Pete Johnson, owner of the Tatuaje brand, works counter to brand building 101. His cigar names are nearly unpronounceable. For those who had trouble with Tatuaje, he followed up with Cabaiguan, a cigar named for Cabaiguán, Cuba, located almost in the direct center of the island. Cabaiguans have been made for Johnson by the Garcia family since 2006, first in Miami and later in Nicaragua. The brand was good but not remarkable until the addition of the bolder, darker Guapo size that garnered our high ratings. The success of the one size inspired Johnson to make an entire line of Guapos, in natural and maduro versions, for a combined eight sizes. The original Guapo (which Johnson now calls the Guapo Toro Grande) is still our favorite, a cigar that is stunning to behold, with an impeccably crafted head and a flag tip—it's unfair to call it a pigtail—that's wider at the top than at the bottom, in the shape of a fan. The cigar has balanced flavor, with sweet but not cloying notes of cocoa powder, a sprinkling of black pepper and cedary, leathery intonations.

• Previous
• #3
• #4
• #5
• #6
• #7
• #8
• #9
• #10
• #11
• Next