List your 94+ Cigar Experiences of 2025.

[El Presidente]

List your 94+ Cigar Experiences of 2025.   Most of you have had at least one ....hopefully 

Cuban and Non Cuban. If listing a Cuban cigar, let us know the year if you can. 

What is a 94 point cigar? 

The cigar is exceptional in the essential characteristics of  Flavour, Complexity, Construction. A 94+ cigar will make you stop everything else that you are doing to focus on its unique magnificence. You are stunned at the level of perfection, engagement and layered journey that this cigar delivers. 

They are a rare cigar experience. However when they hit it is not something that you will likely forget. 

Let us know your 94+ experiences of 2025 

 

[JohnS]

My three standout 94+ cigar experiences of 2025 have been:

1. Quai d'Orsay Imperiales 2022 - UBL Jul 2023
2. Romeo y Julieta Churchills 2019 - Habanos Añejados - ALP Mar 2007
3. Partagas Serie du Connaisseur No.1

[Chibearsv]

Does 99 count? - Repost from July:

Oh boy. My cigar of the year has been dethroned. CPE Tubos 2018, only one left after this one. Kaleidoscope of flavors, Medium full strength, balanced, dare I say perfection. 

[El Niño]

I had a PL Montecarlo that really stopped me in my tracks back in June.

A Carlota a back in September really knocked my socks off too.

[Lucas Buck]

Perhaps I’m a generous grader (though I consider myself very hard to please) but I’ve had some stupendous cigars this year all so close to perfect I had to call them 94+

 

‘24 Partagas Salomones (don’t recall the last cigar this young that blew me away)

’02 BBF SLB

’70s RyJ Coronas

’00 RASS Cab

’04 VR Unicos

’09 PLMC

’03 Mag 46 Cab

’01 SLR PC Tubos

’97 ERDM Grandes de España

’02 CCE Reservas

’01 Esplendidos

’05 Punch Punch Cab

’16 Hoyo Le San Juan (likely my cigar of the year)

’04 Coloniales

’04 Reyes

’03 Cohiba DC EL

‘05 PSP2 

‘02 Cohiba Robustos

[NYGuido]

Limiting it to Cuban cigars, they are:

'19 Cohiba Robusto

'20 Montecristo 1935 Dumas

'20 Sancho Panza Belicoso 

'20 Bolivar Belicosos Finos

Adding in non-Cuban just gets the Davidoff Millennium Robusto and Padron Family Reserve #44 Maduro.

 

[Goldeneye]

Cigar of the year for me was a '22 MC PLPC that I had in March. After a long winter it finally warmed up enough to enjoy the sunshine on my deck with a pint of the good stuff and my pup. Not 100% sure if the cigar was perfect but everything about the setting and the hour outside sitting in the spring sun sure was.

[westg]

99 points Behike 56 2014. What a thrill enjoyed with Miner and Joker. Just beautiful. The texture and softness of the smoke. Cream, honey, spongecake and a hint of perfect spice. Going at around $920 for current stock a stick in Aus, it really did measure up to such an extravagant price point. Almost perfect. 

[mikejh]

Top 4 from 2025:

2011 Petit Edmundo

Punch Gran Puro

Fuente Anejo

2023 Partagas D4

[westg]

Can someone bring the 94 + plus thread back to life? I thought this was it. Can't seem to find it! 😎

[westg]

'24 Diplomaticos No 2 -  95 points.

Partagas Serie du Connaisseur No 1 GSO ABR O7 - 97 points. 

St Luis Rey Regios from Robert Ayala - 95 points. 

[Ford2112]

Amazing smoke! 

[TheFez]

Two cigars that really stopped me in my tracks this year.

NC- Byron Londinenses. I was outside watching the kids on a Sunday and lit up something I hadn't tried that had been sitting in my humidor a while. I was busy and wasn't really paying much attention but within the first few minutes the cigar grabbed me and never let go. The complexity and variety of flavors, the richness through and through, it just pulled me into a zone that I normally have to make a conscious effort to be in. I was outside savoring it long after the kids had gone inside.

CC- Surprisingly a 24 SLR Regios. I kept getting this overwhelming full mouth sweetness that tasted like someone literally placed apple and sugar on my tongue, like on every single puff. I've tasted sweetness in cigars before but never to this degree. Besides for that, the cigar had a lot of flavor and complexity and burned perfectly it was overall just ridiculously enjoyable. I feel like that cigar is the dragon I'm going to be chasing through this box, wildly unlikely it will last 6 months.

