Antonio's Monthly Cigar Picks

One of the joys of being in the cigar business is selecting and recommending cigars for clients, friends and colleagues.  People come to you with trust and very often, blind faith.  It is very rewarding when the picks you made for them are a hit.  Even the most seasoned aficionados will ask, “what’s smoking nice these days”?  From that group, to the newcomers eager to explore, it is fun to have people discover something new, or perhaps revisit a cigar they might have forgotten about.

It is with that in mind that I decided to launch this column.  There will be great effort made to include cigars that are as widely available as possible making it easier to find the recommendations.  Besides, I don’t believe our readers need me to tell them that if they find an old box of Cohiba Behike, or a Bolivar Gold Medal, that it is a good idea to buy it.

Each month, I will pick 4 cigars.  One Cuban and One New World Cigar.  There will also be one “off the beaten path” cigar; that is, a cigar that we might have known about, but remains underrated, not so popular, and is sure worth a try.  Lastly, there will be one “Special / Celebration Cigar”.  The cigar that you reward yourself with, or that you throw into your day to change the course of an unpleasant day.  It can also be the cigar that you can celebrate a special moment with, or share with a long-time friend in which the focal point is tasting the cigar.

I hope you enjoy these selections and discover, or rediscover cigars that you may not usually have in your regular rotation.

CUBAN CIGAR

Trinidad – Esmeralda

Size:  53 x 5 ¾

FACTORY NAME: Dinoras

Trinidad has always been one of my favorite brands.  It is, by all means, at the highest end of the Cuban cigar pyramid alongside Cohiba.  The cigars from this marca include the infamous Fundadores cigar which certainly put the brand on the map.

In 2019, the Esmeralda was launched.  Perhaps because it started being seen in shops during the pandemic, the cigar never really had that “water cooler” effect.

WHY IT’S WORTH TRYING

The Esmeralda, is millimeters in difference in size as the heavily sought after Cohiba Behike 54.  Seeing as the Behike linea are not appearing on many store shelves, this Trinidad is a great alternative to satisfy the quench for the size, quality and overall taste that you long for in a Behike.  Please do not misread this, I am not saying it is a Behike 54, however, if you ever have the chance to try both back-to-back, see for yourself how they far they actually stand apart.  You might be pleasantly surprised.

Oh, and they are a fraction of the price.

NEW WORLD CIGAR

My Father Le Bijou 1922 Torpedo

Wrapper, Binder, Filler:  Nicaragua

Size:  52 x 6 1/8

As you may recall, this was ranked the No. 1 cigar of the year in Cigar Aficionado in 2015.  Until recently, stock has been scarce on this torpedo.  When they finally made it back into the shops, it seemed like a good idea to put a flame to it and see if the magic was still there.

The Nicaraguan blend contains Cuban seed for the wrapper.  Although the Garcia family that produces these cigars are amongst the biggest manufacturers in terms of volume, the quality of their output remains consistent.

WHY IT’S WORTH TRYING

A great looking cigar, the torpedo has a wonderful sweetness, with chocolate notes from beginning to end.  There is not much evolution, however, the medium to full body cigar remains pleasant all the way to the end.  What a great way to spend an hour.

OFF THE BEATEN PATH CIGAR

La Flor De Cano – Elegidos

Size:  50 x 5

FACTORY NAME: Lirios

Really?  A short filler robusto?  Yes my friends, this is a very decent cigar.

La Flor De Cano is not the brand you turn to too often, mainly because the brand only has one other cigar in their regular production portfolio (the cedar wrapped Petit Coronas).

WHY IT’S WORTH TRYING

Habanos positioned Elegidos towards the price conscious buyers.  There are not many cigars in this price range that offer the flavor and quality.  However, when these boxes of 10 were launched, their popularity extended far beyond that.

Regulars of Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2, Romeo y Julieta Short Chuchills and premium robustos were surprised of how good they were.  The other target is also the cigar smoker who tends to shy away from Cubans because of the price.  Now they finally have a robusto sized cigar in the same price range as some of the New World offerings.

A good bang for your dollar cigar.

SPECIAL CELEBRATION CIGAR

Romeo Y Julieta Anejados Churchill Tubos

SIZE:  47 ring gauge x 7 inches.

FACTORY NAME: Julieta No. 2

BOX DATE: REVISADO FEB 2007

When Habanos initially launched their “Anejados” series in 2014, it was met with much skepticism in the cigar community.  They were clearly trying to jump on the “Vintage” cigar hype, and it almost seemed like they repackaged and rebanded some cigars they had ageing in Havana over the years.  The first few releases were not what many consider a success.

Then came the Romeo Y Julieta Anejados Churchill Tubos.

WHY IT’S WORTH TRYING

A regular, unaged Romeo Churchill is usually a great cigar, and so, adding the ageing in Havana factor can only make it that much better.  This Churchill is elegant, smooth, creamy and produces notes of vanilla and toffee.  Further, there is a wonderful evolution and like Churchill himself, has a story to tell.

Go ahead and treat yourself, you won’t be disappointed.

***

Some of our favorite cigar shops:

Whisky Café & Cigars in Montreal.  Cigar Menu

La Casa del Habano Teddington, London.  www.Havahavana.com