Have you smoked one of the CA Top 10 from 2023?

[El Presidente]

Have you smoked one of the CA Top 10 from 2023?

https://www.cigaraficionado.com/top25/2023

 

I know the P2 have been excellent...... but thoughts on the others if you have smoked one. 

[Chibearsv]

Nope, I guess I'll have to try the 1926 Maduro, since it's on the list.  I only tried the 1964 Maduro and it was very very good.  Better than I expected for my first Padron.

[fisherclive]

The Oliva Melanio is a favorite of mine.

[Ford2112]

I smoked that very Oliva Melanio and it was really good. It belongs on that list IMO

[Tunkat92]

Just had a UBL ENE 23 P2 last week. Not sure what the CA box code was, but it definitely was too young to be top 25 worthy.

[ha_banos]

[rckymtn22]

0 for 10.

I do have the P2 but only 7-8 left so treating them like gold since I can't justify paying that much for a box now.

[Cigar Surgeon]

Did a team review of the Rocky Patel ALR 2nd edition in 2019.

Reviewed the EPC Allegiance Pledge of Allegiance a few months back. 

Reviewed the M81 a few months back. 

We reviewed the Toro size of the Viva La Vida and punted on the El Pulpo review. 

 

[jazzboypro]

I had the Oliva last summer and i went through a sampler pack of Oliva, not a huge fan of the brand. I have RP A.L.R. Second Edition Toro in my humi. It got in last week as part of a few RP i want to try. I will smoke the A.L.R in a few months. 

[eaglebear29]

I've had the #3) Oliva as well, and have one more aging. I thought it was good. Not bad but not my favorite of the NW cigars I've smoked I've leaned more towards Plasencia.. I think for the price though I'd really put it up there because you can get them for a good price it seems throughout the states. I could see why it could get a high ranking for $ but for the me Plasencia should be up there then as well. They have been my fav NW.

I have the #2) Padron,   #4) Rocky Patel,    #5) E.P. Carrillo,    #10) El Pulpo,     #9) Aroma De Cuba,     all that are resting, and about 5 of the #7) M81 that are resting.

I'm about to light up one of the fresh resting M81s and I'm sure I won't be disappointed as I've enjoyed Drew Estates other top cigars like the Liga Privada H 99 and the Papas Fritas. And my personal favorite, the "floor sweepings" Nasty fritas. Rich and oily w/ notes of Dark Chocolate, Molasses, and Dates. Wonderful little smoke that's shaped like a cone and perfect for the 20-30 min, I go a bit slower at 45-1hr.

I'd really love to try that P2 or more CC but sadly I've only just got into CC and in the last 3 months and Ive gone over my budget for the rest of the year. I'm sure its great!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

[KCCubano]

1 hour ago, eaglebear29 said:

I've had the #3) Oliva as well, and have one more aging. I thought it was good. Not bad but not my favorite of the NW cigars I've smoked I've leaned more towards Plasencia.. I think for the price though I'd really put it up there because you can get them for a good price it seems throughout the states. I could see why it could get a high ranking for $ but for the me Plasencia should be up there then as well. They have been my fav NW.

I have the #2) Padron,   #4) Rocky Patel,    #5) E.P. Carrillo,    #10) El Pulpo,     #9) Aroma De Cuba,     all that are resting, and about 5 of the #7) M81 that are resting.

I'm about to light up one of the fresh resting M81s and I'm sure I won't be disappointed as I've enjoyed Drew Estates other top cigars like the Liga Privada H 99 and the Papas Fritas. And my personal favorite, the "floor sweepings" Nasty fritas. Rich and oily w/ notes of Dark Chocolate, Molasses, and Dates. Wonderful little smoke that's shaped like a cone and perfect for the 20-30 min, I go a bit slower at 45-1hr.

I'd really love to try that P2 or more CC but sadly I've only just got into CC and in the last 3 months and Ive gone over my budget for the rest of the year. I'm sure its great!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

One of my friends got M81s as XMas gift. He was going to give em a month. How is yours smoking?

[eaglebear29]

15 hours ago, KCCubano said:

One of my friends got M81s as XMas gift. He was going to give em a month. How is yours smoking?

Will be my first time trying one, and id say I've had them for around 2-3 months in the humidor since release so ill let ya know within a couple days. 

Its either the Monte 4 tonight or the M81. Leaning more towards the Metallica smoke but that all depends on which one fits the window for tonight.

[MagicalBikeRide]

List just reminds me how poor our options are here in Ireland. Most entries are Double Dutch to me. Have seen some Oliva, but certainly not a toro. P2 been scarce / virtually unavailable but better chance of finding here than the others.  

[Puros Y Vino]

Partagas P2 many times. I have an M81 lined up for smoke in the near future. Never heard of the rest.

