Top 25 NC cigars of the 2021 live show tonight

[Cigar Surgeon]

As some of you may be aware I've been in cigar media for a long time now. The site I currently produce content for, Developing Palates, is doing the Top 25 non-Cuban cigars of 2021 show tonight.

We stream on Facebook, so if you're interested in watching and participating along it'd be great to have you tune in. Otherwise we'll be uploading the video to YouTube tomorrow'ish. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/2067338606775317

Edit: Forgot the times. 6pm PST / 7pm MST / 9 pm EST.

Here's the YouTube:

 

[Troels]

Interesting how the list matches/differs to that other top 25 of (mostly) nc

[riderpride]

Does this include all NCs available on the market in 2021, or is 'new' releases only?

I don't use FB, so I'll check it on YouTube once it's available.

Cheers!

[Cigar Surgeon]

4 minutes ago, riderpride said:

Does this include all NCs available on the market in 2021, or is 'new' releases only?

I don't use FB, so I'll check it on YouTube once it's available.

The cigars eligible for Top 25 each year are new cigars released and available at retail in that calendar year. 

[Cigar Surgeon]

1 hour ago, Troels said:

Interesting how the list matches/differs to that other top 25 of (mostly) nc

Our 2021 list isn't posted yet. It will be posted after the show tonight. 

[Cigar Surgeon]

Here's the full list to avoid an hour and twenty minutes of video:

https://developingpalates.com/editorials/cigar-editorials/2021-cigar-year/

TOP 25 CIGARS OF 2021

1. BLACK WORKS STUDIO HYENA CORONA GORDA

2. DUNBARTON TOBACCO & TRUST RED MEAT LOVERS 2020

3. JRE ALADINO HABANO VINTAGE SELECTION ELEGANTE

4. 601 BLACK CONNECTICUT TORO

5. JOYA DE NICARAGUA CUATRO CINCO EDICION AMERICANA TAA EXCLUSIVE

6. ESPINOSA LARANJA RESERVA AZULEJO TORO (review completed, just hasn't posted yet)

7. DREW ESTATE LIGA PRIVADA ÚNICO SERIE YEAR OF THE OX 2021

8. JRE ALADINO CAMEROON ELEGANTE

9 (TIE). 601 LA BOMBA WARHEAD VII

9 (TIE). CROWNED HEADS THE LOST ANGEL TAA 2021

11. EL ARTISTA BUFFALO TEN CONNECTICUT

12. E.P. CARRILLO SHORT RUN RETRO 2021 SHORT PLAY

13. TATUAJE FAUSTO THE OLD MAN AND THE C LANCERO

14. COHIBA SERIE M

15. JOYA DE NICARAGUA DOS CIENTOS

16. CROWNED HEADS FOUR KICKS CAPA ESPECIAL ÁGUILAS LE 2021

17. PROTOCOL ELIOT NESS MADURO

18. DAVIDOFF WINSTON CHURCHILL LIMITED EDITION 2021

19. CORDOBA & MORALES FINCA SANTA FE FSG CAMEROON

20. DAVIDOFF TAMPA EXCLUSIVE 2021

21. CALDWELL EASTERN STANDARD SUNGROWN MAGIC

22. DAPPER LA MADRINA SHADE BELICOSO

23. MAYA SELVA FLOR DE SELVA YEAR OF THE OX 2021

24. C.L.E. 25TH ANNIVERSARY 11/18 TAA

25 (TIE). A.C.E. PRIME FIAT LUX INSIGHT

25 (TIE). TATUAJE T110 RESERVA BROADLEAF

[Cigar Surgeon]

Fresh from the TPE 2022 in Las Vegas, if you really want to hear what cigar media thought of 2021 we're doing our live 2021 recap show tonight with the Developing Palates crew, Charlie Minato from Halfwheel, and William Cigar Coop Cooper from Cigar-Coop at 6pm PST, 7pm MST, 9pm EST.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1359003231208709/

 

[Huckleberry]

Hey John--

This is not meant to be critical, mostly looking to better understand your ratings.

Your cigar of the year was rated in the overall--average, average, good, good. 

I would have expected more amazing or above average in the overall.

Color me confused or functionally illiterate?

If you can help me better understand it would be much appreciated.

[Cigar Surgeon]

1 hour ago, Huckleberry said:

Hey John--

This is not meant to be critical, mostly looking to better understand your ratings.

Your cigar of the year was rated in the overall--average, average, good, good. 

I would have expected more amazing or above average in the overall.

Color me confused or functionally illiterate?

If you can help me better understand it would be much appreciated.

For sure, I welcome feedback, criticism, and hurled fruit. 

In the past years we used to just compile 4 x individual top 25 lists. But since we were included in the Halfwheel Consensus, we became each a 1/4 media person. We decided to take matters into our own hands, and combine all our cigar reviews into one giant list. Instead of averaging the scores, we take the overall position that cigar placed for each reviewer, and that position adds up to an overall score.

For example: this year we reviewed 105 cigars as a panel. My #1 cigar, the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua No. 2, would have contributed 105 points towards it's overall weighting against the other three panelists. My #2 cigar contributes 104 points. And so on. 

We still have individual lists though: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JnOA3zEQ22NeegQLnclKISfQjAJBBmThMajYgEfDjy8/edit#gid=0

For reference, I did not have a single cigar review that scored above Good for any third or overall impression in the entire 2021 review cycle. 

[Huckleberry]

That sort of makes sense to my feeble mind.  What is the Halfwheel consensus?

So from your individual ratings or cigar evaluations can I take it to mean you haven’t been altogether excited about the cigars you reviewed in 2021 overall?

[Cigar Surgeon]

12 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

That sort of makes sense to my feeble mind.  What is the Halfwheel consensus?

So from your individual ratings or cigar evaluations can I take it to mean you haven’t been altogether excited about the cigars you reviewed in 2021 overall?

The Halfwheel consensus is where Halfwheel combines all the lists of all cigar media (YouTube, print, online) into one list to see what cigars float to the top. As discussed on the show, I think the methodology doesn't work anymore, and has been broken since 2020.

2021 was a wasteland of cigar reviews. There were times where I just wanted to stop reviewing cigars altogether. Unfortunately 2022 will be worse.