Table of contents for January/February 2022 in Cigar Aficionado

94 CUBA TOP MISCELLENEOUS PARTAGÁS SERIE D NO. 5 (TUBO) You all know the Partagás Serie D No. 4, but this slightly shorter version is not to be ignored. 93 NICARAGUA TOP GRANDE ROCKY PATEL SIXTY SIXTY When Rocky Patel was turning 60 he created a cigar line to mark the occasion, and this ultra-fat size from the line delivered an extremely high score. 93 CUBA TOP ROBUSTO: COHIBA ROBUSTO Once described as the ultimate power lunch cigar, the Cohiba Robusto combines star power with star performance, which isn’t always the case in the cigar world. 93 CUBA TOP TORO MONTECRISTO EDMUNDO This fatter Cuban smoke has been in high demand since its market debut in 2004, and its quality level remains high today. 92 NICARAGUA TOP CHURCHILL BRICK HOUSE CHURCHILL This solid performer from…

If you love eating pasta at home, it’s time to think outside the box. Put the dried stuff aside. Grab some good flour and eggs. Skip paying $25 in a fine Italian restaurant. Make it fresh. Impress friends with the classic uovo in raviolo, a single, large ravioli filled with ricotta and an egg yolk. Internet recipes abound. “If you’re making a small amount, it’s easy to mix by hand,” says cigar-loving, James Beard Award-winning chef Marc Vetri, author of Mastering Pasta. “Fresh pasta is customizable, supple, rich, flavorful and melts in your mouth.” After making the dough, Vetri suggests using a pasta rolling machine. Instead of a rolling pin, a hand-cranked machine more quickly and evenly passes the dough between roller bars, getting thinner with each click of the…

Port is an enigmatic drink. Technically, it’s a wine defined by region, not by grape varietal. It comes in several styles and colors. It’s markedly higher in proof than other wines, but remains sweet. And like a spirit, it can be aged in casks for as long as 50 years without becoming overly tannic. The one thing that isn’t hard to pin down about Port is its affinity for cigars. Smokers have known for centuries that Port makes a great companion when lighting up, especially after dinner when it also complements dessert. And part of that comes from its many possibilities. “There’s a style of Port for everybody just as there is a style of cigar for everybody,” says Adrian Bridge, the CEO of the Fladgate Group, which exports a…

Two Cuban cigars explode with flavor, as does a smoke from Nicaragua, as all three topped the category with 92 points. The Bolivar Belicoso Fino is a reliable standby for fans of stronger Cuban cigars and these examples performed in that rich register, but remained in balance without ever becoming too overpowering. It’s one of the few cigars left in the once voluminous Bolivar line. The Cuban Montecristo No. 2 might just be the quintessential Cuban cigar. The brand name is legendary, the pirámide size is iconic and it’s often the cigar that many U.S. travellers reach for when shopping abroad. The Plasencia family turned to its library of aged Nicaraguan tobaccos when it released the Alma Fuerte series, and the Generacion V is a large, tapered figurado that’s bold…

Elegance and sophistication seem to be the theme with the Cuban Cohiba Robusto, which leads this category at 93 points. The smoke envelops the palate with its perceptibly creamy texture before leaving clear, resonant impressions that remind us why Cohiba is Cuba’s flagship brand. Made in Nicaragua, the Padrón Damáso No. 12 scored 92 points and represents Padrón’s entry into the world of milder cigars. The family-owned business had been making cigars for more than 50 years before the decision was made to go milder, as most Padrón cigars tend to be on the stronger side. Three cigars scored 90 points: The Fonseca by My Father Robusto which is made in Nicaragua by the Garcia family; the Cuban Juan Lopez Selección No. 2; and the Dominican La Aurora Preferidos Gold…

Cohiba Royale Gran Toro When Keith Kelly departed the New York Post as the writer of the tabloid’s Media Ink column, he spent part of the first day as he has many times over the last 23 years: lunching at a Manhattan haunt for publishing bigwigs. The difference this time was that, with no deadline pressure, he approached it while puffing on a Cohiba. The media maven, who typically struck fear into editors and publishers with a simple phone call, started smoking cigars in college and early on a girlfriend gave him a “senior survival kit,” including Wild Turkey Bourbon and a box of machine-made cigars. Now he smokes handmades, partaking as a celebratory cigar smoker, for example at sunsets, and each time one of his three sons arrived. While…

