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Home > What's New > Connoisseur's Corner, June 2001
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Connoisseur's Corner, June 2001
Posted: Friday, June 01, 2001
June 2001
Welcome to our new feature. From time to time in this section, we will be tasting vintage cigars that Cigar Aficionado editors come across in their travels or pull out of their personal humidors. We will taste everything from pre-Castro Cubans, to more recent vintages from around the world, to special-issue cigars that aren't always available in substantial commercial quantities. When it's relevant we'll also tell you where we smoked the cigars and where they came from.
The tasting format will be different from our standard blind tastings that we do for the magazine. Because the cigars in this section are rare, and we never know when or how we'll find them, the identity of the cigar will be known to the smoker. Each tasting note will include the taster's name. Due to the age of some of these cigars, it is often difficult if not impossible to be certain of the blends of tobacco in them, so that tasting point will be omitted.
We hope this new feature will provide an added dimension to your appreciation of cigars. This section will offer proof that, like a fine wine, you can age great cigars for several years, and sometimes decades, and still get great pleasure out of them.
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Cuaba Salomones II (1999)
97 This perfecto-shaped cigar with one inch cut off the tip was produced for 45 limited-edition humidors released a few years ago. It is a truly great Cuban cigar. It has a silky dark wrapper with rich dense flavors that linger on the palate for a long, long finish. There are hints of spice and dried citrus, and a strong earthy element.
--Marvin R. Shanken
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Davidoff Haut Brion (1989)
95 This has always been a favorite of serious cigar smokers because it packs a punch in a small size. This classic cigar has strong flavors of vanilla and milk chocolate, and a powerful tobacco overtone. One of the greats.
--James Suckling
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Hoyo de Monterrey Royal Hunt No. 10 (1978)
93 This is a double corona that was made expressly for Robert Lewis in London A blockbuster of a smoke. It has an elegantly refines, perfumed aroma, with a delicate, creamy taste. There are hints of cocoa beans and cinnamon flavors. The finish was a bit on the dusty side and somewhat short. Nonetheless, a great cigar.
--Gordon Mott
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Dunhill Mojito (1980)
92 This cigar defines what an aged cigar can bring to the table. Its slightly pale wrapper doesn't suggest the rich, cedary taste that flows into your mouth at the first lighting. It has an extra long finish with tinges of leather, and there is an overall creaminess to the cigar. An excellent small cigar.
--George Brightman
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Partagas Petit Corona (1958)
92 What an amazing 43-year-old cigar. It is small, but it remains remarkably fresh tasting, both on the palate and on the finish. There is some light spiciness. It is medium bodied. As you would expect on a well-aged older cigar, the cedar notes are very pronounced, but they remain in balance. A very nice smaller cigar.
--James Suckling
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