This cabinet of 50 pre-Castro cigars has unusual packaging, and the smaller cigars inside come packed in foil. The smokes are dark brown, and roughish in texture, a nod to the sun-grown wrappers with which they are made, and they measure a little more than five inches in length, …
This Padrón was the first Cigar of the Year ever bestowed by this magazine, and came from one of the original painted boxes. Fourteen years later, the cigar is still full of life, nuance and character. Every puff has subtle, yet delicious notes of nutmeg and chestnuts with hints …
When you think of superb, big cigars, this one immediately comes to mind, for Hoyo Double Coronas are a benchmark for that Cuban size, which also goes by the name prominente. The wrapper on this large cigar—it measures 7 5/8 inches long, with a 49 ring gauge—is the texture of …
This Churchill-sized cigar is named for Sir Winston Churchill himself. At seven inches long by 47 ring, it’s the same size as a Romeo y Julieta Churchill, but far harder to find. Its packaging is distinctive, with a dark green box. The smoke itself, medium-brown in color and 23 …
Monte 5s are the lesser-known, smaller siblings of the ubiquitous Montecristo No. 4s. This well-aged example comes from a box of 25, which looks similar to modern-day boxes, but a closer look shows the far thicker lid, older Cuban tax seal and the absence of the “Habanos” …
There are two reasons why pre-Castro Cuban cigars sell for such high prices at auction. They get rarer by the day (the world supply gets smaller every time one is fired up) and in many cases they have aged into phenomenal smokes. Take, for example, this Hoyo de Monterrey Corona …
(From the December 2017 Cigar Aficionado ) There was a time before Fidel Castro’s Revolution when Cuban brands were privately owned, giving each owner the freedom to produce bespoke cigars for certain institutions around the world as he saw fit. The H. Upmann Tivoli was one …
A corona-sized pre-Castro Cuban joined our small club of perfect cigars. The cigar, wrapped in a sleeve of cedar for the last 60 or so years, exhibited not only a perfect draw and burn, but a panoply of fine flavors. Three younger and far larger Cubans (a Bolivar, Ramon Allones …
This collection of aged cigars covers all types of vintages and dimensions. The smokes range from 11 years old all the way to a cigar that's been around for more than five decades; from the ultra-slim Punch Panetelas Grandes (all of 33 ring gauge) to the pleasantly plump Tatuaje …
Cuban Davidoffs are among the most prized of vintage cigars. Collectors wax poetic about the smokes, which were made in Cuba from the late 1960s up until 1991, when Davidoff shifted production to the Dominican Republic. They command dear prices at auction, even though some have …
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