Indholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2026 i Cigar Aficionado

You might think of the Amber Room, the expansive cigar lounge on the sixth floor of the new St. Regis Cap Cana Resort in the Dominican Republic, as a chapel devoted to Arturo Fuente cigars, the maker of which partnered with the resort to create a world-class smoking space worthy of one of the country’s premier producers. The moody, masculine lounge, named for the golden hue of rum and the warm glow of a cigar, features a dramatically lit bar serving up a curated selection of rums, brandies and whiskeys along with smoky cocktails and sophisticated Latin-inspired bites. An outdoor terrace overlooks the resort for an al fresco smoke. A walk-in humidor showcases an array of Fuente cigars including special OpusX anniversary cigars displayed on a center table as though…

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE While the majestic and über-green grounds appear rather flat on television, Augusta National is a considerably hilly course. CIGARS ABOUND You can’t buy cigars at Augusta but you are free to smoke them, and you’ll be in good company. Plenty of the patrons puff away while watching the action. PHONE FREE Augusta during the Masters is a luddite’s dream, as the tournament’s cell-free policy means the person next to you won’t be gabbing on a phone or holding one in the air to snap photos or take videos. Phones (and other electronic devices) must be locked up at the gates before the tournament. If you need to make a call, there are free landlines on site. CHEAP EATS AND DRINKS Most sporting events rake you over the coals…

The Big Smoke Las Vegas made a lively—and even spooky—return to Sin City on Halloween weekend. It was the 29th Big Smoke Las Vegas, and it kicked off Friday, October 31, in what was the perfect adult version of trick-or-treating, with plenty of costumes and even more cigars and spirits. Saturday matched the energy with illuminating seminars by day and a second night of the world’s greatest cigar party, with appearances by actors Martin Kove and Michael Cudlitz. The stars were joined by industry luminaries and thousands of aficionados from all corners of the country and beyond to celebrate cigars and fine spirits in the entertainment capital of the world. The Big Smoke Las Vegas weekend began on Friday afternoon at the Horseshoe at a small party reserved for All-Access…

Coronas often impress us for their ability to deliver so much flavor in such a small format. The coronas we tasted in this test did precisely that, especially The Devil’s Hands Corona Especial from Warped, which scored a splendid 94 points. This is the only size in the line and is produced in Nicaragua by Aganorsa Leaf, which grows all the tobacco for the cigar as well. The same manufacturing and growing operation also makes the Aganorsa Leaf Arsenio Corona, named after its late tobacco man Arsenio Ramos. The cigar scored 91 points, as did the Illusione Epernay Le Elegance, which is made in Honduras; the Cuban Partagás de Luxe and Rocky Patel’s LB1 Corona. It was named for the preproduction code assigned to the blend at the El Paraiso…

Technically, the Cameroon wrapper of Aladino’s Cameroon Robusto isn’t really Cameroon. The leaf was grown in Honduras from the same seeds used in Africa, so it’s a genetic analog without the African terroir. Nevertheless, it scored 91 points, showing the capabilities of Honduran soil. All the tobacco was grown by the Eiroa family. It tied with the Cuban H. Upmann Magnum Finite Edición Limitada 2024. Cigars from Cuba’s Edición Limitada series are made in unique sizes uncommon to the brand and covered in darker wrappers. A trio of cigars scored 90 points: The La Aurora 100 Años Edición Especiál Robusto from the Dominican Republic; Drew Estate’s Nica Rustica Shade Short Robusto from Nicaragua; and the Nicaraguan Padrón Serie 1926 No. 9 in natural wrapper.…

95 PARTAGÁS CHURCHILLS DELUXE (1995) Back when this Churchill was rolled, it was considered a fairly big cigar, but over the past 30 years cigars have grown so fat that a 47 ring gauge appears remarkably slim. It’s beautiful—expertly pressed, with a reddish-brown colorado wrapper. It draws like a dream. It’s a slow starter—the first inch or so is extremely tannic and overly woody, austere, a bit rough on the palate. But after that shaky start it reveals layer after layer of flavor: coconut, red meat, Valrhona chocolate and Irish Breakfast tea. The finish still shows the wood, but also notes of rice pudding. A pleasant reward for the patient. —David Savona 97 MONTECRISTO NO.2(2008) I’ve smoked a ton of Monte 2s over the past 30 years, and they tend to age…

