Cigar Buying Guides

CA Mid-Year Report: 10 Best New Cigars of 2022 (So Far)

Reading Time: 7 minutes

THE BEST CIGARS OF 2022, SO FAR – THE ADVISOR MID-YEAR REPORT

The big question: which new cigars should you be smoking in 2022?

Some magazines like to wait until the coldest recesses of winter to crown their cigar of the year. It’s weird…isn’t it? Nothing says “cigar” like biting winds and a whirling ice storm stalled out overhead. Let’s break out the cigars. And the rock salt?

Why not have a top cigars of 2022 list in the heart of summer? Blue sky, green grass, warm sun—that’s a mind’s eye view of what smoking should be like. We’ll tell you about our favorite blends, now, so you can get out there and enjoy them! Purists among you, relax. We’ll be finalizing our list in December, too. We just couldn’t wait to tell you!

This year, we’ve got 10 new cigar recommendations from big names like Drew Estate and CAO. Plus, a healthy dose of boutique brands like Crowned Heads, Aganorsa Leaf, Powstanie, and much more.

Before we dive into the list, here are a few disclaimers: 

We aren’t rating or scoring the cigars. If the review speaks to you, consider trying it. It’s not a test. We don’t even number the list. Cigars are listed alphabetically.

Cigar Advisor has always been ad free. We aren’t beholden to advertisers. These reviews are based solely on our opinions.

Sorry, no Cuban cigars. Hard to find. Harder to afford. And for our money, what you see here is arguably better anyway.

Have you smoked a new cigar that impressed you? Tell us about it in the comments below!

 

 

Aganorsa Leaf Guardian of the Farm Cerberus

cigar advisor mid-year report best cigars of 2022 (so far) - guardian of the farm cerberus at famous smoke shopProduced and blended by Aganorsa Leaf, Cerberus is the third hound in the Guardian of the Farm kennel. Named after the mythological 3-headed guardian of Hades—Cerberus is a Nicaraguan puro using high-grade tobaccos grown on Aganorsa’s treasured farms and is the first cigar using a Corojo 2012 wrapper. Once lit, you’ll see this isn’t just another Nicaraguan puro brimming with power and pepper—it’s more nuanced and subtle. That being said, Cerberus opens with a shot of black pepper before cedar comes to centerstage. Notes evolve and include cocoa, earth, nuts, vanilla, and stone fruit with creaminess apparent on the short finish. Medium bodied but full flavored and complex, Guardian of the Farm Cerberus is a standout choice showing the full range of Nicaraguan tobaccos.

 

 

CAO Pilón Añejo Robusto

cigar advisor mid-year report best cigars of 2022 (so far) - cao pilon anjeo at famous smoke shopMade in limited edition, the CAO Pilón Añejo selection uses the same Cuban fermentation technique used for the original CAO Pilón selection. This entails stacking the pilóns in a circular pattern which enhances the flavor through a naturally extended process. The difference in the Pilón Añejo is that the cigars are rolled in shimmery Ecuador Sumatra wrappers and aged an additional two years. Medium to full in body, the smoke is dense and chewy revealing flavors of cedar, nuts, coffee, and baking spices. More intense and complex than its older brother, the Pilón Añejo exhibits the clear-cut effects of additional aging, too.

 

 

Crowned Heads Mil Dias Marranitos EL 2022

cigar advisor mid-year report best cigars of 2022 (so far) - mil dias marranitos at famous smoke shopReleased earlier this year, the 5¾” x 52 Mil Días Marranitos Edición Limitada 2022 is the standout in the line for its use of an Ecuadorian Sumatra maduro wrapper. Crowned Heads co-founder, John Huber and Tabacalera Pichardo experimented with several different wrapper options. But when they tried the Sumatra maduro wrapper on the existing blend, Huber said, “the flavor profile took on a whole other dimension.” Melding beautifully with the Nicaraguan, Costa Rican, and Peruvian core tobaccos, the result is a medium-plus smoke in body that’s full in flavor. The smoke is dense, chewy, and well-balanced introducing notes of oak, espresso, leather, and earth, plus various spices and other surprises along the way. A solid and uniquely complex smoke, to say the least.

 

 

Drew Estate 20 Acre Farm

cigar advisor mid-year report best cigars of 2022 (so far) - 20 acre farm at famous smoke shopDrew Estate’s 20 Acre Farm features tobacco grown—you guessed it—on a 20-acre farm. What makes this cigar unique is that the farm is located in Florida. Blended by Drew Estate’s Willy Herrera—who’s known for his fuller bodied blends—20 Acre Farm shows what he can do with a mellower recipe. Dressed in an elegant Connecticut Shade leaf from Ecuador, the blend is completed with Honduran, Nicaraguan and US (Florida Sun Grown) top-grade long filler tobaccos. Don’t mistake this for your grandfather’s Connecticut cigars, 20 Acre Farm is definitely a feistier, medium-bodied rendition and expresses notes of cedar, graham cracker, vanilla, baking spices, and pepper. Try 20 Acre Farm to experience one of the more impressive Connecticut wrapped cigars to debut recently.

 

 

E.P. Carrillo Retro 2021 Short Play

cigar advisor mid-year report best cigars of 2022 (so far) - e.p. carrillo short run at famous smoke shopIf there’s one thing we love in America it’s a comeback. That’s exactly what Ernesto Perez-Carrillo has done with this E.P. Carrillo Retro 2021 selection. The limited release is a reprise of the EPC’s “Short Run 2010” which many passionados may remember fondly. Retro 2021 is made from smaller batches of the original tobaccos, which is why only 350 boxes of the line’s three sizes were shipped. We like the Robusto-sized “Short Play” for its medium body and perfectly balanced Nicaraguan core encased in a mouthwatering Ecuador Habano wrapper. The smoke sizzles with sweet-spicy flavors that hike a trail of toffee, black pepper, oak, roasted coffee beans, and a smattering of baking spices. It’s also a smoke that will satisfy smokers at every level—while they last, that is. 

