Arnold Schwarzenegger • November/December 2019
The one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to the cover of Cigar Aficionado as his newest project, Terminator: Dark Fate, hits theaters. Schwarzenegger sits down with executive editor David Savona over a hearty cigar and talks about the appeal of the Terminator—the role that made him a superstar—his thoughts on business and politics and his lifelong love of fine cigars. Also in this year-end issue, the story about Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, the $160 million film that brings together Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, a guide to the best cigar-friendly steakhouses in America, the mysteries of top-tier Cognac and a walk through the fields of the Connecticut River Valley, home to golden-brown Connecticut shade. All that, and much more, plus our blind tasting of 81 cigars.
Features
The Terminator is Back
The gates are massive, perhaps 20 feet high, and they slowly swing open, revealing a sea of green grass decorated with statues. They are among the many big items in the oversized …
Mob Movie Magic
When did Hollywood invent the time machine? That’s the question you may ask when the camera moves in on Robert De Niro’s face as he speaks on the phone in a crucial early scene of …
10 New Faces of the PGA Tour
The finish to the 3M Open in early July couldn’t have been a more revealing look at the way young players are taking their place on today’s PGA Tour. Matthew Wolff, all of 20, and …
Steakhouses for Cigar Lovers
The waiter in the white shirt and black vest has delivered your cocktail, a Martini so cold you think your teeth might crack as you take that first sip. You move on to the …
Cognac's Top Tier
Entering the underground sanctum known as the Chai du Fondateur, or Founder’s Cellar, at Cognac giant Hennessy, makes a visitor feel as if he has opened a door on a long-closed …
Time Flies
The most significant pilot’s watch in history wasn’t a pilot’s watch—or at least not what we’d think of as one today. While technically qualifying (because it was made for a …
Cigars
Shade in the Dusk
The once-dominant wrapper leaf grown under cloth in the Connecticut River Valley now needs protection from encroaching development.
The Clan of the Man Cave
When his local cigar club shut down, one man struck back, converting a carriage barn into an inspired man cave.
Best of the Best
The tobacco rolled into today’s Cuban cigars is the best in five years. Here’s your guide to the 10 best available on the market.
Connoisseur’s Corner: Hoyo de Monterrey Exclusivo
Were Cuba’s Edición Limitada cigars ever intended for long-term aging? We see how some of these limited editions stood the test of time. Plus, an old Hoyo de Monterrey from a …
Ratings from this Issue
Up Front
Screen Magic
We were at the New York City premiere of The Irishman , Martin Scorsese’s epic new film starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. The September 27 screening was scheduled …
The Good Life
Dunhill Unique Turbo Lighters
Alfred Dunhill, the great signifier of British luxury, has resurrected its classic Unique Sports lighter model from the 1920s, reengineering it for the 21st century as a jet-flame …
Rye Manhattan
As with many cocktails, the origin story of the Manhattan cocktail tells many tales. The most logical says that it sprang from New York City’s Manhattan Club in the early 1880s. …
Chapelo Bespoke Hats
Jonathan Rodebaugh lowers a skeletal, black contraption onto my head, its weight sinking into my hair. It looks like a medieval torture device, but thankfully it’s not dangerous. …
Four Seasons Whistler
Canada’s massive Whistler Blackcomb is not the best because it is the biggest, but it helps—in skiing, size does matter. So does snow, and on average the merged ski areas get a …
Porsche Taycan
It wasn’t for honeymooners that Niagara Falls was chosen as a backdrop for September’s Porsche Taycan debut. The natural wonder, which generates nearly five megawatts of electric …
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
A fond memory of early Thanksgivings past was waking up at dawn to help my mother with her first foray on the day’s feast: making cranberry sauce. If the thought of that condiment …
Wagner Custom Skis
Pete Wagner was an engineer in the golf club industry at the time when technology-driven swing analysis, robotic club testing and computer-generated fitting recommendations …
Luxe Board Games
Before electronic phone platforms lured hordes of kids to stare into their palms at lethal video games, a diversion that involved human interaction could be found in homes across …
Made For You, December 2019
In a world of fast food and one-size-fits-all sensibilities, how often does something feel made especially for you? The “Made for You” section celebrates those items that are …