Baby, it’s cold inside. Ice is not only a key ingredient of cocktail culture, but your frosty drink can also be matched with a frigid atmosphere by visiting an igloo or ice bar. Even when it’s over 100 degrees outside, you’ll have to put on a hat and heavy coat to enjoy this unique barroom experience. During the winter months, no frozen bar in the nation is more impressive than the massive igloo complex at the Sunday River ski resort, in Maine. Each year, a team of specialists arrives from Europe to construct a traditional Alpeniglu, a huge, domed structure the size of a medieval castle, made entirely out of snow. The first of its kind in this country, “The Iglu” has multiple entrances, long cave-like corridors and arched sitting…

While premium cigars are often referred to as “the affordable luxury,” it remains to be seen if that will still be the case. Cigar prices are on the rise, and with higher tariffs on all imported goods, finding a bargain is tougher than ever. As 2025 came to a close, we combed through 12 months of scores to uncover the best deals of the year. Our research yielded 24 handmade, premium cigars with suggested retail prices of $7 or less (before taxes). But these aren’t just bargain cigars, these are also high-quality smokes, as each scored between 87 and 92 points in one of our blind tastings. At first glance, the list primarily favors shorter cigars such as petit coronas and robustos, but there are also larger sizes, such as…

It seems like the perfect poker game, the one you waited impatiently for an invite to attend. The stakes are high, and the setting is classy. Taking place in a luxurious home, or perhaps a four-star hotel suite, it has all the fittings for a rich man’s night of Texas Hold ’Em or Omaha. A professional dealer, a state-of-the-art shuffling machine at his side, divvies out the cards. Top-shelf liquor flows. The food is whatever you desire—filet mignon from the best steakhouse in town and bumps of caviar washed down with icy vodka. Want a Montecristo No. 2? No problem—the humidor is full of them. Good-looking massage girls rub-down backs and shoulders to ease the aches from a long night of play. Best of all, if you’re a serious poker…

Charissa Thompson SPORTS BROADCASTER Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Especial The woman who hosts “FOX NFL Kickoff” as well as pregame on Thursday nights sees a parallel between acceptance into her profession and into the male-dominated sphere of cigar appreciation. “At the beginning it was always, ‘What do you know about football? What do you know about hockey?’” Charissa Thompson recalls. “I had to prove that I belonged. Similarly, I had to prove that I even knew how to cut a cigar.” Prejudices die hard. “Even, still to this day, guys will be breaking out cigars and they won’t offer me one. I ask if I can have one and they’ll say, ‘We didn’t think you’d want one.’” She came upon her love of the leaf legitimately as a teenager when…

The figurados of this issue put on a tremendous performance, as three cigars in the category tied at 94 points. They all come from different countries. From Cuba, the Bolivar Belicoso Fino is one of the nation’s quintessential pointy puros. Some come in wooden slide-lid cabinets, but these samples were packaged in standard dress boxes, so there was less exposure to cedar. The Dominican Fuente Fuente OpusX 25 Aniversario celebrates 25 years of the brand and its all-Dominican blend. La Familia is a striking, double-tapered perfecto and distinguishes itself from the core line with its sweeter blend and green band. Always a high-scoring cigar, the Padrón Family Reserve No. 44 Maduro from Nicaragua used to be exclusive to Padrón events, but was eventually released to the market.…

If you know your history, you’ll recall that Fiorello La Guardia vocally opposed Prohibition during his time in Congress before becoming the mayor of New York City. Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 from RoMa Craft is not only a cigar brand, but a criticism of the Temperance Movement. And in this case, Fiorello La Guardia is the highest-scoring toro of the section, at 93 points. The cigar is made in Estelí, Nicaragua, as is Rocky Patel’s Thirtieth Anniversary Toro, which scored 92 points and was released last year in celebration of Patel’s three decades in the business. Under the Mexican wrapper are two binder leaves that Patel says are more than seven years old. Also scoring 92 points was the newly re-blended Villiger La Capitana Toro, which isn’t as full bodied,…

