Cigar Aficionado March/April 2020

highlights

It’s an impressive issue brimming with high scores from six cigar-producing countries, though all these fantastic cigars may seem overshadowed by the Padrón Family Reserve No. 44, which dominated the entire tasting section. At 95 points, it’s a classic smoke and an unforgettable blockbuster, each puff more richly detailed than the last. NICARAGUA TOP FIGURADO PADRÓN FAMILY RESERVE NO. 44 MADURO This famous Padrón, made with some of the company’s oldest tobaccos, was a stunning classic, so rich and sophisticated it’s in a class of its own. 95 NICARAGUA TOP CHURCHILL PADRÓN SERIE 1926 NO. 1 MADURO It’s not only the biggest cigar in the Padrón Serie 1926 line but also the highest scoring Churchill of the category. 93 CUBA TOP PETIT CORONA COHIBA SIGLO I At only 4 inches by 40 ring gauge, this tiny smoke leaves some very lasting…

the good and the bad

There have been two recent and major developments in the war on cigars, one of them quite good and the other mixed. Let’s begin with the good. On February 3, U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta handed a big victory to the handmade cigar industry by striking down the FDA’s plan to slap large warning labels on cigar packaging. This was a direct rebuke of the FDA, which wanted warning labels that would have taken up 30 percent of cigar boxes, obscuring the beautiful art we have come to admire and rendering cigar packaging worthless. “In support of both arguments, commenters to the Proposed Rule presented evidence supporting that premium cigars have different usage patterns than other cigar and tobacco products,” wrote Judge Mehta in his ruling. “They are almost never…

out of the humidor

Dear Marvin, I’ve been reading Cigar Aficionado on and off since my brother got me into cigars back in the early 1990s. Reading the highlights (best cigars by size), I always wondered why a cigar company doesn’t make all of its sizes of cigars using the same tobacco: wrapper, binder and filler. Do they grow certain tobacco for different sizes? Do companies make a certain amount of cigars, say 10,000, with filler, and then use the remainder tobacco as binder on another size and wrapper on yet another size? Thank you for your insight on this question. Pat Trunda Cary, Illinois Editors’ Response: The short answer to your question is no. For the long answer, there’s a big difference between filler and other kinds of tobacco, and less of a difference between binder and wrapper. Filler…

cigar aficionado

Editor & Publisher MARVIN R. SHANKEN Executive Editor DAVID SAVONA Managing Editor GREGORY MOTTOLA Senior Features Editor JACK BETTRIDGE Art Director JOHN THOMPSON Senior Editor ANDREW NAGY Assistant Editor DAVID CLOUGH Editorial Assistant/Tasting Coordinator THOMAS PAPPALARDO Senior Contributing Editor GORDON MOTT Contributing Editors PAUL A. EISENSTEIN, MARSHALL FINE, LAURIE KAHLE, MICHAEL KAPLAN, LARRY OLMSTED, JEFF WILLIAMS Photo Editor CASEY OTO Associate Art Director TODD MILLER Associate Art Director LISA AURIGEMMA Designer HENRY ENG Designer DIANA WITKOWSKI Promotions Designer LISA GEORGE Assistant Photo Editor KARISSA MAGGIO Manager, Cigar Aficionado Online ANDREW NAGY Production Associate, New Media EDISON A. LEON Director of Digital Media JAMES LAPORTE Site Developer ANURADHA UDYAVER Senior Vice President, Ad Sales and Services CONSTANCE MCGILVRAY Vice President/Associate Publisher BARRY ABRAMS Corporate Advertising MIRIAM MORGENSTERN Director, Beverage/Alcohol Advertising MICHAEL MCGOLDRICK Account Director MICHAEL DICHIARA Senior Account Director, West Coast CHERYL LEWIS Southeast Advertising Sales WHEELER MORRISON, GREEN LEAVES MEDIA Arizona Golf Advertising Sales STEVE BLIMAN Texas Advertising Sales…

bugatti lighters

It’s been quite some time since we’ve seen any real innovation in the world of jet-flame torches, but Bugatti has created a line of sleek, handheld models that solve some of the common problems plaguing even the most expensive lighters. Take, for example, that supremely annoying issue of air pockets in the fuel tank. Ever have a completely full tank of butane yet the lighter still refuses to light? This is often due to a stubborn air bubble that leaves you no choice but to bleed the entire lighter of all its fuel before filling up again. Bugatti solves the dilemma with its replaceable fuel pods. Rather than having to fill up a tank, each lighter gets its own dedicated mini butane canister which loads directly into the handle. When…

the villas at the mirage, las vegas

When the Mirage opened in 1989 as the largest hotel in the world at the time, with its unrivaled opulence, star headliners and theatrical exploding volcano, few visitors noticed the ultra-luxury Villas, a boutique resort within the resort. That was mainly because you couldn’t pay to stay in them. The posh digs were only for “whales,” the invited high-roller gamblers who don’t pay for anything. That’s changed recently. Today, anyone who can afford it can stay. What’s more, the Villas at the Mirage remain one of the few Las Vegas lodgings that are cigar friendly inside and out, with ashtrays and matches in just about every room. The very large units also have substantial outdoor space as they are at ground level, allowing for backyards full of grass, outdoor kitchens and…