Cigar Aficionado Magazine

[Gary]

Just wondering how many of the forum members are readers/subscribers of Cigar Aficionado magazine.

I am and for 99% of the time really look forward to it arriving every other month, and sitting with a smoke and reading it. For anyone who has any knowledge of the magazine might know that each year they do a "Best 25 Cigars of the Year", which the results off come out each January.

Anyway, in years gone by this "Best 25" list has been a good indicator of not only the best cigars of the year but of good cigars out there that you might like to try. But this year, the only way I can describe the final list is an absolute JOKE and many of the magazines American readers are of the same opinion.

I mean a list of the best 25 cigars of the year and there's only 3 or 4 Cubans that make the cut, personally I think it's nonsense. Also there's no Opus X, no Tatajue, no Padron, and the cigar that made the number 1 spot I've never even heard off.

Anyway, why not go to Cigar Aficionado's web site and have a look and the list and see if you agree with my comments?

[larrysputnik]

Just wondering how many of the forum members are readers/subscribers of Cigar Aficionado magazine.

I am and for 99% of the time really look forward to it arriving every other month, and sitting with a smoke and reading it. For anyone who has any knowledge of the magazine might know that each year they do a "Best 25 Cigars of the Year", which the results off come out each January.

Anyway, in years gone by this "Best 25" list has been a good indicator of not only the best cigars of the year but of good cigars out there that you might like to try. But this year, the only way I can describe the final list is an absolute JOKE and many of the magazines American readers are of the same opinion.

I mean a list of the best 25 cigars of the year and there's only 3 or 4 Cubans that make the cut, personally I think it's nonsense. Also there's no Opus X, no Tatajue, no Padron, and the cigar that made the number 1 spot I've never even heard off.

Anyway, why not go to Cigar Aficionado's web site and have a look and the list and see if you agree with my comments?

Actually, the Padron 80th anniversary made the list (2 or 3 I think) and the Don Carlos anniversary (a Fuente cigar like the Opus X) also made the list. I think the top cigar was named so in part as a reflection on the tough economic situation this past year. They talk about the top twelve cigars being typical and expensive brands, but that this cigar for only $5.25 making it in to the top two. They ultimately chose the number one cigar because it was so good and yet very economical at the same time. Point being that cost is very much a factor when considering the best cigars, especially now. It's not a joke, it's just a nod to the realization that name brands are not the most important thing when choosing a smoke. If you don't want to pay $30 a cigar for a Padron 80th anniversary, you might be pleasantly surprised with a very inexpensive Casa Magna (I think that is the name). In fact, it speaks to the merchandising argument that only the cigars that consistently pay for ad space make the top of the list.

As far as Cuban cigars making the list, there are certainly some top brands that always make the list and this year is no exception. However, for the past two years the editors of Cigar Aficionado have been making the argument that some Nicaraguan, particularly Padron, cigars are comparable, and some aficionados claim better, than what is coming out of Cuba right now. There is an entire article where James Suckling takes Padrons into Cuba to get Cuban reactions to the number one cigar of the year in 2007. Their reactions were very much in line with the thought that Padron is turning out comparable quality/tasting cigars.

[Scottish_Cuban]

Hi Larry after reading you bit up above i was just wondering as i dont read many if any magazines. Do they include cuban reserves in the list ?. I`ve just got my 160th aniversary Partagas, they haven't been in situe 24 hours and i`ve had 4 of them today. I`ll leave the rest maybe to mature as i got my Upmann No.2 aswell and they are my all time. I`ve never tried a Padron, would you put them better than a Don Ramos?

[Drewmidorn]

Saw the list and was a little surprised there weren't a couple more cubans. however i don't really know enough about some of the non cuban stuff to comment.

but yes... if that list is right the cigars I am smoking must be hideous... and I love them!

