Top 5 Value Cigars of 2009

Dec 16, 2009 Cigar

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Tonight we continue our week of reflection by looking back at the Top 5 Value Cigars of 2009.

My criteria for this list is that the cigar had to be less than $6 MSRP and had to be available at the time of this post.

Away we go…

#5 – Excalibur 1066 Dark Knight Robusto

The Exclibur 1066 from Hoyo De Monterrey is a very dark very oily stick that was gifted to me by a regular at the cigar lounge I owned. He smoked these regularly and after having one, I saw why. The cigar was rich, well balanced and very, very smooth. Flavors of sweet tobacco and bitter coffee were all well integrated. The stick burns a little unevenly, but is definitely manageable.  It was fairly basic, but the medium body, nice flavor profile and great price of under $4 made me reach for it many times since he first introduced me to this stick.

#4 – Perdomo Habano Maduro Toro

Admittedly, I don’t often smoke many Perdomo sticks. I just don’t seem to buy them and while I don’t dislike them, I haven’t really found any of their lines that wowed me. Early in 2009, I was at CigarInn on the Upper East Side in Manhattan and the owner Gus suggested I try the Habano Maduro line as I browsed through his shop. After smoking it, I bought some more and continue to buy this smoke as a regular go to stick when I am brining cigars to a party or anywhere where there might be new smokers. It’s medium bodied, smooth and delicious. It’s got some earthy notes up front along with a woody, nuttiness. That flavor profile remains the same through the whole smoke. It burns beautifully and at under $5 a stick, I think it’s a real bargain for the quality.

#3 – Padron 3000 Maduro

Does anyone have a grasp of cigar making better than the Padrons? Every time I smoke a Padron I am always amazed at the quality. The “thousand” series as they are known could very well be the best value cigar ever. They usually aren’t the prettiest cigars, but the 3000 Maduro specifically, has a fantastic nose of leather and spice on the wrapper. It is full bodied with full flavors of unsweetened cocoa, wood and walnuts. It can burn a little funky, but nothing too bad. The 3000 Maduro is always consistent and always delivers full flavor and it a fantastic bargain cigar.

#2 – CAO La Traviata Robusto

CAO La Traviata is a full-bodied, full-flavored cigar that combines an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with a Cameroon binder and incorporates two different ligero filler tobaccos from the Pueblo Nuevo farm in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. “The inspiration for La Traviata came from smoking numerous classic Cuban cigars,” said CAO President Tim Ozgener. “We wanted to create a cigar that appealed to sight, smell, and taste.” I’d been hearing about this stick for a while and was very excited to try it when it was released. It did not disappoint. I got flavors of chestnut and earth along with a sweet spice that carried through the whole smoke. There was also some wood and some earth that came out as it transitioned. A beautifully oily wrapper and excellent construction all make this a winner for CAO.

#1 – Alec Bradley SCR Robusto

Alec Bradley has been very active over the last couple of years, releasing several new lines and vitolas. One of those lines is a bargain priced stick that really caught my attention. On a recent trip to Mexico, I packed about 20 smokes for the week I was going to be away. Of everything I brought, the one stick that really stood out in my mind was the SCR. When I got back to the states, I tried a few more to make sure I was correct. The stick is medium bodied and is incredibly smooth. The word “tasty” kept popping into my head as I picked up flavors of creamy coffee that were so distinct I felt like I just had a cuban coffee. There’s some light spice and some earthiness as well. A wonderfully balanced smoke that’s a great bargain.


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This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at 10:59 pm and is filed under Cigar. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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