2016 Cigars of the Year

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The 2016 Cigars of the Year list from Cigar Aficionado kicked off with a 96-point powerhouse blend from La Flor Dominicana. Packed with Dominican tobacco and wrapped in an Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper, the judges praised its notes of hickory, leather, and exotic spice. It was an outstanding achievement for blender Litto Gomez, and his first #1 win. #2 was a fantastic broadleaf blend from Rocky Patel. The Sun Grown Maduro combined Nicaraguan long-filler tobacco with a down-home Connecticut broadleaf. These trunk-pressed beauties had earthy bittersweet chocolate notes, along with nuttiness that was hard to resist. In a huge blend portfolio, it can be hard to select a “best ever,” but this is a strong candidate for Mr. Patel’s finest cigar, along with the Decade and a few others. The #3 cigar on the 2016 Cigars of the Year rankings was a Cuban Partagas cigar – not available in the US. Next to it at #4 was the E.P. Carrillo Selección Oscuro, a cigar that incorporated tobacco from Nicaragua, Ecuador, and Mexico. This dark blend had surprising fruit notes and heralded the Cigar of the Year blends that were on the way in coming years for Perez-Carrillo. The 2016 Cigars of the Year list continued with a perennial favorite – a Padrón. As a company that practically lives on this list, Padrón is never a surprise to find here. This year it was the 1926 blend that had 94 points and was the pride of the brand. The signature cocoa, earth, and coffee were all there, much like an old friend you can always rely on. If you want a blend from the 2016 Cigars of the Year list that is almost guaranteed to be good, no matter when you buy it, this is probably it. Padrón simply doesn’t disappoint. The #6 spot belonged to a company with a similar pedigree: Arturo Fuente. The Rosado Sungrown Magnum R showcased the company’s delicious Dominican tobacco and added a ten-year-aged Ecuador wrapper to create a blend that showed restraint and balance. The flavors are desserty and completely satisfying,