The 10 Best New Cigars of 2017
Recent new cigars to hit the premium market leading up to, and throughout, this past year present a number of blends worthy of a taste as we consider what brands to include in our Top 10 New Cigars of 2017. We’ve compiled and ranked an indulgent collection that includes iconic Cuban-legacy cigars, small-batch boutique releases and renowned brands that are handcrafted by the most revered cigar-makers in the business. Take a tour of our top picks and taste which new cigars deserve your attention the most!
#1 - San Cristobal Quintessence
Rich and perfectly aged tobaccos are grown by the Garcia family in Estelí, Nicaragua, to form a delicious binder and filler pairing beneath a glistening Ecuador Habano wrapper leaf. San Cristobal Quintessence offers delightful notes of molasses, coffee bean, and black pepper in a medium to full-bodied 95-rated masterpiece. Hints of nuts and sugarcane complement a memorable profile.
#2 - Flor de las Antillas Maduro
The award-winning debut of Flor de las Antillas advances a tasteful tradition with a delicious Maduro wrapper leaf sown in the fertile soils of Ecuador. Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia masterfully blends an enhanced profile of cocoa, spices, wood and dried fruit in a medium to full-bodied cigar that is as impressive as its predecessor.
#3 - La Flor Dominicana Andalusian Bull
Boutique cigar-maker Litto Gomez has blended a top-notch La Flor Dominicana portfolio over the years, but Andalusian Bull may be one of his finest creations to date. A caramel-hued Corojo wrapper from Ecuador embraces a medium to full-bodied Dominican profile of leather, black pepper and sweetened nuts with brilliant balance and superb construction.
#4 - My Father The Judge
Experience phenomenal taste in My Father The Judge. Constructed of a premium Nicaraguan recipe beneath an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper leaf, these bold beauties emit a powerful profile of leather, cedar, nuts, and spices in a handful of thicker, cool-burning formats. The Garcia family adds to their well-known portfolio with a full-bodied blend guaranteed to stimulate your senses.
#5 - Cohiba Blue
Iconic brand Cohiba gets a fresh look and a new taste with the recent Cohiba Blue release. Striking blue-and-white boxes and bands conceal a deft blend of Dominican, Nicaraguan and Honduran long-filler tobaccos beneath a caramel-hued Honduran wrapper leaf. Notes of cocoa, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a hint of spice reveal a medium-bodied profile. Add a brand with a stellar pedigree to your Cuban-heritage rotation today.
#6 - Perdomo Estate Seleccion Vintage Sungrown
If you gravitate toward a perfect medium-bodied Nicaraguan profile, few are better than Estate Seleccion Vintage Sungrown, a handcrafted jewel from Nick Perdomo. A flavorful mix of oak, pepper, and coffee is balanced, yet strong enough to satisfy those liking their cigars with a minor bark, and a subtle bite. A Sungrown Nicaraguan wrapper embraces an all-Nicaraguan core that stimulates your taste buds with the brand’s signature for perfect construction and consistency.
#7 - Tatuaje Negociant
Tatuaje Negociant is a skillfully crafted boutique cigar blended by Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia for Tatuaje brand owner Pete Johnson. A nutty Ecuador Connecticut wrapper leaf blankets Mexican and Nicaraguan tobaccos in a medium-bodied profile that resonates with notes of chestnuts, cashews, dried fruit, and black pepper. Take your taste buds on a delicious tour from a small-batch gem.
#8 - Oliva Gilberto Oliva Reserva
Hailing from Nicaragua, this medium-bodied mix of creamy spices, caramel, cocoa, and earth is the ideal balance of complementary long-filler tobaccos from Ecuador and Nicaragua. The Sumatra wrapper brings it all together in a handcrafted package, blended to honor the Oliva family’s modern patriarch, Gilberto Oliva.
#9 - Macanudo Inspirado Black
Iconic brand Macanudo turns a corner with the full-bodied Inspirado Black. Taste a robust blast of coffee beans, chocolate, wood, and toasted nuts. An intriguing blend of Nicaraguan, Dominican, and Honduran tobaccos delivers a bit more kick than a traditional Macanudo cigar and reveals a pronounced finish perfect for after dinner.
#10 - H. Upmann AJ Fernandez
Rounding out our Top 10 New Cigars of 2017 list is a medium to full-bodied blend of cedar, cinnamon, almonds, coffee beans, and spices that yields a sophisticated flavor and enviable smoking experience. Popular cigar-maker A.J. Fernandez teams up with H. Upmann, a classic, Cuban-legacy brand to deliver a profile that teems with superb flavor and aroma.
When you’re putting your wish list together for the best cigars 2017 has to offer, put our recommendations on your radar. Taste what a number of popular brands have been up to lately and let us know what blends rank as your top cigars!