[BoliDan]

The rankings by vitola tend to sit with me better than the commercialized list, that usually has a very limited CC sampling. I'd love to get my hands on RG lonsdales, but meh, none of these excite me. Opus X just is not the same cigar it used to be and it's price point has risen as quality diminished, in my opinion. I suppose I'll give the Padron a try.

[Çnote]

I've had a couple of conversations this week on how boring this list is, at least the top ten. There's a few things in #11-25 that I was happy to see.

#1 #2 #3 - classics, but kinda pricey and not always available. I prefer all three brands in their smaller ring gauges. I also think that all three of these brands release and sell quickly, so I'm guessing fresh stock was evaluated.

#7 - I was honestly shocked how good this was. I'm not a big DE fan and in general look down upon celebrity brands (in liquor and cigars) but this was on point for what it was. Not my style, but very well done. 

#10 - great package & band, I think this was very well done if a little pricy considering everything else out there. Still very much worth trying.

#15 - again, a classic. But basically another Fuente. I haven't smoked this in a couple of years, but will probably pick one up on my next b&m visit.

#24 - this is a great cigar, and although pricey is worth it imho. I've found that anything from Titan is pretty spectacular and is usually in my style with regards to blend.

some other notes

#9 this is on my hit list now, I'm curious but I'm usually not impressed by My Father

#18 & #21 - lanceros! I've had virtually everything else from these brands but I'm not a lancero enthusiast and these (lanceros in general) aren't stocked widely in this area. Nice to see regular production Tatuaje and LFD on the list tho.

Another observation can be summed up with this post from DTT

 

[Rushman]

I’ve smoked only two of the top 25 this year (P2 and Tatuaje). I have a fairly narrow range of N’s in my routine.


rushman

[eaglebear29]

On 12/22/2023 at 4:25 PM, KCCubano said:

One of my friends got M81s as XMas gift. He was going to give em a month. How is yours smoking?

Just had the M81 Blackened earlier. Was pretty good but idk about on the top 10, it had some teeth on it <and correction in my last post I didn't realize they've been out a year.

First- 3rd)  I wasn't too impressed it didn't have the billowing smoke I'm used to from sticks like the Liga Privada. Definitely blackened flavor. Honestly though, for the name it was a lot milder than I thought. I thought it was gonna knock me on my ass. Dark Toasted cocoa Nibs. I started with a punch cut, then with the low output on smoke I cut a regular cap cut, and the thing still acted slightly plugged and this thing was in my 61% humidor for 3 weeks. Also was not impressed with the burn.

Second- 3rd)  got better and tasted almost like a dark bland chocolate like toasted cocoa nibs with a hint of Cherry Coca Cola, was hard to find the sweetness tho like the cherry coke was so faint because the dark chocolate was so overpowering. Right when it seemed the smoke output would get better it backed off and I wasn't impressed it was still a struggle to get a good draw and thick smoke.

Final- 3rd) It was the same dark bland cocoa, the sweetness had faded so I could not make out the slight Cherry coke. Not great billowing smoke like I'd expect from this brand.

Overall was decent. I would not say great, or in my top 10 or top 20. Id take a billowing flavorful smoke of the Papas Fritas, or my favorite Nasty Fritas; that I feel this cigar was trying to be. I'll give this one another chance maybe another year and the cherry coke sweetness can come out, otherwise the flavor was pretty linear.

Like @Çnote pointed out. They leave out some of the best I've had. Id take many others that are not on the list like Plasencia and a Saka cigar over many of these any day. Saka, if on the list, would have cigars all over it imo. Sanj Patel as well makes phenomenal cigars that are $20 sticks for $5-$8

If you wanted a good dark oily smoke and better with a good price id recommend the lil Nasty Fritas for a short smoke; or the Papas Fritas if you have more time. The SP1014 black, Steve Sakas Red Meat Lovers, or if you want others less dark on the wrapper but still on the medium to full side, with some of the best flavor: Plasencia Reserve Original or the Plasencia Cosecha 146 and 149, the Alma Del Campo. Any of these Plasencias were better but that's just me.  

 

[Carrie Nation]

7 hours ago, eaglebear29 said:

Just had the M81 Blackened earlier. Was pretty good but idk about on the top 10, it had some teeth on it <and correction in my last post I didn't realize they've been out a year.

First- 3rd)  I wasn't too impressed it didn't have the billowing smoke I'm used to from sticks like the Liga Privada. Definitely blackened flavor. Honestly though, for the name it was a lot milder than I thought. I thought it was gonna knock me on my ass. Dark Toasted cocoa Nibs. I started with a punch cut, then with the low output on smoke I cut a regular cap cut, and the thing still acted slightly plugged and this thing was in my 61% humidor for 3 weeks. Also was not impressed with the burn.

Second- 3rd)  got better and tasted almost like a dark bland chocolate like toasted cocoa nibs with a hint of Cherry Coca Cola, was hard to find the sweetness tho like the cherry coke was so faint because the dark chocolate was so overpowering. Right when it seemed the smoke output would get better it backed off and I wasn't impressed it was still a struggle to get a good draw and thick smoke.