H. Upmann Magnum 50 Cigar smoking is a passion that many carry throughout their lives, but none can say they’ve been smoking their entire lives. Michael Lindsay-Hogg, director of The Beatles’ Let It Be film, the series “Brideshead Revisited” and The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus comes close. At the age of five, he lit his first cigar, one left over from one of his stepfather’s poker games. “It was very different from my Cheerios,” the 81-year-old jokes. His passion for fine cigars was further encouraged in 1965 while working on Chimes at Midnight with the director Orson Welles, who would share his Henry Clays with him. Along with his directorial duties, Lindsay-Hogg has been painting for 20 years and his work has been shown in Europe and the…

Just when you thought you had heard everything from the anti-smoking zealots, along comes a proposal that takes smoking bans to levels that are unimaginable. If lawmakers in New Zealand have their way, eventually people who live in that country will never be old enough to buy a cigar or cigarette. That’s right—never. In December, New Zealand’s Ministry of Health announced the creation of the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan. The goal is to keep cigarettes and other tobacco products out of the hands of the nation’s “next generation,” people age 14 and under, with a particular emphasis on the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. (Aotearoa is a Maori word that refers to New Zealand.) The goal is to create a “smoke free generation.” We are all for…

Mark Twain once famously quipped, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” He may have forgotten his time in Scotland where the notoriously chilly and unpredictable weather often keeps golfing greats bundled up during the British Open. But the venerable Lyle & Scott, which began making knitwear in Scotland back in 1874, knows a few things about how to keep a body warm. For the past five decades or so, the brand has focused largely on golf wear, clothes that have been worn by such top-tier stars as Seve Ballesteros, Gary Player and Tony Jacklin. In 2001, the brand was acquired and its headquarters moved to London. The company is trying to promote a new image to Americans, but we enjoy the fact that the…

In its four centuries of history, Port wine has gathered quite a bit of tradition and ritual. Beyond simply learning the strict rules of production, the uninitiated are likely to encounter points of etiquette (especially in the United Kingdom) that might be flummoxing. A session with vintage Port may begin with a quasi-ceremonial decanting that is akin to sabering Champagne. Because such bottles are often cellared for two decades and more, their corks may be deemed structurally suspect. Instead of extraction with the traditional screw-type implement that might break the cork, something called Port tongs can be used. The end of the cast-iron tool is heated over an open flame for a few minutes, and (after the metal capsule is removed) the tongs are clamped around the neck of the…

In commemoration of his 60th birthday last year, cigarmaker Rocky Patel released the Sixty, and the large 60-ringgauge size of the same name scored 93 points. It’s made at the Tavicusa factory in Nicaragua, which he owns, and is an enticing blend of Nicaraguan tobacco and a Mexican San Andrés wrapper. According to Patel, the cigars were made two years prior to release. At 90 points, the thick grande size from the Room 101 Farce brand is playfully named It Is A Gordo. The cigar is made in the Dominican Republic at the William Ventura factory and its blend is a diverse medley of tobacco from five countries. The Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 2 Magnum scored 90 points as well. Made in Nicaragua by A.J. Fernandez for Altadis U.S.A., this…

Cuba dominated the toro category with three cigars of exceptional flavor. The Montecristo Edmundo scored 93 points and has been on the market since 2004, so it’s relatively young when compared to other cigars in the line, but is one of the thicker sizes in the Montecristo portfolio. At 92 points, the Punch Punch is a traditional Cuban corona gorda that exhibited a tasty interplay between sweet and spicy. The Cuban Ramon Allones Superiores has the same dimensions as the Punch Punch, and has the same score as well. This cigar is made exclusively for La Casa del Habano franchise shops around the world. Black Label Trading Co. is one of Nicaragua’s newer factories and cigars from this smaller company tend to perform well. The Viaticum Toro scored an impressive…

EGGNOG 4 egg yolks1/2 cup brown sugar3 cups whole milk1 cup heavy cream1 cup dark rum2 tbs molasses1 tsp vanillaGarnish: grated nutmeg Using a mixer, combine egg yolks with brown sugar. Add milk, cream, dark rum, vanilla and molasses. Chill and serve, garnishing with freshly grated nutmeg. Consider a rum floater for even more holiday cheer. Can be doubled or tripled depending on your crowd. What seemed to have been the last straw in Covid restrictions for beleaguered cocktailians came in December with the reports of a shortage of the main ingredient in the archetypal cold weather drink. Eggnog would not be available for the holidays. We’d not only been widely driven out of bars, but now the quaff to sip while sitting at home and watching the snow pile…

