Rating Cuban Cigar Vintage by year… it’s now 2024

[La_Tigre]

It’s now 2024 in Cigarmegeddon…

How do the years through ‘23 rank for quality of the past ~20 years?

2014

2015

2008

2009

2013

2012

2010

2011

2017

2016

 

Where would you place 2018-2023?

 

[Lt4-396]

We all can agree that recent production has been very good, this noticeably started around 2019 +/- a year. However we do not know how current production will be in 5, 10, 20 years time. Because of that this may need to be broken into two categories as certain years were less than enjoyable when fresh but have blossomed into amazing cigars. So quality for fresh vs quality for aged.

Then there is quality as construction and quality as flavor/nuances. Also, certain runs of specific brands or even specific cigars were phenomenal while others less then ideal. LUB 14' HU#2 comes to mind.

I know I added pretty much nothing to this topic regarding your question but am highly interested in what everyone thinks.

[La_Tigre]

I’d like to see all included average year ranking. It may be too early for 2023 and 2022. But I’d like see what everyone feel about 2019, 2020 & 2021 would fall for production and quality. 

[Salomones]

2022-2024 same Level like 2001. Maybe even worse.

[La_Tigre]

On 4/20/2024 at 1:28 AM, Salomones said:

2022-2024 same Level like 2001. Maybe even worse.

I’ve heard a few people say this but also that 2020 was one of the most quality years in a long while. Curious to get more input. 

[Lt4-396]

On 4/20/2024 at 2:28 AM, Salomones said:

2022-2024 same Level like 2001. Maybe even worse.

Care to expand on that a bit? Flavor? Construction? Consistency? All of the above?

[Arabian]

On 4/22/2024 at 6:32 AM, La_Tigre said:

I’ve heard a few people say this but also that 2020 was one of the most quality years in a long while. Curious to get more input. 

My best sticks were from 2020 while many sticks from 2023 are hit and miss. 

2 hours ago, Lt4-396 said:

Care to expand on that a bit? Flavor? Construction? Consistency? All of the above?

Uneven burn, harshness, some sticks were bland/ poor development while smoking in terms of flavor and taste, I’m noticing many cigars share very similar flavor profile while my 2020 sticks each one of them had its own unique flavor and smoking experience. Some were good, don’t get me wrong, but I had big expectations. I feel like they were rushed to meet demand and just get them out the door with any label you find on the table. My beloved D4 isn't giving me the rich Cuban twang while the Upmann Majestic were the most I enjoyed this year strangely. 

[MrFolgers]

2 hours ago, Arabian said:

Some were good, don’t get me wrong, but I had big expectations. I feel like they were rushed to meet demand and just get them out the door with any label you find on the table. 

I'm not a conspiracy nut and I can't provide a single shred of evidence, but this100% happened.

[gormag38]

On 4/20/2024 at 2:28 AM, Salomones said:

2022-2024 same Level like 2001. Maybe even worse.

I'm also interested in why you came upon this conclusion? I've heard sticks around 99-01 can be sort of hit or miss and I haven't smoked many 22-23 stock but from many comments I hear the quality the last couple years has been great. 

[Salomones]

Its all of that. Cultivated area for tobacco halved. Competent rollers are leaving the country. No electricity. No gasoline for tractors. Payments has not increased in line with inflation. The farmers prefer to plant vegetables and other food so that they at least have something to eat (after that the soil is no longer usable for tobacco). Provincial factories send their cigars to Havana to be sorted and boxed because they no longer have boxes or sorters. So the spread of taste and quality per box is more and more different. Matching tobacco for certain brands is missing. I can no longer taste the specific character of many Marcas.

And so on.

Just my opinion.

[La_Tigre]

On 4/24/2024 at 1:16 PM, Salomones said:

Its all of that. Cultivated area for tobacco halved. Competent rollers are leaving the country. No electricity. No gasoline for tractors. Payments has not increased in line with inflation. The farmers prefer to plant vegetables and other food so that they at least have something to eat (after that the soil is no longer usable for tobacco). Provincial factories send their cigars to Havana to be sorted and boxed because they no longer have boxes or sorters. So the spread of taste and quality per box is more and more different. Matching tobacco for certain brands is missing. I can no longer taste the specific character of many Marcas.

And so on.

Just my opinion.

2020 and 2021 seemed to have some of the most quality tobacco of the previous 10 years. I know the years were top on a lot of lists at the time for quality and smoking well young. I have not sampled much of current production. But I fully understand how things have declined on the island exponentially year over year since the pandemic. Not to say the situation was not already in decline since the cruises and tourism changes but it seems far, far worse.