Cigars and Tobacco Favorites for 2016

[nutcracker]

So - I thought I might reflect on my favorite smokes for the year. Would be interested in your top 1 or 2 in a couple of categories. Could be your go to smoke, or just something that caught your attention. Should be stuff that is sort of at least available. Make up your own categories.

My list:

Best NC cigar - DE Liga Privada Dirty Rat (lonsdales)
Best CC - Partagas 8-9-8
Best short smoke - AF Short Story (maduro)

Best Pipe tobacco (English and Balkans) - Peretti Tashkent and GLP Abingdon (a tie)
Best aromatic - Lane 1Q (also most economical)
Most cellared in my collection (ageworthy) : GLP Gaslight.

Most disappointing smoke of 2016: Samuel Gawith 1792.

[icehog3]

Most surprising cigar : Romeo y Julieta Belicoso
Most consistent cigar - H. Upmann Connie 1
Most often smoked (go-to): Ramon Allones Small Club Corona
Most disappointing: 2015 vintage Monte #4

[Porch Dweller]

Best NC: Probably Padron 1296
Best CC: 14' RASCC (my CC collection is rather small. )
Most often smoked: Probably a toss-up between Oliva V Double Robusto, DPJ JJ Selectos, and Undercrown Corona Viva.

[Weelok]

Ah, love this time of year but it's so challenging to distill the list to top.

Best NC for 2016: Viaje Atlantic Cigar 20th Anniversary WLP 20th Limited Edition Toro
Best CC I smoked in 2016: Partagas Serie P No 2
Most often smoked: Probably the Man O' War Ruination but could be Surrogate Skull Breaker.

[markem]

Best cigar: '10 Monsdale
Most smoked: '12 Partagas Shorts (went through one cab and on to the second)
Most disappointing: '15 Siglo II
My runner up for best and most smoked is the QdO Coronas.

[hammondc]

Best NC : Padron 64
Best CC : Monte #5
Best Pipe : Balkan Sobraine

I must say that I have really moved towards the pipe this year. I bet i smoked less than a dozen cigars in 2016, but have gone through LOT of pipe tobacco. Had a cigar last night Quesada Oktoberfest) and it didn't do much for me. Cigars have become a bit one dimensional to me as of late.

[jonumberone]

Best cigar: Partagas 109 from the 150th humidor- smoked this back in January and I can still taste how good it was.
Most smoked: Upmann Mag 46's - Between freshies and the few boxes of 05's I've smoked through quite a lot of them this year.
Most disappointing: 2011 RA El's - gave in and finally cracked a box. Terrible construction.
Most surprising: Trinidad Vigia - didn't expect the flavor bomb from a 54rg cigar.
Most consistent: MUR 12 Rascc - went through 2+ boxes every one was superb. Placed my last box on my do not open until Christmas 2037 shelf.

[Ripplingh2o]

Best Cigar - 1980's RyJ Corona (blind taste test from DBall)(TUA)
2nd Best Cigar - Drew Estates Undercrown
3rd Best Cigar - Partagas 1845
4th Best Cigar - Cohiba Red Dot Corona
Best Short Stick - Monte No. 4 box pressed

[dijit]

Best NC: Tatuaje Saint n Sinners 2015
Best CC: 14 HdM Epicure #2 tubo (I think it was a 14 may have been older)
Most often smoked: Sosa limited edition 3rd harvest torpedo
Need more research: Alec Bradley Family Blend the Lineage.

[RevSmoke]

Most enjoyed cigar: Padron '64 Principe (from 2008) smoked with my sons on our fishing trip. Not sure if it was the cigar, or the fact that all 3 of us smoked one and discussed it.

My "go to" smoke this past year: El Rey del Mundo Robusto

My "go to" baccy for this past year: Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake

My "Wow me" baccy for thi past year: Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake from 1994 (had been sealed in a 1/2 pint mason jar and lost behind other jars)

Peace of the Lord be with you.

[croatan]

Originally Posted by icehog3

Most disappointing: 2015 vintage Monte #4

Well there's your first problem: 2015 isn't vintage

--

Best cigar: Partagas Dunhill Seleccion No. 150. These are probably my favorite cigar ever smoked. Had another one this year when The Professor was in town.

Go to: H Upmann Half Coronas. I don't even know how many of these I've smoked this year. Great little cigars.

Most disappointing: I had a plugged '97 Cohiba Lancero from a box I got a few years ago, the rest of which have all been stellar--so good that I'm down to my last couple. And this one was just a huge bummer.

Best pipe tobacco: I went on a little pipe hiatus for a while but recently rediscovered them (which tends to happen in winter for me), but I found an old can of GL Pease Odyssey, which really hit the spot (plus some Balkan Sobranie for good measure)

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by croatan

Well there's your first problem: 2015 isn't vintage

Add another suprising cigar: Trinidad Vigia, flavor bombs!

[Wharf Rat]

My new fave (not a new intro) is the Espinosa Laranja Corona Gorda. I've spent too much on them!

[jrw]

Best NC: I only had a couple of NCs, but a Tatauje was very nice, I don't remember what line.
Best CC: 2015 Cuaba Salomón. Must stop smoking them so I can age some! But they're so good fresh!
Most surprising: 2015 Bolívar Belicoso. Flavor bombs but again I must lay off so some can age to their potential.
Most smoked: Among several within the Partagás marca.
Best pipe tobacco: Sadly, none. I haven't smoked a pipe in 40+ years, had a nice collection of pipes (where are they today?). Got an urge to start again, saw a pipe on here that intrigued me but when it arrived the stem was fitted so tightly that I couldn't get it out of the heel (as I invent my own technical jargon) and I knew it could never come out for cleaning, so I never smoked the pipe (luckily I hadn't gone tabaccy shopping yet).

[mahtofire14]

Best NC: Nica Rustica. Man am I glad I gave that stick a shot. I would've chalked it up to another run of the mill broadleaf cigar until I read it had a San Andreas binder thrown in the mix. That's what triggered my buy on those. Now in my regular rotation.

Most surprising: 5 or so year old Genesis The Project. Hadn't thought much of them when I smoked them right away but forgot I stowed one just in case and it hit all the right marks.

Most disappointing: LP Papas Fritas. I'm not sure what it is with these. Love the other LP tobaccos which these are made from. Just a pure spice bomb for me.

Best pipe baccy would be Esoterica Stonehaven. Was the first time I'd had some in my possession. Absolutely perfect balance for my tastes in somewhat limited pipe experience.

[Sancho]

Best Cigar, old Monte 5
Best pipe baccy, some Margate I put up in '08. First time I ever emptied a tin in a few weeks, normally it gets opened and smoked over a year or two.