A cigar company as old as J.C. Newman often has an extensive book of old trademarks it can resurrect, and Brick House was one of them. The Tampa-based company brought back the Brick House line from antiquity and reimagined it as a bargain-priced Nicaraguan cigar in 2009. More than a decade later, the cigar is still on the market and the Churchill not only scored 92 points, but delivers on its promise to bring value along with quality, as it retails for less than $8. While value has never been the strong suit of Cohiba, distinction has. The Esplendido from Cuba scored 92 points as well and is one of the emblematic sizes from the core Cohiba line, or the Línea Clásica. Cohibas continue to be in very high demand…

Short cigars with fairly heavy ring gauges are on trend in today’s market, offering a substantial smoke in a short period of time. The highest score of the entire issue comes from the Cuban Partagás Serie D No. 5, which scored 94 points. A truncated version of the immensely popular Serie D No. 4, this compact cigar is big on flavor, giving the smoker a condensed experience that immerses the palate in many layers of complexity with every puff. Neither robusto nor toro, the E.P. Carrillo La Historia Senador scored 93 points and falls between the parameters of classification, landing in this section of oddities. The hearty cigar is made in the Dominican Republic by CIGAR AFICIONADO Hall-of-Famer Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. La Historia is one part of a high-scoring trilogy of…

TOP SCORES 94 Partagás Serie D No. 5 (Tubo) Cuba • £23.50 • Miscellaneous • Medium-Full 93 Cohiba Robusto Cuba • £36.80 • Robusto • Medium 93 E.P. Carrillo La Historia Senador Dominican Republic • $11.65 • Miscellaneous • Medium-Full 93 Montecristo Edmundo Cuba • £27.20 • Toro • Medium 93 Rocky Patel Sixty Sixty Nicaragua • $18.00 • Grande • Medium-Full 92 Bolivar Belicoso Fino Cuba • £24.60 • Figurado • Medium-Full 92 Brick House Churchill Nicaragua • $7.60 • Churchill • Medium 92 Cohiba Esplendido Cuba • £57.20 • Churchill • Medium 92 Padrón Damáso No. 12 Nicaragua • $13.50 • Robusto • Medium 92 Plasencia Alma Fuerte Generacion V Nicaragua • $22.00 • Figurado • Medium-Full TOP VALUES 90 Alec Bradley Connecticut Nano Honduras • $6.15 •…

Ashton Cabinet The change in nicknames tells the story. As the “Polish Rifle,” Ron Jaworski quarterbacked the Eagles to Super Bowl XV. As “Jaws,” he calls Eagle games on ABC TV in Philadelphia and Westwood One radio. It’s “Jaws” the broadcaster, not the 1980s quarterback, who loves cigars. “I love the Ashton Cabinet,” he explains. “I don’t like a harsh tobacco. I also like the Rocky Patel Decade. Those cigars have the flavors I like.” Jaworski recalls celebrating his book The Games that Changed the Game (2011). “I usually don’t have celebratory cigars,” he laughs. “But we worked hard—two years with two unbelievably talented guys from NFLfilms, David Plaut and Greg Cosell. I consider myself a successful businessman, owning and operating 70 golf courses and more through the years. I…

Romeo y Julieta Pirámides Añejados Cigar introductions come in many forms, but few involve a real estate deal. Comedian Russell Peters got his love of the leaf after he bought a house already outfitted with a huge humidor. “I didn’t smoke at the time. But then Covid comes around and people start coming over to my house—Cedric the Entertainer, T.L. Hugley, Anthony Anderson, Dwayne Martin—all these guys were coming over to smoke these cigars that I had.” Eventually, Peters tried one. “Once I had my first real cigar, I found myself very relaxed with it … and subsequently I’m now about two sticks a night.” With an international audience that has him constantly globetrotting as well as a rigorous video and movie career, Peters has a jam-packed schedule and refers…

I t’s 8 a.m. in the VIP lounge at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel, and breakfast is being served. Although this is Cuba, smoking is prohibited here, but soon the familiar aroma of lit cigars meets the nostrils of an American. It’s coming from the back, and the waitstaff doesn’t seem to care. His curiosity overcomes him, and he walks toward the smoke, finding the back room filled with people he doesn’t know, all with fat cigars in their hands. Who are these guys? Turns out the morning smokers are from Phoenicia Trading A.A. in Cyprus. And while the average American cigar lover has little idea of who they are, these men are some of the biggest players in the Cuban cigar world. They smoke cigars for breakfast, sell more Cuban…