Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Sure, same thing Spectator claims :D

Yet, I am not aware of ANY wine they actually buy save in some extreme cases (and to be honest can't think of one right now). I am also not aware of ANY wine not submitted and getting a review, basically if someone doesn't want to be reviewed they simply don't provide wine, Spectator does not go out and buy that wine (same for Advocate, BTW, no matter what Parker claims, personal experience as well). Spectator sends their tasting schedule out at the end of the year for next year's dates, to ensure wineries send the wines in on time.

I am 99.9% sure this is how Aficionado operates as well, the model has been established by Spectator for them.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

I have smoked a majority of the top 10 (except HU#2, & Camacho) and from my perspective, they have some great sticks on the list. Personally, I would rather see a TOP 25 list with no rankings...just a list of the 25 best of the year. If I had to pick a cigar of the year, I'd go with the Tatuaje 7th Reserva.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

La Aroma de Cuba...bringing back a legendary cigar that was one of the favorites of non other than Winston Churchill. NICE!

I've smoked the Mi Amor as well as the Robusto and personally prefer the Robusto. Very nice medium bodied smoke with flavors of nutmeg and drawn butter...great smoke.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

I actually enjoy many of the cigars on the list, including the Camacho Corojo which is kinda funny because I'm not really into full bodied smokes.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Funny how palates and therefore opinions, differ. I like the Air Benders and think their regular line is sub-standard. I don't know if it is the 10th best of the year, but it is one of those I'd choose near the top

Peace of the Lrod be with you.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

The Padron 45th is fantastic. Upmann's are great. The Le Matin is very good but not sure it makes my top 10. Same with the Opus.

Are they saying that the 45th got worse or others got better? They should have just left the 45th out of the running.

I actually heard #1 was a toss up between Hammer & Sickle and Warlock.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

If the number #1 cigar is Hammer and Sickle... I don't know, but that might be the worst cigar I've had, no joke.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

While I have not had a Hammer & Sickle, I have had a Warlock. It was decent but not worthy of a top 25 even. Surely you jest.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Swisher Sweets and Backwoods might make it.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

:hy

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Big ad spender, does not surprise me!!

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

I have smoked quite a few cigars that weren't any good untill the final third. They should rename the list to the top 25 best portions of a cigar. This is like writing a review on a cars handling and performance after driving it in a parking lot. Sounds good but its just incomplete work.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Seriously? Where did you find this info Wayne?

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Yeah, my bad. Should have kept reading. Thanks for the info, I had no idea that's how they did it. And you know, I can have a good feeling if I'm going to like a cigar a half inch into it, but I couldn't tell you how many cigars I'll never buy again because of the way they tasted over the second half of the cigar after starting out pretty damn good.

Whatever, I'm not knocking them nor relying on them for the info. It is what it is. :tu

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

The 25 Best Cigars of the Year 2010
Cohiba Behike BHK 52
1 In 2010, which will likely go down as the year of the Cuban cigar, we smoked many fine Havana-made smokes, from majestic double coronas to bracing robustos, and found the quality of Cuban cigars to be at its best since the mid-1990s. And no cigar from Cuba—or from anywhere else for that matter—impressed our tasting panel as much as the Cohiba Behike BHK 52. This is a classic cigar. The shortish, fat smoke, made with an artful pigtail and clad in gorgeous Colorado wrapper of reddish brown, is a phenomenally rich, delicious smoke that more than lives up to the reputation of cigars with the name Cohiba. It is the finest cigar to come out of Cuba in a long time, and Cigar Aficionado’s top cigar of 2010.

A new cigar that was unveiled in February 2010 at the Habanos Festival in Cuba, the Behike BHK 52 has made its way to markets around the world since its launch in London in May. It is the thinnest in a trio of new sizes, all of which have tidy little pigtail caps and names that include their ring gauges. The Behike BHK 52 is a petit robusto, a size known as a Laguito No. 4 in Cuban cigar factories, and it wowed our tasting panel from the get-go. In a vertical brand tasting in the June 8 Cigar Insider the BHK 52 scored 94 points, the best of a trio that includes the BHK 54 and the very fat BHK 56. The 52 has remained delicious ever since, performing admirably in taste test after taste test as Behikes have sold out in world markets.

Cohiba has long been a marquee name in Cuban cigars. This new smoke has done what no special release Cohiba has done before: win critical acclaim as well as commercial success. The original Cohiba Behike from 2006 was unavailable to nearly all smokers—only 4,000 cigars were released at a price of $400 or more per cigar. The Cohiba Siglo VI Grand Reserva debuted in 2009 at a price of about £85 ($130), with only 75,000 cigars produced. The Behike BHK 52 combines the excitement of those rare Cohibas with a much larger production goal—150,000 in 2011. The Cuban cigar industry will continue to make batches of it every year in the stately El Laguito factory.

Cohiba Behike BHK cigars are made with a portion of filler tobacco known as medio tiempo, a type of sun-grown tobacco leaf that grows at the top of some, but not all tobacco plants. The cigars show great balance even in youth, with a medium to full body, creamy coffee flavors and some earthiness. They show elements of Cuban cigars of old, and should get even better with age—if you can be patient.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

I heard that the Behike 52 was a good stick by some but many others have panned it. I wonder how such a stick can become #1...

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

The same way that some of the other crap in the Top 25 gets there, Michael....taste is subjective. :)

(I am not saying the Behike 52 is crap, I haven't had one...I am just saying that I am sure every other cigar on the list is praised by some and panned by others).

