Since 1992, every issue of CIGAR AFICIONADO has been packed with new ratings of cigars, suitable for all cigar lovers, whether you are a seasoned veteran looking to try something different or a newcomer in need of guidance on where to start. At the end of the year, you would be in possession of six issues of the magazine and 24 issues of our digital newsletter Cigar Insider.
Looking through it all, what does it mean? There's more to just smoking a cigar and pronouncing it good or bad. Whether it's something that has been around for decades or a brand that was just released, our reviews provide readers with a cross-section of the industry unlike any other. You can see what countries produce the highest-quality or most affordable smokes, which sizes and shapes score best and all manner of trends.
Remember, cigars are handmade products, made of materials grown on farms, and are at the mercy of Mother Nature, whose unpredictable moods affect each crop. Factories or tobacco suppliers may change, even if the name on the band does not. All of these can factor into a cigar's performance from year to year.
We rated 621 cigars in 2023, most of which came from what we call The Big Four: Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Cuba.
Since the onset of the pandemic, the handmade cigar industry has been in a period referred to as a "New Cigar Boom," with imports reaching levels not seen in decades. Both 2021 and 2022 exceeded 450 million cigars imported into the United States, with 2022 totaling 464 million. Some began to wonder if the growth had finally come to an end at the start of 2023 when the numbers for the first quarter showed an 8.8 percent decrease, according to data provided by the Cigar Association of America. But the latest numbers (through the end of September) showed the market not far below where it was at the same time in 2022. The growth may not be over just yet.
This story is from the March/April 2024 edition of Cigar Aficionado.
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This story is from the March/April 2024 edition of Cigar Aficionado.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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A High Steaks Game - Gallaghers restaurant, New York's oasis for carnivores, has thrived for 96 years, playing host to a colorful crowd of sports heroes, show people and classic characters
Dean Poll, the owner of Gallaghers Steakhouse on Manhattan's West 52nd Street, has to think both like a restaurateur and the curator of a museum with an entire wing of art. Only, instead of tending to European oil paintings, Poll oversees images of Old New York. I work here every day. I am thinking about the food and staff, Poll says, sitting in a corner that could be called baseball cove. Over his right shoulder are stills of Lou Gehrig and the Yankees' Murderers' Row manager Miller Huggins. Jack Dempsey is clowning, grappling with a bat also held by Babe Ruth. "To Helen Gallagher, sincerely Babe Ruth," the inscription reads. Poll gestures toward signed caricatures of Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. "So I lose, to a certain extent, the importance of what's on the walls. But the photos are the decor. They lend some hominess to the place. It's the heart and soul of this restaurant. It's not cheap decoration. The only thing missing is the cigar smoke", adds Poll, who fancies a Partagás 8-9-8 It's what this restaurant is for 96 years.
The Enforcer - Cole Hauser, who plays the tough-as-nails cowboy Rip on the hit show "Yellowstone," has been around horses since he was a little boy
Cole Hauser looks like he can kick your ass. And kicking ass is the specialty of his most famous character, Rip Wheeler from the hit series "Yellowstone." He's the show's man in black, his dark cowboy hat often coated in trail dust, shades hiding his intense eyes, black beard covering a mouth that seldom smiles. The absolute opposite of a pretty boy, he's never chatty-and when he does talk it's often with a bit of menace in his voice. He's not the kind of guy to take a back seat to anything.
Pinball Machines - "Two kind of people in this world," Ray Liotta's character says in the 1997 movie Cop Land.
"Two kind of people in this world," Ray Liotta's character says in the 1997 movie Cop Land. Pinball people and video game people." If you're 50 or older, you might fall into the former group of gamers who are enthralled by the ringing bells, snapping flippers and the captivating combination of mechanics and electronics that make pinball irresistible. While it's the ultimate Sisyphean game-the eternal (and doomed) effort to keep an 80-gram, carbon-steel ball from going down the drainfor those who love it, it couldn't be more fun.
TAG Heuer Formula 1 | Kith
Many connect TAG Heuer with Formula 1 racing through the renowned Monaco watch, named for the Grand Prix held in that city.
My Favorite Cigar
Cigar aficionados describe their smoke of choice
A Trinidad Celebration
One of Cuba's star cigar brands commemorates 55 years with anniversary smokes
Gentlemen 1919 A CIGAR HIDEAWAY IN PARIS
In the front, there are hair cutters; in the back, cigar cutters.
SHORT BUT SWEET
Golf courses traditionally are played on 18 holes, but a new crop of exciting shorter courses from top-name designers might just be the big new thing in golf
A Major Celebration - pro golfer and cigar lover Xander Schauffele was ready to unwind after winning the PGA Championship in May
Cigars are meant for celebration, so when pro golfer and cigar lover Xander Schauffele was ready to unwind after winning the PGA Championship in May, he lit up.It was a time of immense relief. Despite being a marquee name in golf, with a Gold Medal and a Ryder Cup among his wins, the 30-year-old Schauffele was haunted by another distinction: the back-handed compliment of being on the list of the best golfers never to win a major. He had come ohso-close in many majors, finishing second twice, and seven times in the top 10. But in May, when his final putt-just over six feet in length-dropped for a birdie, the wait was over. He raised both arms in celebration, a huge smile spreading across his face. He was finally a major champion.
Leader of the Lost Boys
Mike Rypka loves smoking cigars with his friends so much, he bought his neighbor's house and transformed it into a smoking lounge