[Rinze]

2019 CoRo. It was my first CoRo, a single I had purchased from a shop in Greece over the summer. And now the bar has been set for all future CoRos. Just an extremely satisfying smoke from beginning til nub.

[Gemini_Man]

'23 QDO Imperiales is COY for me.

'20 Partagas D4 x2. 2 from the same box have been identically divine.

'20 Upmann Connie A.

'23 Upmann Sir Winston.

BR Petite 109

'23 RG Coronas de Lonsdales. Most cuban twang of the year.

'20 CoRo. Total knee slapper.

[pohlmad]

Not sure on the year but I had two QD52’s this year and they were both 94+!  

[JDoughty]

#1 without a doubt was the first Bond Roberts Linea D #1 I smoked. That one was right up there with the best of the historical greats I've been lucky enough to sample. I've been chasing that experience and trying to figure out what made that first one so incredible while subsequent attempts haven't -quite- panned out to the same caliber yet. I would pay 10x the price for another of the same caliber as that first one and consider it a bargain. Well over 94+. 

#2 was a Montecristo #2 that had been aging for who knows how long. Quite a few years certainly, but I don't recall how many and I'm terrible at keeping track of my inventory. Superb indeed, but that first BR was better.

I've had some others that were quite enjoyable. I had great fun smoking through all of the Fabrica005 cigars, many of which were solidly in the 89-92 range even with just a few months of aging. I pulled out some of my 100+ year old Spanish Joy cigars and old Dunhills to share with a very good friend and those were excellent. A bit too faded to reach into the 90's on a straight up taste scoring, but still a memorable experience to smoke. 

[WestCoastSmokin]

Gonna list a few of each

CC:

Montecristo no. 5 from 2018: This one really blew my socks off and made me fall in love with the No.5. Sadly only 12 left from that 2018 box, hope to track down some more soon.

Connie A from 2022: I’ve had a few really great ones from my current box, lots of Cuban twang mixed in with chocolate, cream, leather, cedar. Very thankful a friend made that box available to me.

Bolivar Belicosos Finos from 2023: If I had more than one box these would be a staple in my rotation. I’ve had zero issues with this cigar and box 🤞🏻
 

NC:

MOFOH Robusto Trinity: I believe it was the third one in from a 5 pack. Really opened my eyes and convinced me to buy a 25 bundle. Can’t wait to dig into those! 

Davidoff The Late Hour: I know Davidoff has been catching some heat from the NC cigar people but I really enjoy that cigar a lot and it’s my favorite one from the brand.

Oliva Serie V Melanio: This is my number 1 go to NC cigar. Always gives me lots of sweet chocolate flavor with some leather in there. For me it’s a perfect cigar. 

[zacca]

What’s everyone’s scoring rubric like?

- Is it more of a feel? Like “that's 94 points” or “that's 90 points”?

- Do you deduct a certain amount of points for flaws or other things and keep a mental tab?

I feel like my methodology may be too strict -  here’s what I came up with and have been using when I actually want to sit down and think about scoring. I end up with good smokes in the 80s and an exceptional rarity breaks 90. Most points are lost in flavor, finish, and enjoyment.

1. Appearance (5 pts)

• 5 = Flawless, oily, uniform
• 3–4 = Minor imperfections
• 1–2 = Blemishes, cracks

Score: /5

2. Burn & Draw (15 pts)

• 13–15 = Perfect resistance, even burn

• 9–12 = Mostly fine, minor corrections

• ≤8 = Relights, tunneling, major flaws

Score: /15

3. Flavor (Balance & Complexity) (25 pts)

• 21–25 = Rich, complex, transitions

• 16–20 = Balanced, mostly linear

• 11–15 = Muted or simple

• ≤10 = Harsh, bitter, muddled

Score: /25

4. Body & Strength Integration (10 pts)

• 9–10 = Perfectly balanced

• 6–8 = Slight imbalance

• ≤5 = Harsh or flat

Score: /10

5. Finish / Aftertaste (10 pts)

• 9–10 = Long, pleasant finish

• 6–8 = Clean but unremarkable

• ≤5 = Short, bitter, harsh

Score: /10

6. Enjoyment / X-Factor (15 pts)

• 13–15 = Memorable, box-worthy

• 9–12 = Solid, but not standout

• 6–8 = Average, forgettable

• ≤5 = Disappointing

Score: /15

7. Aroma (Pre-light & Retrohale) (5 pts)

• 5 = Rich and engaging

• 3–4 = Light but pleasant

• ≤2 = Flat or acrid

Score: /5

8. Consistency Across Thirds (15 pts)

• 13–15 = Steady or improved

• 9–12 = Minor dips

• ≤8 = Major decline

Score: /15

TOTAL: /100

[Li Bai]

Among CCs,

A 2020 Monte 1 

A 2022 Qdo 52

A 2023 Punch 48.

