We just wrapped Episode 026 of Smoke and Steel, and honestly, this might be one of our most exciting episodes yet. Why? Because for the first time in years, budget cigars are actually getting the recognition they deserve from Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 List. No joke, the list this year looks completely different from what we’ve seen in the past.
Recording just two days after our last episode made this one feel a bit spontaneous, but that unscripted energy brought out some of our best conversations. From the Padron 60th Anniversary taking Cigar of the Year to a deep dive into whether stems actually belong in your cigars, we covered a ton of ground. And yes, we definitely got sidetracked talking about lighters, shipping costs, and youth sports coaching. That’s just how we roll.
Table of Contents
The Big Reveal: Padron 60th Anniversary Takes the Crown
Let’s cut right to it. The Padron 60th Anniversary Perfecto is officially Cigar Aficionado’s Cigar of the Year. At $75 MSRP, it comes in that gorgeous gold coffin inside a black lacquer box. Eric had one gifted to him and confirmed it’s absolutely beautiful. But here’s the thing: at that price point, it’s way too rich for most of our blood.
What really caught our attention wasn’t just the winner, though. It was how the entire top five list shaped up this year.
Breaking Down the Top Five
Number 5: Trinidad Espiritu No. 3 Belicoso
Number 4: Cuesta Rey Centro-Fino Sungrown Pyramid No. 9
Number 3: Tatuaje Black Petite Lancero
Number 2: Cohiba Ambar ($99 MSRP, probably $150+ in reality)
Number 1: Padron 60th Anniversary ($75)
We were absolutely blown away when we saw the Tatuaje Black Petite Lancero at number three. These are cigars we smoke regularly because if we can’t finish one, we’re not out much money. It’s a solid smaller stick that punches way above its price point. For it to land at number three? That’s wild.
Eric made a great point during the show. The individual price of spots one and two costs more than positions three through five combined. You could literally buy boxes of those budget cigars for what you’d spend on a handful of the top two picks.
Why This List Matters for Regular Smokers
Here’s what got us genuinely excited about this year’s rankings. We’ve spent years looking at Cigar Aficionado’s top 25 list and thinking, “Cool, maybe someone will gift us one of these someday.” The lists were always packed with ultra-premium, hard-to-find, or ridiculously expensive options that felt completely out of reach for everyday working guys.
This year feels different. Maybe 60% of what we’ve seen so far consists of cigars you can walk into almost any decent shop and pick up without taking out a second mortgage. The Trinidad, the Tatuaje Black, even some of the other entries are readily available and won’t destroy your wallet.
Our Pick Didn’t Make the Cut
Full disclosure: our collective pick across the Smoke and Steel podcast was the My Father Blue Label, and it didn’t even crack the top ten. We’re still holding out hope it shows up somewhere in the bottom 15 when that drops, but we’re not holding our breath.
A few personal lists we’ve seen online ranked the Blue Label pretty low, like C-tier territory. Maybe we overrated it. Maybe we just hyped it up too much among ourselves. Walt smoked the Toro and thought it was fantastic, though he was less impressed with the Robusto.
But you know what? We enjoyed it, and that’s all that really matters. Even with the top two picks being expensive, we think they’re justified if you’re going to splurge. You knew Cohiba was going to land on the list somewhere. Same with Padron. We’re not mad about it.
The Great Stem Debate
Speaking of controversial topics, we stumbled into one of the most polarizing subjects in the cigar world: stems. Should they be in your cigars or not?
We shared a video from Rojas Cigars where the owner makes a passionate case that stems are actually essential. He argues they’re the backbone of the leaf, carrying all the minerals, flavors, and complexity. According to him, stems account for more than 50% of the flavor in his cigars.
The Rojas philosophy is interesting. They use stems throughout their cigars but keep the top inch closest to the cap stem-free. That way nothing bothers your tongue, but you still get all the richness and complexity delivered through those stems lower in the cigar.
Here’s the thing: we’ve all smoked tons of Rojas cigars and enjoyed every single one. But none of us remember encountering a noticeable stem. They burn up. If Rojas hadn’t specifically told us they include stems, we wouldn’t have known.