D

[Robusto]

I looked at the Cigar Aficionado list of top cigars on the magazine's website when I was emailed by CA about the Cigars Of The Year. I think the top five were reviewed on video. The number one cigar was/is a 'humble' inexpensive cigar which the judges raved about.

I subscribed to Cigar Aficionado for a number of years from the mid 1990s but stopped my subscription in about 2001. I used to look forward to my magazine being shipped over from the States very much for most of that time.

The reason I stopped buying Cigar Aficionado was because from about 2001 there were more and more articles about highly expensive cars and boats and private jets which had absolutely nothing to do with my life or income range, and which seemed to be bracketing cigars with an ultra flash James Bond lifestyle. I started to find the magazine rather sad and dated.

The magazine seemed to be aiming at the rich rich rich, and I stopped liking it.

Can anyone say if it's toned down a bit since then?

Meanwhile, I dip into the Cigar Aficionado website now and then and it continues to be informative.

Although the Stogie Guys blog/website is more amusing.

[larrysputnik]

The magazine seemed to be aiming at the rich rich rich, and I stopped liking it.

Can anyone say if it's toned down a bit since then?

It's the same. You're not the only person who stopped reading because of that reasson. I just like to dream a bit sometimes while I smoke.

[larrysputnik]

Hi Larry after reading you bit up above i was just wondering as i dont read many if any magazines. Do they include cuban reserves in the list ?. I`ve just got my 160th aniversary Partagas, they haven't been in situe 24 hours and i`ve had 4 of them today. I`ll leave the rest maybe to mature as i got my Upmann No.2 aswell and they are my all time. I`ve never tried a Padron, would you put them better than a Don Ramos?

What are cuban reserves?

The Partages anniversaries were rated either in this issue or the one before, I can't remember. Good rating though.

[larrysputnik]

but yes... if that list is right the cigars I am smoking must be hideous... and I love them!

D

What do you mean? The cigars you typically mention smoking always get high reviews. Just not this year's top 25. I'd imagine your Top 25 would look different than theres this year, but I bet it would be just as convincing. In fact, I think I'll start a thread for us to put our Top 25 of the year. I'll be looking forward to your post Drew. Cheers!

[Gary]

Larry my man, I hear what your saying and understand fully the points you make, all valid one's, the reason I started this thread is to get a good debate going about the list, and don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer in that people should smoke whatever they want whether it be the most expensive cigar around or the cheapest dog rocket that you can get your hands on, i don't believe in telling anyone your should smoke this or you should smoke that, whatever floats your boat.

I am just a little sceptical about the list and how often many more non-cuban cigars make the cut than cubans, I can't help but think that if/when cuban's are available in the US that they will dominate the list, I love many non cubans, it's just a personal opinion that Cuban's are still the best out there. Although price is an important factor when buying cigars for everyone, I don't agree that just because a cigar is relatively good and cheap that it should get top spot. To me deciding the best cigars of the year should be more about construction, consistancy, taste, flavour, strength, burn etc etc. Another thing that puzzled me was that the Rocky Patel Decade received a score of 95 points earlier in the year yet didn't get as high up the list as some other cigars that received lesser scores, it doesn't make sense to me.

All in all I'll not worry about it, i know what i like and others know what they like and that's all that matters at the end of the day, it's a personal choice. That's whats great about cigars, one person's favourite cigar is another person dog rocket.

To respond to Bryan's comment, I know exactly where your coming from mate regarding the magazine. I'd love to see much more articles about cigars and the cigar industry and less about the latest private jets, the latest ?90,000 car or hand made shoes at ?800 a pair etc etc. The things that you pointed out Bryan are still very much what irritates me about the magazine, although I look forward to receiving it each month, and reading good cigar related articles by James Suckling and the like, more and more over the last couple of years especially, I've been seeing more and more adverts for things that have either nothing to do with cigars or are things that the average man in the street will never be able to afford. Also the amount of articles about golf is unreal, it's slowly turning from a good cigar/life style magazine to the publishers own magazine about his latest golfing adventures and who he's been playing with.

