Humidor Notes

I really like these and they can be beneficial for novice to experienced smokers no matter how many cigars you smoke. For me, I like to put my first tasting of a cigar (or second if I am lazy that first day) in the book and then go back to it after I smoke more to see if anything has changed for me. Just a great product with a very nice gentleman (I think I use that loosely LOL), who loves getting his tacos from Italian restaurants, behind the product.

Havana Saver

Draw poker, cigar holder, ball marker and more, this is an economical product that comes in handy for multiple occasions. I use mine regularly and while it does not work miracles with some cigars that are plugged beyond belief but it does work on most and has so many other uses that it makes a wonderful addition to anyone’s humidor.

RabbitAir

Not a new product by a long shot but it is probably the best home use air purifier for cigar smoke I have used. I love my Whirlpool but the RabbitAir feature set is unmatched. I get asked so many times about air purifiers for guys and gals smoking in the house and I always come back to the RabbitAir unless you want a professional system.

Well there you have it. Like it or hate it, let me know in the comments. I was thinking of putting pictures with everything but I think it looks gaudy with all I mentioned and I don’t have pictures of all of them. I am just not ap erson that snaps pictures of everything he smokes so I lose out when I do lists like this.