Final- 3rd) It was the same dark bland cocoa, the sweetness had faded so I could not make out the slight Cherry coke. Not great billowing smoke like I'd expect from this brand.

Overall was decent. I would not say great, or in my top 10 or top 20. Id take a billowing flavorful smoke of the Papas Fritas, or my favorite Nasty Fritas; that I feel this cigar was trying to be. I'll give this one another chance maybe another year and the cherry coke sweetness can come out, otherwise the flavor was pretty linear.

Like @Çnote pointed out. They leave out some of the best I've had. Id take many others that are not on the list like Plasencia and a Saka cigar over many of these any day. Saka, if on the list, would have cigars all over it imo. Sanj Patel as well makes phenomenal cigars that are $20 sticks for $5-$8

If you wanted a good dark oily smoke and better with a good price id recommend the lil Nasty Fritas for a short smoke; or the Papas Fritas if you have more time. The SP1014 black, Steve Sakas Red Meat Lovers, or if you want others less dark on the wrapper but still on the medium to full side, with some of the best flavor: Plasencia Reserve Original or the Plasencia Cosecha 146 and 149, the Alma Del Campo. Any of these Plasencias were better but that's just me.  

 

You didn’t smoke the right cigar. CA’s list has always been size-specific. They don’t award the entire blend. With Blackened, it was the corona that made the list, not the robusto. Blends might be the same on paper but in reality, performances vary from size to size in any given brand. Sometimes they vary greatly, which is why extrapolation doesn’t work here, even if you think the sizes are close.

[Cigar Surgeon]

6 hours ago, Carrie Nation said:

You didn’t smoke the right cigar. CA’s list has always been size-specific. They don’t award the entire blend. With Blackened, it was the corona that made the list, not the robusto. Blends might be the same on paper but in reality, performances vary from size to size in any given brand. Sometimes they vary greatly, which is why extrapolation doesn’t work here, even if you think the sizes are close.

I will point out they did do quite a few reviews of some of the contenders in multiple sizes. Over 200 eligible cigars this year. It was a lot of work this year to collect the data. 

The M81 got 95 in the corona, 92 in the corona doble and 92 in the Toro. During the resmoke process the Corona was still the winner. 

But agreed that many blends will stand out in a particular format. For most NC manufacturers they'll blend it to a Robusto and then adjust ratios to other sizes. 

[CeeBee]

Oliva Melanio; Toro,Torpedo,Figurado and Robusto. Robustos hold a special place in this attached photo from my daughters wedding where I officiated!

 

I have smoked the Opus X Reserva d'Chateau, the La Aroma de cuba Mi Amor Bellicoso, E.P. Carrillo Allegiance Confidant and Alec Bradley Prensado Torpedo. All of these are brands I usually smoke as my dailies.

[eaglebear29]

8 hours ago, Carrie Nation said:

You didn’t smoke the right cigar. CA’s list has always been size-specific. They don’t award the entire blend. With Blackened, it was the corona that made the list, not the robusto. Blends might be the same on paper but in reality, performances vary from size to size in any given brand. Sometimes they vary greatly, which is why extrapolation doesn’t work here, even if you think the sizes are close.

You are correct this is the robusto, and the corona is still resting. Good catch. I'll give that one some more time then try it out. I'd be curious to see how much different the flavor is with the sizes. Thanks for reminding me cause now you've got me curious if its gonna be a completely different experience.

[rondogg]

I am on mission right now to age all my Cubans so I smoke mostly NCs and am trying out everything I can under the sun.

What I see missing on this list is the Atabeys - I have smoked them , freaking loved them to the hilt. 

 

Melanio - super amazing , but I would age them 4+ years. 

Padron - too spicy for me even after 2 years - ammonia-esque flavours for me. 

My Father was a solid choice - I love it bought a pack will smoke again.

P2 - always a solid

 

What exactly is going on in the polls - I see CC being put in the jailhouse.

 

[Çnote]

7 hours ago, rondogg said:

What I see missing on this list is the Atabeys - I have smoked them , freaking loved them to the hilt 

Atabey hasn't ever been reviewed by CA. I would not be surprised if this is due to mutual agreement for a variety of issues.

[Glass Half Full]

On 12/22/2023 at 8:31 AM, Chibearsv said:

Nope, I guess I'll have to try the 1926 Maduro, since it's on the list.  I only tried the 1964 Maduro and it was very very good.  Better than I expected for my first Padron.

While I’m certainly no expert on Padron, I have enjoyed the 1926s much more than the 1964s — and also their Maduros much more than their Naturals.  Age helps too IMO. (The 50th anniversary Hammer Maduro was the best Padron I’ve ever had — gift worthy IMO.)