Top 10 New Cigars of 2023
As we near the close of 2023, it’s tradition to look back at the best new cigars we smoked over the past year. Here’s a quick rundown of our favorites. Most are from cigar-makers you’re familiar with. If you haven’t smoked the best new cigars of 2023 yet, put them on your radar and add a few singles to your next order. Your favorite new cigar could be on our list.
1. La Aroma de Cuba Connecticut
La Aroma de Cuba cigars date back to the late 1800s in Cuba, but the brand we know and love today is blended and produced in Nicaragua by father-and-son cigar-makers Pepin and Jaime Garcia for the Levin family, owners of Ashton Cigars. In 2023, they introduced a mild, new blend, La Aroma de Cuba Connecticut. It boasts a golden-blond Connecticut-seed wrapper, grown in Ecuador, and premium Nicaraguan long-fillers handcrafted in seven meticulous sizes. Savor a mellow profile of cedar, cashew, almond, and coffee bean with a hint of buttercream and discover why La Aroma de Cuba Connecticut shot to the top of our sales charts overnight.
2. Don Pepin Garcia 20th Anniversary
The patriarch of My Father Cigars, José ‘Pepin’ Garcia, left Cuba over twenty years ago and debuted his talents as a premium cigar-maker to cigar lovers in America with small-batch releases from Tatuaje and his eponymous Don Pepin Garcia line. In 2023, Don Pepin Garcia 20th Anniversary commemorates two decades of success with a super-premium, small-batch Toro drawn from a Cuban-seed Oscuro wrapper, from Nicaragua, and select Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos, including one of Pepin’s most prized varietals, Pelo de Oro. Just 3,900 boxes were produced for the U.S., so we recommend ordering Don Pepin 20th Anniversary cigars for your humidor while we’ve got them in stock. Complex notes of cedar, leather, and coffee bean bathe the palate with Pepin’s smooth and unmistakable spice.
3. Oliva Serie V Melanio Edición Año
Oliva Cigars has grown remarkably over the past twenty years by expanding its factories, farms, and production, all without sacrificing a hint of quality. The limited-edition Oliva Serie V Melanio Edición Año shows off the brand’s commitment to making the best cigars with an impressive 5.5-by-54 round Perfecto called the Figuriño. This full-bodied, full-flavored smoke develops with notes of pepper, cedar, and leather with hints of caramel and raisin. Serie V Melanio Edición Año is a small-batch premium based on the original Oliva Serie V Melanio, which scored 96 points and ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ honors in Cigar Aficionado in 2014.
4. Perdomo 30th Anniversary Connecticut
Brand founder Nick Perdomo celebrates a big milestone in his brand’s history – thirty years in business – with Perdomo 30th Anniversary cigars. Nick has marked previous decades with his bestselling Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne and 20th Anniversary blends. The all-new Perdomo 30th Anniversary series is available in a trio of wrappers: Connecticut, Maduro, and Sun Grown. We suggest starting out with the 30th Anniversary Connecticut due to its mellow and creamy flavor. An Ecuador Connecticut wrapper conceals premium Nicaraguan long-fillers, grown in Estelí, Condega, and Jalapa, in five chunky sizes that develop throughout a nutty profile with a touch of sweetness.
5. Rocky Patel Mulligans Crown Jewel
Rocky Patel has been making premium cigars for over thirty years, and you can find his brand in fine cigar shops around the world. Rocky also produces the Rocky Patel Mulligans portfolio exclusively for Holt’s. This affordable, ultra-popular bundle franchise is continually evolving with new cigars and Crown Jewel is the latest addition. An oily San Andrés wrapper marries a marvelous interior of premium Dominican and Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos. The Crown Jewel blend is reminiscent of the 96-rated Rocky Patel Sixty. The Mulligans brand was created as a proving ground for some of Rocky’s most esteemed cigars, as well as side projects Rocky is constantly working on but may not have the capacity to distribute in his core portfolio. Indulge in a woody and tangy profile of hickory, spice, and cocoa in five excellent sizes when you score a budget-friendly bundle of Rocky Patel Mulligans Crown Jewel cigars today.
6. Don Pepin Garcia Vegas Cubanas
When Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia began making a name for himself in Miami, in 2003, Vegas Cubanas was one of the first lines he produced. In 2023, Don Pepin Garcia Vegas Cubanas has been revamped with a new blend and new packaging. A seamless Nicaraguan Corojo Rosado wrapper embraces premium Nicaraguan long-fillers in an accessible, medium-bodied smoke. Notes of cocoa, leather, cedar, and pepper emerge in a handful of classic sizes handcrafted at the My Father factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.
7. Tatuaje 20th Anniversary
Time flies when you consider Tatuaje cigars have been around twenty years. Brand founder Pete Johnson partnered with cigar-maker Pepin Garcia more than two decades ago to blend and produce the first Tatuaje cigars and the rest is history. The brand has grown by leaps and bounds but has never lost touch with its boutique roots. Tatuaje 20th Anniversary is drawn from an oily Ecuador Habano wrapper leaf and well-aged Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos grown on Garcia family estates. Notes of wood, leather, and smoked nuts pay homage to the original Tatuaje blend that put the brand on the map for serious aficionados following its debut in 2003.
8. Villiger White Forest
Villiger is best known for its vast portfolio of machine-made cigars like Villiger Export, but the company’s premium handmade collection continues to enjoy a growing audience thanks to consistent quality and approachable prices. In 2023, the brand debuted Villiger White Forest, a mellow and smooth smoke blended from a silky Connecticut Shade wrapper and Dominican long-filler tobaccos, matured for maximum smoothness, in five traditional sizes. Add a box of White Forest cigars to your regular rotation without breaking the bank and explore an accessible profile of cashew, cedar, and coffee bean.
9. Rocky Patel The Edge 20th Anniversary
Rocky Patel The Edge 20th Anniversary technically debuted in 2022. Because we recently brought it in at Holt’s, we’re counting it on our list of the best cigars for 2023. Twenty years ago, Rocky introduced The Edge cigars as a budget-friendly brand, and they became quite popular for their hearty, consistent taste, and economical prices. Rocky kicked everything up a notch with The Edge 20th Anniversary to thank his fans for making The Edge a successful franchise over the past two decades. An oily, caramel-brown Ecuador Sumatra wrapper harbors a balanced blend of well-aged Nicaraguan and Honduran long-filler tobaccos. Notes of black pepper, earth, cocoa, and wood resonate in another classic smoke from Rocky Patel.
10. Foundation Menelik
Foundation Cigars brand founder Nick Melillo regularly comes out with unique, small-batch blends in his company’s popular portfolio. One of his newest releases, Menelik, is a full-bodied smoke blended from a hearty San Andrés wrapper, a Corojo-seed binder cultivated in Jalapa, and long-fillers from Estelí, Condega, and Jalapa. Earthy notes of nuts, leather, pepper, and espresso bean develop in a handful of traditional sizes. Melillo draws upon history and religion to name his cigar lines. Menelik cigars are named for Menelik I, the first emperor of Ethiopia. Add this limited-edition blend from Foundation to your humidor before it’s gone.
More New Cigars
If you’ve already smoked everything from our recommendations, check out our new arrivals section on Holt’s for more new cigars. We’ll have a fresh lineup of the best cigars in 2024 and beyond coming your way. We feature all the new brands and blends we bring in throughout the year because we know you can never have too many new cigars to choose from.
