Cigar Aficionado July/August 2022

What an extraordinary issue of high scores. Having a cigar achieve Classic status in our regular tastings is rare, but this edition of CIGAR AFICIONADO turned up two instant Classics. Both are from Cuba and performed at a very high level—the Romeo y Julieta Churchill scored 95 points, while the H. Upmann No. 2 earned an astounding 96. 96 TOP FIGURADO H. UPMANN NO. 2 CUBA Young cigars without age seldom achieve such a high score, but the H. Upmann No. 2 was a true blockbuster. Layers of complex flavor poured out of this Classic Cuban pirámide, but remained in sublime balance the entire time. £30.81 (U.K.) 95 TOP CHURCHILL ROMEO Y JULIETA CHURCHILL CUBA Long known as one of Cuba’s benchmark Churchills, the Romeo y Julieta Churchill showed impressive complexity and exhibited a wide palate of precise, mature flavor.…

Through no fault of their own, the Cuban people have suffered. The bitter issues between the U.S. government and the Castro regime have done nothing except punish the people of Cuba. They are the true victims in this fight between nations, forced to live in a third-world economy devoid of the freedom and enjoyments that Americans take for granted. With all that’s going on around the world—war in the Ukraine, the pandemic, Russia, China, Iran, the Middle East—it makes no sense to continue such failed and fruitless policy. It’s time to end the embargo. Today. Now. The United States would do well to become the big brother of our southern neighbor, and support and participate in the island’s future prosperity. With prosperity, we believe, will come democracy. These are fundamental rights that have…

Dear Marvin, Finally, after years of donating my proceeds to casinos, Danny Sheridan explains all the mistakes I made. If only I had read this before I started gambling. Richard Johnson Bronxville, New York Dear Marvin, I picked up a recent copy of Cigar Aficionado at my newsstand. I have been gambling my whole life and I wish I had read these articles years ago. I’m a regular bettor on sports and dice and I learned a lot from these articles. Now, maybe I will be able to afford to smoke more cigars! Thanks for providing me with an article that was very useful and informative. Robert Rubey MD Pensacola, Florida Dear Marvin, Now I know what I’ve been doing wrong at the craps table—everything. Thank you, Danny Sheridan, for showing me why field bets are a terrible way to…

Paris has its fair share of grande dames, but the Cheval Blanc, on the shore of the Seine at the foot of the Pont-Neuf between the Marais, Ile de la Cité and the Louvre, offers a breath of fresh air with its novel design and friendly approach to cigar smoking. Housed in the former La Samaritaine department store, it is part of LVMH’s seven-year, almost $1 billion restoration of the Art Deco and Art Nouveau landmark. The hotel is the first urban property in the company’s hotel Cheval Blanc portfolio. Cheval Blanc Paris channels the Art Deco spirit with clean, contemporary interiors envisioned by Peter Marino, who spent years working with master craftsmen, artists, decorators and architects for his first hotel project. Marino’s concept lavished attention on every decorative element throughout the…

Almost everything that sits on top of a coffee table is purely decorative—stacks of art books, a vase, a bowl of marbles. In a cigar room, the tabletop becomes far more utilitarian. It’s also a place where ashtrays, cutters and lighters tend to get much larger. Especially lighters, and for good reason. When weight and portability are no longer an issue, the tabletop lighter can be one of the most effective ways to ignite your cigar. Because of its large, wide flame, a tabletop lighter will toast a cigar’s foot faster and more evenly than smaller lighters—and with less cigar rotation and fewer relights. And because of its sheer bulk, the lighter itself becomes an accent piece of sorts, commanding attention in a way other accoutrements cannot. Take, for example, the…

Glashütte Original has dressed up its retro SeaQ dive watch in stylish red gold and black, giving the rugged tool watch a new sporty-chic persona. Since SeaQ launched in 2019, stainless steel iterations have been added, but this year the German brand upped its game with a shimmering red-gold case outfitted with a black scratchproof ceramic counter-clockwise rotating bezel and a galvanic black dial with a sunray finish. After dark, gold-plated hands, applied numerals and indexes light up with Super-LumiNova inlays for legibility at night (or underwater). Despite its elegant new look, the 39.5-mm gold SeaQ ($22,300) still performs like a professional diver with water resistance down to 20 bar and a movement designed to take hard knocks. A power reserve of 100 hours and a silicon balance spring enhance precision and…