Cigar Aficionado

Cigar Aficionado is a magazine for the man who enjoys life’s great pleasures: fine dining and entertaining, the finest wines and spirits, world travel and the arts. At the heart of every issue is the cigar: what to smoke, where to smoke, and how to enjoy a great smoke.

highlights • Bold, earthy flavors are the common thread among the highest scores of the issue, and they were beautifully rendered via Nicaraguan and Cuban tobaccos. Padrón and Ramon Allones deliver elements of cocoa, leather and coffee with balance and richness while Nat Cicco gives us a Churchill that could easily cost twice as much.

Cigar Inflation

out of the humidor • Our July/August cover package on Cuba after the embargo inspired a tremendous reader response, with far more letters than we typically get for an issue of CIGAR AFICIONADO. Most polarizing was our call to end the embargo. We have organized the responses into those who were in agreement with our position, and those who were against.

Cigar Aficionado • VOL. 30 NO. 6

good life guide • Living well demands that we indulge in things that are of superior quality and excellent origin. This guide aspires to find and recommend the best of everything to aficionados of the good life.

Bahama House, Harbour Island, Bahamas

Elie Bleu Cutters

Sea Ray Sundancer 370

Fresh White Truffles

Battle of the Pumped SUVs

Stadium VIP Suites

A TALE OF 2 CIGAR FAMILIES • Fuente and Padrón, two of the most lauded cigar companies in the world, have joined together on a special project

FAMILY TIES • Fifteen family-owned cigar companies

NFL PREVIEW • THE 2022 FOOTBALL SEASON FEATURES THE RETURN OF TOM BRADY, AARON RODGERS AND MANY MORE BIG NAMES

BILLS DEFEAT BUCS 27-23

Brad Paisley COUNTRY MEGASTAR • Mother Church

Mike Ditka • NFL LEGEND • Camacho Triple Maduro Robusto

Mel Tucker • COLLEGE COACH • Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series No. 4

Martin Kove • COBRA KAI BAD GUY • Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill

Dick Ebersol • MEDIA MOGUL • Montecristo No. 2

Charles Woodson • FOOTBALL PLAYER & ANALYST • Davidoff Escurio Gran Toro

Cuban Cigar Prices Soar • Cuban cigars—particularly Cohibas and Trinidads—are suddenly more expensive, with some prices approaching $100 or more

churchills • With the cost of cigars steadily rising—and almost everything else for that matter—the Nat Cicco Casino Real Churchill is most welcomed news. Topping the category, the Nicaraguan cigar scored 91 points and retails for a little over $6. Nat Cicco has always positioned itself as a value brand, but a large-format, handmade cigar with such a high score and relatively low retail price is a true throwback to a pre-inflation economy. Foundation Cigar Co. brings us the Tabernacle Havana Seed CT No. 142 Double Corona, a 90-point Churchill made in Nicaragua by A.J. Fernandez. It’s named after the seed varietal of the wrapper, which is grown in Connecticut. According to brand owner Nick Melillo, this type of wrapper is difficult to cure due to its high levels of naturally occurring oil.

figurados • When it comes to something like Viennese café culture, there’s an expectation of richness and opulence. The same could be said about high-end cigars from Padrón. Expectations were more than met with the Padrón Serie 1926 80 Years, which scored 94 points and was the top cigar of the entire category. And like a hot cup of Viennese espresso with an Austrian chocolate pastry on the side, this double-tapered figurado delivers all the notes of coffee bean and cocoa with the body and elegance that Padrón is known for. From the Dominican Republic, the La Flor Dominicana Oro Chisel scored 93 points and is an homage to brand owner Litto Gomez’s previous career as a jeweler. The blend is...