Awards 2018 – Top 5
Cigars in the AWARDS have been selected during the whole year 2018: the best products from blind tastings, reviews and smokes from the last 12 months have been tested once again, in a blind tasting. Only the best made it into the AWARDS.
As usual, our attention is focused on every single terroir: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua and countries from the Rest of the World. For each one of them, we picked the best 5 cigars, that registered the highest scores. Following are the cigars, listed in alphabetical order by country, in place no.5.
CUBA: BOLIVAR ROYAL CORONAS
STRENGTH: ••••
SIZE: 50x124mm (4.9”)
PRICE: N/A $ – 10.5€
WRAPPER: Cuba
BINDER: Cuba
FILLER: Cuba
Produced since 1969, the Royal Coronas boast an excellent consistency. The cigar is slightly box-pressed and it is sold in tubos and in 25-count dress boxes. The brand is a tribute to Simon Bolivar, Venezuelan general and revolutionary who wrote the history of Latin America.
It delivers intense notes of leather and roasted aromas of coffee, enriched by nuts, mainly hazelnut. In the aftertaste, peppery nuances are perceptible.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: E.P. CARRILLO ENCORE MAJESTIC
STRENGTH: •••••
SIZE: 52x136mm (5.4”)
PRICE: 11.5$ – 13€
WRAPPER: Nicaragua
BINDER: Nicaragua
FILLER: Nicaragua
The Encore line is one of the latest news signed by Ernesto Perez Carrillo. The cigars are aged for two years before being sold on the market. They are packaged in 10 count boxes, where the cigars are separated from each other by wooden strips, which give further elegance to the lacquered box.
It releases intense notes of earth, cocoa and a mix of hazelnut and almond. A remarkable vein of black pepper is perceptible in the aftertaste. In the finale, notes of coffee and almond become the protagonists.
HONDURAS: ALADINO COROJO RESERVA ROBUSTO
STRENGTH: •••
SIZE: 50x127mm (5”)
PRICE: 12$ – N/A €
WRAPPER: Corojo (Honduras)
BINDER: Honduras
FILLER: Honduras
The Corojo Reserva is made exclusively with tobacco grown in Honduras and the variety of each leaf used is Corojo. They are sold in boxes containing 20 cigars, which have a particular diamond shape. The production of these cigars is limited to 400 boxes a month.
It releases intense notes of black pepper, which culminate in hot spices. At times sweet, the aromatic bouquet gets wider with hints of cinnamon and vanilla. In the second half, wood and herbs are added.
NICARAGUA: THE TABERNACLE HAVANA SEED CT #142 CORONA
STRENGTH: •••••
SIZE: 46x133mm (5.25”)
PRICE: 9$ – N/A€
WRAPPER: Havana Seed CT #142
BINDER: Mexican San Andres
FILLER: Nicaragua, Honduras
Since 2014, Nicholas Melillo, together with some selected farmers in Connecticut, has dedicated time to the development of the tobacco that gives its name to this cigar. The peculiarity of this variety is the high quantity of oils, which require very long processing times, which are around three years.
An explosion of black pepper and hot spices, with a vegetal touch. Then, it turns to rich aromas of walnut and almond, supported by a smoked note and the omnipresent black pepper. Hints of cinnamon.
REST OF THE WORLD: NOSTRANO DEL BRENTA TALIANO
STRENGTH: ••
SIZE: 40x170mm (6.7”)
PRICE: N/A$ – 4.5€
WRAPPER: Italy
BINDER: –
FILLER: Italy, Nicaragua
The tobacco variety mainly used for the Taliano is from Habano seed, cultivated in the Veneto region, in Italy. To this, some Nicaragua leaves are added in the filler. The cigar has a bi-truncated conical shape, as per typical Italian tradition.
It releases notes of earth, walnut and spices, enriched with vegetal nuances. In the second half of the smoke, the spices fade and coffee beans and ripe fruit aromas get delivered.