Walt has pulled stems out of various cigars over the years and noticed the taste changed significantly afterward. He always assumed he created a big hole and the cigar wasn’t burning correctly anymore. But maybe there’s more to it.
Eric was honest. If some random guy on Instagram said stems were great, he wouldn’t give it any weight. But coming from a brand he genuinely enjoys? That adds credibility. Still, we want to hear what you think. This feels like one of those topics where cigar smokers either love them or hate them, with no middle ground.
Eddie on the Streets: Webster, Texas
One of our favorite segments continued this episode. Eddie hit up the Smoke Ring in Webster, Texas, just south of Houston. Unfortunately, he was supposed to join us in person but his flight got delayed, so we watched his lounge tour virtually instead.
The Smoke Ring looks like a spot we’d absolutely frequent. It had that vibe we’re drawn to: not too high-end, not too small, just right. They were setting up for a Grand Habano event when Eddie visited, though he opted to smoke the Red Meat Lovers instead.
The standout feature? A massive Room 101 Johnny Tobacconaut figure that legitimately kicked us in the gut because we almost had one for our own setup. The one we went for wasn’t quite that big, but still. Also, that Fuente floor mat by the entrance was incredible. We joked about making a trip to Webster just to distract the staff while someone rolls it up and makes off with it.
One thing we noted: when humidors have boxes stacked on the floor, it looks sloppy. We’ve talked about this before. Walking into a shop and seeing product on the floor just isn’t a good look, even if they’ve run out of room. But overall, the Smoke Ring seems like a solid lounge with good selection and the right atmosphere.
Cigar Phoenix Update: Major Changes in Pennsylvania
We got some significant news about the Cigar Phoenix locations in our area. The owner reached out and filled in gaps about the transition from Cigar Cigars to Cigar Phoenix.
Turns out he was the original partner at the Colmar location, then opened Doylestown as sole owner. Eventually he bought out the Colmar and Doylestown locations, but when he did, he moved it Doylestown to Lansdale. Now he’s completely independent as Cigar Phoenix, a totally new entity with no connection to Cigar Cigars anymore.
Big news: all the Cigar Cigars locations have been sold except for the Florida stores. He doesn’t know what’s happening with those remaining shops because he’s not associated with them at all.
This is interesting because Cigar Cigars quickly became a major player in Pennsylvania. They weren’t quite a juggernaut, but they were buying up mom and pop shops left and right. Any time you mentioned Cigars International around here, Cigar Cigars wasn’t far behind in the conversation.
The few times Eric has visited since it became Phoenix, he’s really enjoyed it. The social media presence seems way more active and upbeat than before, and the selection appears significantly improved from the Cigar Cigars days.
Lighters: Soft Flame vs. Jet
We went down a rabbit hole discussing lighters, specifically soft flame versus butane jets. These days you can get hybrids that start as soft flame and switch to jet with a button press.
Eric still loves lighting with stick matches when he’s in a good mood or had a great day, especially the long wooden ones. There’s something satisfying about that ritual.
But practically speaking? Torches win for most situations. Soft flames are fine indoors where there’s no wind, but outside you’ll burn through half a box of matches trying to light up. Walt keeps a single flame jet handy because touchups with matches are nearly impossible.
Eric made a valid point about Zippo inserts. While he appreciates the novelty, he thinks it’s sacrilege to put a jet insert in a Zippo.
We all agreed: it’s completely personal preference. We have a friend who lights $40 cigars with a basic Bic. Another guy lights $4 cigars with a $1,500 lighter. Everyone’s got their thing.
What’s Next
Christmas is just days away, and 2026 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the podcast. We’re working on booking new guests, planning our listener appreciation night, and continuing to build relationships with shops and brands across the country.
The bottom half of Cigar Aficionado’s top 25 list drops next week, and we’re genuinely curious to see if the budget cigars trend continues.
We’re also waiting on our Cigar Collective Packs from LA Cigar Collective, which should arrive Monday. First time doing a true mystery selection where we don’t know what’s coming. That’s going to be fun to unbox and review together.
Support the Show
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Most importantly, keep the conversation going. Whether it’s the stem debate, your thoughts on this year’s rankings, or recommendations for budget cigars that we should try, we want to hear from you!