[joeypots]

I see a few cigars on CCWS that got 5 stars this year. My scoring system, developed over many years of cigar connoisseurship, goes something like this, ick, ok, mmmmmm, yea baby, OMG. 

MC#1, ESL '17

CORO GEL '20

BCG PUR '15

MCDE DIC '16

[ElLoboLoco]

Weird year, I can’t think of a single cigar I would have given a 94 + to…now I am bummed 🤣. I will say on average, I didn’t smoke any duds and my average cigar experience is way up.

Romeo Y Julieta Pyramide Anejado was best Cuban cigar, 93 Rating or a 7 for my scoring.

Casdagli Basilica Lancero, best NC, 93 Rating or 7.

I smoked less than 10 Cubans this year but hopefully will improve that this year.

I generally rate on a 1-7 scale, George read it on a Lizards Podcast this year. It helps me root out what’s worth putting in my rotation, what’s a treat smoke and so forth 

I feel like the 100 point scale for most palates, simply put, has too many numbers. Most cigars seem to land in the 80 to 100 range. Let’s face it, no one is rating something a 34. 🤣

[NYGuido]

8 hours ago, zacca said:

What’s everyone’s scoring rubric like?

- Is it more of a feel? Like “that's 94 points” or “that's 90 points”?

- Do you deduct a certain amount of points for flaws or other things and keep a mental tab?

I feel like my methodology may be too strict -  here’s what I came up with and have been using when I actually want to sit down and think about scoring. I end up with good smokes in the 80s and an exceptional rarity breaks 90. Most points are lost in flavor, finish, and enjoyment.

1. Appearance (5 pts)

• 5 = Flawless, oily, uniform
• 3–4 = Minor imperfections
• 1–2 = Blemishes, cracks

Score: /5

2. Burn & Draw (15 pts)

• 13–15 = Perfect resistance, even burn

• 9–12 = Mostly fine, minor corrections

• ≤8 = Relights, tunneling, major flaws

Score: /15

3. Flavor (Balance & Complexity) (25 pts)

• 21–25 = Rich, complex, transitions

• 16–20 = Balanced, mostly linear

• 11–15 = Muted or simple

• ≤10 = Harsh, bitter, muddled

Score: /25

4. Body & Strength Integration (10 pts)

• 9–10 = Perfectly balanced

• 6–8 = Slight imbalance

• ≤5 = Harsh or flat

Score: /10

5. Finish / Aftertaste (10 pts)

• 9–10 = Long, pleasant finish

• 6–8 = Clean but unremarkable

• ≤5 = Short, bitter, harsh

Score: /10

6. Enjoyment / X-Factor (15 pts)

• 13–15 = Memorable, box-worthy

• 9–12 = Solid, but not standout

• 6–8 = Average, forgettable

• ≤5 = Disappointing

Score: /15

7. Aroma (Pre-light & Retrohale) (5 pts)

• 5 = Rich and engaging

• 3–4 = Light but pleasant

• ≤2 = Flat or acrid

Score: /5

8. Consistency Across Thirds (15 pts)

• 13–15 = Steady or improved

• 9–12 = Minor dips

• ≤8 = Major decline

Score: /15

TOTAL: /100

I think your rubric is more thorough than Habanos’ own level of give a crap 😂 

[zacca]

6 hours ago, NYGuido said:

I think your rubric is more thorough than Habanos’ own level of give a crap 😂 

Like my inventory spreadsheets haha…it’s what happens when you’re a data hoarder.

[gormag38]

BRE JUN 18 Connie B...just recently dethroned my previous COTY. The honey, cake like flavors in the first two thirds were amazing. Like chewing on a cake almost. 

LEM ENE 12 898...this was my previous COTY. I was floored at how good this was and really got me excited about what my 2016 898s may turn into. 

LUB MAY 14 HU2...such a good cigar. Literally no harsh edges; even at the nub. 

RAT OCT 20 Siglo III...just started to really dig into these and so far they have blown away my expectations.