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

But if your car can't handle in a parking lot, then why would you buy it? Similarly, I'm not interesting in buying a cigar that has a lousy beginning.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Is anyone really surprised ? BHK 52 at number 1. I think most figured that out about 2 minutes after hearing/reading Cigar Afficianado cream themselves over just the announcement of the release of the cigar.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

I smoked a Behike and it was top 3 for cigars I smoked the last two years. The others were a VR Farmie double robusto and a personal blend from Don Alejandro.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

One maduro in the top ten?? Come on man!!!

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Was waiting for you to notice Mac....

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

:bs :bs :bs :bs

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

No kidding. One too many. ;)

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Watch your mouth!! :D

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Was very surprised to see the Viaje take the number 2 spot. I heard rumors today that the Oro line was being discontinued. Anyone know if this is in fact truth?

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

I hope not...I really LOVE the Reserva. Most "slept on" stick of 2010 IMHO.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Did you guys look at the Top 25 list at your b&m? I was in a hurry, so I didn't take a good look at it.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Its up on the CA website.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

awesome..good to see Viaje on that list.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

I don't put stock into it either but the La Aroma Mi Amor is fabulous.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Personal preference. :D

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

WayneR provided a link where one of the reviewers in, Mott Gordon, might be the head of the panel, took offense to all the accusations about them being influenced by big dollar advertisements. You should take a look. He explained in details how they buy the cigars themselves, smoke unbanded, and in the same environment as much as possible.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Did you wonder the same about Casa Magna?

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Its odd that Aficionado proclaimed 2010 as the "Year of the Cuban Cigar," but only three cigars from Cuba mad it onto the top 25.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

They claimed that because the cigars that did make the list had a touch of the wonderful Cuban taste of the '90's. Apparently things are looking up for Cuba.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

They MAY be buying some cigars since price wise it may allow them the luxury to do so IF THEY BUY SINGLES. Wine wise, there is no way in hell they can purchase 2 bottles of each (their minimum requirement) and stay in business. No one can. Parker and his similar claims included...

I can check, but I am sure that cigar manufacturers send them boxes of cigars instead of singles for easier and safer shipping (damage wise). Look at their back pages' "old stock" reviews. Do you really think they buy singles? It would create a nightmare for them just to store singles and keep track of and if they store boxes (as I bet they do to keep the whole thing sane, alpha system of storage, easier handling with no damage to cigars when they re-stock/buy new cigars, etc.), then same as with wine they cannot afford to buy cigars they test.

No, I do not produce cigars and no, I have no proof of their cigar review process, but based on my PERSONAL experience with their wine side (which cigars' side is based upon), I can assure you that their claims are questionable, at best, no matter what they say in public.

For example, their claim of "unbanded" cigars. As I already pointed out somewhere above, there is a good number of cigars that don't need a band to be easily recognized (Padron anyone?, some perfectos, there are other shapes and wrappers that easily give out the cigar), so their claims are half valid to begin with even for unbanded cigars. Cigars are not like wine, when they pour some in glass and place it in front of you, and you only see the color of wine and that's it (and vintage as well, which is usually given up front). For someone looking at cigars daily as a job, band is not much needed to recognize a stick in many cases.

I've observed their main wine guy in a blind tasting. Not impressed at all and his TRUE blind scores (since I controlled the tasting set up and made really blind with each and every wine decanted into same shape/size bottle prior) were pretty much opposite to what was printed in the magazine for same wines and producers. He later admitted to that in his wine blog, kudos to him for coming clean, that took guts.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

You seem to know a lot about wine tasting process and very convinced about it's similarity with cigar tasting process. I have no experience with both (blind tasting) so I won't debate you about it. However, I have no reason to disprove of what Mott Gordon said either besides the "they give high marks to advertisers" theory.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

I think they got it right this time.... well at least close.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Never going to please everyone. I agree with some but not others. I was pleased to see Viaje finally getting some attention. I don't think any Camacho belongs in the top 50. :2

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

I really don't get all the Camacho hate. Its fine if they're not to your tastes, but they're certainly very high quality cigars. I get that Honduran tobacco isn't everyone's favorite, but to those that enjoy it the Camacho Corojo is a great cigar(imo).

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

I use to love Camachos. Not sure what happen. It's probably my taste buds but they taste flat now. Maybe I should revisit the corojo.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

their top 10 isn't bad, but their 11-25 is horrendous

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

50 different people would have 50 different lists.

Smoke what you like, like what you smoke....who gives a rat's ass about CA's list anyway? :r

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Is that said tongue in cheek? I'm not sure with the ROFL smilie and all.

The majority of people who would smoke a cigar would care about the CA list. Vendors, B&M's and the manufacturer's themselves care greatly about it.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

Not sure who the majority is. But at least in my circle of cigar friends, very rarely someone is influenced by what is on the CA list. They are set on what they like to smoke. They might try another cigar once in a while, but most of the time, they will smoke their regular cigar.

The cigar shop I hang out will see a few new comers asking for the cigars from the CA list. Being a small shop, the owner will rarely deviate from his best seller and go out stock boxes of what's in the CA Top 25 list.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

I used to, when I first started smoking and was trying everything. Now I see it and laugh most of the time.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

I can understand why vendors, B&Ms and the manufacturer's themselves would care greatly about it, Wayne.

Cigar smokers? Not so much.

Re: Cigar Aficionado..top 10 of 2010...
 

While I agree that some and most who participate on forums will care less, we are in the minority as far as the overall cigar market is concerned. Furthermore, most B&M's that I have been to will display ratings from cigar mag or CA on the box itself.