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Torch lighters blast away with considerable power, creating flames that are tough enough to withstand a good breeze. Soft flame lighters are more delicate, good for lighting up inside but not so handy when the wind blows. The S.T. Dupont Defi Windproof line comprises three lighters that cleverly incorporate a bit of both—they throw what looks and acts like a soft flame, but are bolstered by a jet torch that comes from deep inside, creating flames that are tough enough to stay lit even in a strong breeze. The torch looks much like a soft flame until you look closer. Stare down the circular port where the flame originates—it’s a deep hole, which looks a bit like staring into a jet engine. The powerful jet comes from within, ignited about…

Milk-laced drinks hold a special place in the hierarchy of winter libations. Perhaps it’s because they are simultaneously comforting and decadent. Dairy and liquor intertwine to create a velvety blanket against the cold. While Eggnog is the classic go-to, preparation is a little involved and it’s usually served as a punch. If you seek a single-serve cocktail that can be fixed in a hurry, consider these time-tested, lactose indulgent quaffs. The Brandy Alexander may have fueled John Lennon’s lost weekend in mild Los Angeles, but it is also a winter favorite in Wisconsin, where people know frigid conditions. Nobody’s sure who Alexander was, but he seems to have had a weakness for milkshakes as the drink blends cacao, a chocolate-informed liqueur, with cream. The Alexander was invented in the early…

It’s a natural pursuit—seeking out the best. Separating the good from the bad, the extraordinary from the mundane is our mandate at Cigar Aficionado, and every issue contains reviews of cigars conducted by our editors. It’s a blind taste test, which means when an editor reviews a cigar he doesn’t know where the cigar is made, how much is costs, the blend of tobaccos inside or the factory in which it was made. It’s how our tastings have been done since our first issue, in 1992. The cigars that follow in this Top 25 are ones that not only scored well throughout the year (92 points or higher, either in this magazine or in our newsletter Cigar Insider) but ones that excelled in an additional blind taste test conducted just…

More people watch the Super Bowl. Far more people attend the Indy 500. But pretty much everyone agrees that the Masters stands above them all. In the entertainment industry, it’s known as “the toughest ticket in sports.” It’satruebucketlisteventfor anyone who loves sports and spectacle, especially so for golf fans. When it comes to spectator events, bigger is not always better. Exclusivity helps give the Masters its unrivaled cache, but being part of an elite club is not the reason to attend. What makes it so special is the ultra-rich history of the event, the always star-studded field, an atmosphere unlike any in sports, and most of all, the course itself, the spectacular Augusta National Golf Club. Getting there in person is far from easy, and it can be quite expensive,…

You may have never heard of The King Is Dead Escape Plan Autopilot, which tied for top Churchill at 92 points. It’s from Caldwell Cigar Co. and went into regular production last year. The all-Dominican cigar is a box-pressed version of Caldwell’s core line, The King Is Dead. Escape Plan was first released as a limited edition, but is now part of the standard portfolio. The cigar is made in the Dominican Republic at Tabacalera William Ventura. The Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series from Nicaragua needs less of an introduction. Box pressed as well, the Diplomatico also scored 92 points. Its balanced blend of all-Nicaraguan tobacco delivered the right combination of finesse and power, offering all the signature characteristics that typically keep the brand in the upper echelons of every tasting.…

Long, thin cigars are prized by many connsoisseurs for not only traditional reasons but for academic ones as well. Because of a panetela’s slender dimensions, the cover leaf is emphasized, offering insight into the character of the wrapper and its influence on a blend. The Wise Man Maduro Lancero is one such cigar. It scored 93 points and puts Connecticut broadleaf wrapper in the spotlight. The brand was previously made at another factory, but is now produced in Nicaragua by My Father Cigars. Three more skinny smokes scored 92 points. My Father makes some Lanceros of its own, including one in its La Promesa line. La Flor Dominicana loads strong tobacco into its Ligero Lancero, while the Alma del Fuego from Plasencia features leaf from Nicaragua’s volcanic island of Ometepe.…