[Robusto]

It used to have the feel of a fat porn mag.

Guys - Do you think I should subscribe to it again?
Is it truly informative?

[Gary]

Bryan, take all the crap that comes with it, ie the mountain of adverts, the constant golf articles, the rich boys toys articles etc, I think it's a fairly informative mag, I mean it keeps you up to date with the latest cigars that are coming out, there are great articles from Cuba and the DR as well as pieces on more realistic affordable items as well as interviews with interesting actors/actresses, sports personalities etc.

One of my favourite bits of the magazine are the photo's pages on the last 3 or 4 pages, photo's of ordinary guys like us enjoying cigars all over the world.

So to answer your question, i think it's worth subsribing to, the only thing is the things that bugged you about the mag several years ago will probably still bug you today?

[larrysputnik]

I am just a little sceptical about the list and how often many more non-cuban cigars make the cut than cubans, I can't help but think that if/when cuban's are available in the US that they will dominate the list, I love many non cubans, it's just a personal opinion that Cuban's are still the best out there. Although price is an important factor when buying cigars for everyone, I don't agree that just because a cigar is relatively good and cheap that it should get top spot. To me deciding the best cigars of the year should be more about construction, consistancy, taste, flavour, strength, burn etc etc. Another thing that puzzled me was that the Rocky Patel Decade received a score of 95 points earlier in the year yet didn't get as high up the list as some other cigars that received lesser scores, it doesn't make sense to me.

Please don't misunderstand the point that I was trying to make about the number one cigar; it was not given number one solely because it is cheap, but because it met the criteria of the top twelve cigars and beat them out for the top spot as a reflection on the "year in cigars." If you look closely it did not have a higher score than the number two or number three cigar, but it got the top spot because it was more indicative of what people might choose to smoke during the tough economical climate.

I too was puzzled over the RP Decade. I'm glad you brought that up. I think the Top 25 list is conducted through a blind tasting and the Decade just didn't hold up to its original score. Maybe it doesn't improve with age?

Finally, I would like to point out that the magazine undeniably promotes Cuban cigars as the best there is. Hence, the interest they took in the unusual rating of a Nicaraguan puro as the top cigar in 2007 and the reason they took that cigar to Cuba to get reactions. Maybe they are relating an idea that Cuban cigars today are not what they once were? I don't know, but I think that the magazine is not catering their scores to the American market by leaving out some Cuban cigars. Rather, I think that during the blind tasting many Cuban cigars must not make it to the finals for unknown reasons. Keep in mind, these tastings are done with the editors who have no idea what they are smoking. They simply rate them until they come up with the top 12. I love the Cuban cigars I've had, but I can see how some Non Cuban cigars are so comparable in taste and quality that one's opinion might lean in an unusual direction from tasting to tasting.

[Robusto]

Our readings of what's good and what's judged good are influenced by our Cuban / NC - Europe / USA availabitilities.

If two or three of you on here hadn't sent me some NC sticks to try, I would never have tasted a good non-Cuban cigar.

I'm essentially a Cuban man because I haven't investigated NC cigars. Or I have believed they are not readily available to me. Or they AREN'T available to me. Or because I find Cuban cigars consistently fine in the models I smoke.

There's a good video showing how the judges conducted their cigar trials on the Cigar Aficionado website. The expression Lucky Bastards springs to mind!

I might order Cigar Aficionado once more just as a one-off. There were/are some very good articles, and some great photography at times.

I'll maybe look it up again.

[cohibaIV]

Well I LIke the mag... the ratings might be a bit dodgy but hey!!! What mag does not go that extra mile to sell???

Take it for what it is and you have a good read...

[Robusto]

I used to have loads of them all lined up. Then I got bored - and I gave up cigars for a few years. Then we had the attic converted, and I remember chucking all the collected issues into one of those long bucket tube things down to a skip below. Really weird that I should remember that!