 

 

Ferio Tego Generoso

cigar advisor mid-year report best cigars of 2022 (so far) - ferio tego generoso at famous smoke shopWhat we judged as the better of Ferio Tego’s 2 debut blends (with Elegancia right on its heels), Generoso made a big and lasting impact in terms of flavor and strength. Ferio Tego—for those who are unfamiliar—is a new brand helmed by 2 former Nat Sherman employees who didn’t want to see the brand die. And while they’ve reintroduced old fan favorites like Timeless and Metropolitan, it was Generoso (and Elegancia) leading the way. Crafted at the Plasencia factory in Nicaragua, this blend includes a Nicaraguan binder and long fillers topped by a Honduran wrapper. Undoubtedly full bodied, expect a jam-packed flavor profile including red and black pepper, baking spices, earth, espresso, and some nuttiness. Best left for experienced enthusiasts, Ferio Tego Generoso is a powerhouse cigar that’s worthy of savoring during your next cause for celebration.

 

 

H. Upmann Nicaragua AJ Fernandez Heritage Churchill

cigar advisor mid-year report best cigars of 2022 (so far) - h. upmann nicaragua aj fernandez heritage at famous smoke shopThe H. Upmann cigars made outside of Cuba have done a great job of reinventing the brand for today’s cigar smoker, including many younger adult cigar smokers. One of the reasons for that is AJ Fernandez who has put his stamp on several H. Upmann blends. The latest is the H. Upmann Nicaragua AJ Fernandez Heritage selection. Blended with fillers grown on his Nicaraguan estate farms, AJ chose a dark, triple fermented Brazilian Mata Fina leaf for the wrapper. Medium in body, the cigar issues a velvety, well-balanced smoke with a sweet-spicy flavor profile. In a nutshell, everything about this Churchill is textbook, from its impressive burn and ash to its striking complexity, and more.

 

 

Montecristo Espada Signature

cigar advisor mid-year report best cigars of 2022 (so far) - montecristo signature espada at famous smoke shopSometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and other times it’s a Montecristo. And when it’s composed of hand selected, top-grade, aged tobaccos grown by Nestor Plasencia and blended in collaboration with Rafael Nodal and the legendary Grupo de Maestros—you have a truly special cigar. That’s just what you’ll find with Espada by Montecristo Signature, which comes in the one size—the 6 x 55 Valiente—that highlights the best the blend has to offer. This edition of Espada is medium bodied with an exquisite range of flavors—including baking spices, oak, earthiness, leather, coffee, and milk chocolate sweetness—that provides a heady and delightful experience. Try Espada Signature if you want to experience a Monte that’s a cut above.

 

 

Partagas Cortado

cigar advisor mid-year report best cigars of 2022 (so far) - partagas cortado at famous smoke shopWith over a hundred years of cigar making behind them, it’s hard to believe that Partagas has any ‘firsts’ remaining. Yet, for a brand that seemingly has seen it all and done it all, Cortado marks the first Partagas cigar to use a shade grown wrapper. The bountiful multi country blend contains an Indonesian Besuki binder over long fillers from Mexico, Honduras, and Nicaragua—all underneath an exquisite Ecuador Connecticut Shade leaf. A tick stronger than a run of the mill Connecticut wrapper cigar, Cortado is medium bodied, and exhibits notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel, black pepper, earth, and dark chocolate. If you’ve been looking for an occasional morning cigar or a great all-day blend, Partagas Cortado fits the bill.

 

 

Powstanie Wojtek 2021

cigar advisor mid-year report best cigars of 2022 (so far) - powstanie wojtek at famous smoke shopWhen it comes to premium hand-rolled cigars, you don’t usually think of Poland. Well, say hello to Powstanie Cigars, an indie brand founded by brothers Mike and Greg Szczepankewicz. The Wojtek 2021 (Wojtek is Polish for “War Bear”), is a 6”x52 Toro with a soft box-pressing that boasts an Ecuadorian Habano & Mexican San Andrés barber pole wrapper. Mostly creamy, toasty, and woody with black pepper, espresso, and baking spice notes, the cigar is full-bodied yet far from a bear of a smoke. In his review of the Powstanie Wojtek 2021, Jared wrote: “Full-bodied yet approachable is about as good as it gets in the cigarniverse, so Powstanie can take my money for Wojtek any day.”

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Orlando C. Fernandez
1 year ago

I feel that the most notable cigar this year (so far) is the Plasencia, Cosecha 149… Exquisite.

Phillip kidd
1 year ago

Yep the 149 is my all
Time favorite and although pricey and often hard to find, it’s well Worth the search and buy!

Dennis
1 year ago

How does it compare to the 146?

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The Cigar Advisor Staff is comprised of three good-humored, yet dangerously unpredictable writers who share over 60 years of premium cigar smoking experience. Traversing the tobacco landscape like smoke-shrouded Avengers, they wander (mostly because the fat one ate the map) in search of new leaf adventures armed with nothing but torch lighters and runcible spoons as their weapons. Each is equally knowledgeable on the matters and pursuits of the cigar lifestyle, with his own unique and capricious insights on various luxury, sports, automobiles and entertainment affairs - all served with good counsel for your reading pleasure.

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