CA Report: Top New Cigars (December 9, 2024)
The latest cigars that’ll help you survive the season!
“Let’s use vintage twinkle lights,” they said. ”It’ll be fun,” they said…
Nothing will kill your holiday spirit faster than four and a half hours on a ladder just to find that a rogue bulb has shut down your entire string. Better go LED next time, amirite? You could spend another half day back up on the roof looking for the culprit. Or you could just say “Screw it” and light up a new cigar instead.
I’m voting for option 2.
And to make it even easier, I have three fresh sticks plucked straight from the Famous humidor. Check out these blends from Macanudo, Luciano, and even Chazz Palminteri...and make sure you slide through the holiday unscathed!
Macanudo Estate Reserve Flint Knoll No. 3
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaragua Jalapa & Dominican Olor, Piloto Cubano
You’ve heard of bourbon-infused blends. But a wine cigar infusion? That’s a bit of a frontier. Sure, Black & Mild has had them for years, and folks have spent just as long experimenting at home, but a bona fide vino-laced premium cigar isn’t exactly common on the shelves. Mac aims to change that for good. Aged in French Oak barrels that housed Flint Knoll Winery’s 2021 Royal Appointment Cabernet Sauvignon (a very in-demand vintage), Macanudo Flint Knoll takes the name of the winery and the nuances of the barrels - marrying flavors of oak, cedar, vanilla, nuts, and an array of spiced-tinged dark fruit. Pour yourself a glass, light one up, and let the memories of a stressful week fade away.
Foreign Affair by Luciano Cigars
Wrapper: Ecuador Sumatra
Binder: Ecuador & Nicaragua
Filler: Costa Rica, Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
Foreign Affair might sound like a steamy Lifetime movie from the 90s, but its flavor picks up where the name falls short. Luciano Meirelles promises “something extraordinarily magical” in his new blend. Whether it’s that good, I’ll leave up to your palate—but I found the cigar to be above average to my taste buds.
And that’s good enough for me!
If oak, spices, graham cracker, and cinnamon sound like a winning combo to you, there’s a lot here to love. And though it’s a little pricier than some other cigars out there with its 11ish bucks per stick price tag, Foreign Affair is certainly not unobtainable. Maybe dip into the Christmas fund just a little bit, eh? Couldn’t hurt!
A Bronx Tale Calogero by Chazz Palminteri
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Nicaragua
We’ve all got five fingers, but when we’re smoking Sonny’s cigar, we only use three. The film needs no introduction. A Bronx Tale is about as good as a mob flick gets, and it’s worth every second of its 121 minutes. Chazz Palminteri turned down high-dollar offers for the rights to the story, pledging to keep control—and the resulting adaptation of his one-man play is better for it. He’s done the same with ‘A Bronx Tale Calogero’ cigars, named for Palminteri’s grandfather (also the movie’s main protagonist).
“Calogero loved family, good wine, and a great cigar,” wrote Palminteri in a press release. “This cigar is for him and all the hard-working men and women who came to America with just a dream.”
Need to be swayed by the big muckity mucks? Cigar Aficionado rated the cigar an impressive 90. And in my opinion, it’s pretty spot on. If you’re into spicy-sweet cigars with a medium body, A Bronx Tale Calogero will pass the door test.