Top 10 Cigar Reviews of 2013
Where would we be without cigar reviews? We all look for inside information on cigars that have either just come out or that we intend to smoke in the near future. They sway us to try new stogies and steer clear of others (for good reason usually). Following up our post where we gave props to some of our favorite cigar blogs, I wrote this post to highlight some of my favorite cigar reviews of 2013 for your enjoyment, based on the cigars that I have personally tried and thought were home runs. I picked these terrific posts out as they feature both cigars that I truly enjoy as well as excellent insight on said cigars. The past year has been chock full of new cigars, but these 10 I thought were certainly worth sharing. Enough explanation, now, in no particular order are my picks for the top 10 cigar reviews of 2013!
Davidoff Limited Edition 2014 Year of the Horse Cigar Review by Halfwheel
What better way to kick off our top 10 list than with the folks over at Halfwheel? If you haven’t visited their site recently, or at all, it’s time you do. Their staff has one job: smoke cigars and give you accurate reviews, and their review of the Davidoff Limited Edition 2014 Year of the Horse is spot on. We feel it is necessary to highlight this review since not many people know too much about Davidoff’s follow up to last year’s Year of the Snake offering to help celebrate the Chinese New Year. The cigar came a little early, debuting at the end of 2013, and Halfwheel does a great job detailing it which made this post an easy pick for my list of top 10 cigar reviews.
Nica Rustica Cigar Review by Cigar Craig
I had the privilege of meeting Craig at last year’s Cigarnival. Craig is one of the nicest guys you can ever meet with a composure as cool as a cucumber, which is exactly how all of his reviews are written. He usually does a grouping of 3-4 small reviews that are short, sweet, and to the point instead of adding a lot of fluff to make the blog seem somehow more legitimate. He’s legitimate in his own merit and knows his cigars like the back of his hand. The Nica Rustica review is perhaps the most accurate review of the cigar to date, and rather funny. Well worth the read in our opinion, but don’t take our word for it.
Quesada Oktoberfest Dunkel Cigar Review by Cigar Dojo
Cigar Dojo is quickly becoming the fastest growing social media app/website for cigar fanatics across the world, and for good reason. The website is full of contest opportunities, short and easily digestible reviews, and they even do a worldwide herf night with featured cigars. The review I think was most worthy to point out was the Quesada Oktoberfest cigar. The cigar was meant to pair with any Oktoberfest style beer, and whenever someone says “beer,” we say “yes.” Just like Cigar Craig, the review is easy to get through and entertaining while being on point with what you want to know. A great review for a great cigar.
La Aurora 107 Maduro Robusto Cigar Review by A Cigar Smoker
I find this review written by my good friend Peter at A Cigar Smoker important simply for the fact that the 107 is a storied line, and storied lines usually get lost in translation when they release a new wrapper type or size. Released at 2013’s IPCPR, the La Aurora 107 Maduro has a lot of good flavor described to perfection by Peter. The review of the cigar is as in depth as you can imagine without becoming droll. I’m happy they took on the task of reviewing the 107 Maduro and feel this is the most well-written review on this hidden gem of a cigar.
Alec Bradley Nica Puro Cigar Review by Cigar Inspector
Perhaps one of the most anticipated cigars of 2013 was the Alec Bradley Nica Puro, a heavy favorite around the Famous Smoke Shop offices. Cigar Inspector took on the task of giving this hefty cigar a review which we found to be extremely informative. What we probably love most about Cigar Inspector is they review a lot of common cigars, not the over priced super-premiums. I think it’s fair to say they are the every-man’s cigar blog for their reviews on the every-man’s cigars.
Paul Stulac Ghost Cigar Review by Cigar Obsession
Never heard of Paul Stulac cigars before? Well, you better jump on the bandwagon now before they really take off. Paul Stulac has made a name for himself in the past year making high quality boutique cigars that have been turning heads recently. Our friends at Cigar Obsession have taken note as well, completing a full review on the Ghost. Cigar Obsession has recorded what seems like hundreds of cigar reviews for your viewing pleasure, and we feel we need to highlight their review of Paul Stulac’s Ghost to help get the word out on these amazing cigars. The great writing and terrific smoke made this one an easy pick to make my list of top 10 cigar reviews.
La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age Cigar Review by Stogies On The Rocks
Come on, if it wasn’t for shameless self promotion, where would we be? I kid of course, but the guys over at Stogies On The Rocks really helped us get the word out on the La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age with their review. Of course we were really excited to have this exclusive come out, but we hate to review our own cigars. Instead, we have others write what they think, while we face the world blindfolded with a cigarette in our mouths, waiting for the firing squad to inevitably take us down. Fortunately, nobody has pulled the trigger yet and it’s thanks to in-depth reviews such as this one.
San Lotano Oval Maduro Cigar Review by Stogie Rate
San Lotano Oval Maduro cigars are a bit of an older cigar, originally released in 2011, but I found this review particularly interesting because of the age of the cigar used for the review by Stogie Rate. They used a 1 year, 5 month old cigar for their rating which of course will change the flavor profile through time. Stogie Rate is a review site written by cigar lovers for cigar lovers, so any chance of bias is eliminated. We highly recommend jumping on the site and filling in some reviews for the world to read.
Davidoff Nicaragua Cigar Review by Tiny Tim’s Cigar Blog
Another blog that is usually right on the money. I like reading Tim’s blog entries because he gets straight to the point. Not only that, but he reviews cigars that are new releases or highly talked about at the time of the review. If you hear of a new cigar or a highly anticipated cigar, Tim’s got your back with some info on it, which was the case with the Davidoff Nicaragua cigars. This review is very accurate and highly entertaining. Check out his review on the Davidoff Nicaragua here.
CAO Flathead V554 Camshaft Cigar Review by Stogie Review
Another highly anticipated cigar coming out the 2013’s IPCPR is the CAO Flathead. This is a completely new cigar for CAO, featuring a full on box-pressed cigar that takes badassitude to the next level. We’ll leave it to the guys at Stogie Review to let you get the gist of the cigar. Stogie Review is an all-in-one site that offers inside information on what’s going on in the industry, admin cigar reviews, and public cigar reviews. A must follow for any cigar nut. Especially since I wrote my own review of this smoke, I felt Stogie Review’s take on this smoke made it worthy of my list of top 10 cigar reviews.
So there we have it; the top 10 cigar reviews of 2013! All are must-read material, and each site is rich with information with outstanding insight on cigars you otherwise may not have heard of.