Best New Cigars of 2020
If you’re on the hunt for new cigars to smoke, there are some excellent releases to consider from 2020. Like many industries, the pandemic delayed some of the new blends cigar-makers scheduled for the year. Luckily, new and exciting cigars are always en route to the Holt’s warehouse. Here is a roundup of anticipated new arrivals from 2020 you should consider adding to your cigar collection.
New Cigars for 2020
1. La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial
La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial originally debuted 2007, however, the cigar was re-blended and repackaged at the beginning of the 2020 with a new and improved look and flavor profile. The new cigar has been met with a glowing reception among the critics at Cigar Aficionado who awarded the blend 94 points in multiple shapes this year. An oily Cuban-seed wrapper covers a medium to full-bodied blend of well-aged tobaccos grown by the Garcia family in three of Nicaragua’s primary tobacco-growing regions: Estelí, Jalapa, and Namanji. Notes of smoked almonds, dark cocoa, leather, and espresso resonate with marvelous spices in six classic shapes. The new Edicion Especial has quickly jumped to the top of our sales charts, and it belongs on your radar now.
2. My Father Fonseca
The new My Father Fonseca has been an anticipated reincarnation of an old Cuban-legacy brand acquired by the Garcia family in 2019. For years, veteran cigar-maker Manolo Quesada produced Fonseca in the Dominican Republic. Now, the brand has been reimagined in Nicaragua by award-winning cigar-maker Jose ‘Pepin’ Garica, whose family members once rolled the original brand in Cuba decades ago. Pepin’s Fonseca is blended with vintage Nicaraguan long-fillers beneath a reddish-brown Corojo Rosado wrapper leaf in a collection of traditional shapes. Notes of cocoa, coffee beans, leather, and nuts mingle in a medium to full-bodied profile.
3. Perdomo 10th Anniversary
Nick Perdomo released a pair of new cigars in 2020. Both sit alongside his bestselling Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne blend in the Perdomo portfolio. The first cigar is Perdomo 10th Anniversary Maduro, a medium to full-bodied blend of premium Nicaraguan tobaccos and a lustrous Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper leaf. Notes of dark chocolate, espresso beans, hickory, and spices make 10th Anniversary Maduro stand out. Nick’s second new cigar is the Perdomo 10th Anniversary Sun Grown. The tobaccos in both cigars are aged a minimum of six years before a final maturation takes place for several months in vintage bourbon barrels, making them some of the best Perdomo cigars to date. The Sun Grown edition is a touch spicier with notes of leather, wood, and nuts, thanks to its glistening Sun Grown Nicaraguan wrapper leaf. Fans of Nick will easily be impressed with the latest Perdomo cigars.
4. AJ Fernandez Dias de Gloria
Popular cigar-maker AJ Fernandez also debuted a new blend at the close of 2019 called Dias de Gloria, Spanish for “Glory Days,” which made its way into humidors in 2020. The cigar’s name is a nod to the pre-Castro era of cigar-making in Cuba. Dias de Gloria is handmade entirely from Nicaraguan tobaccos grown on AJ’s oldest farms, including an oily, reddish-brown wrapper leaf. Notes of wood, nuts, and earthy spices deliver a rich, leathery, and medium-bodied finish rated 90 points by the critics.
5. Villiger Cuellar Black Forest
Villiger Cuellar Black Forest cigars were released at the tail end of 2019, but they didn’t really hit store shelves until after the new year. Not only did the blend score a respectable 93 points in Cigar Aficionado in June of 2020, but you can also buy full boxes for over half-off MSRP every day of the week, making it one of the best bargains of the year. A toothy San Andrés wrapper leaf marries a premium blend of Dominican binder and filler tobaccos in four classic shapes. Leather, coffee beans, and spices characterize the medium to full-bodied profile of Black Forest.
New Cigar Samplers
1. La Aroma de Cuba 5-Cigar Fresh Pack
The cigars in the La Aroma de Cuba 5-Cigar Fresh Pack are already considered classics. Now this bestselling collection is available in an advanced re-sealable and reusable zip-lock sleeve that keeps the cigars fresh and humidified for one year unopened and three months after the first use. The original 93-rated La Aroma de Cuba joins the 93-rated Edicion Especial, 94-rated Reserva, and two sizes of the 95-rated Mi Amor. Fresh Pack technology makes buying gifts for your favorite cigar lover ahead of time much easier because you no longer have to worry about humidifying the cigars when you purchase them.
2. My Father Fresh Pack Samplers
Two different assortments from My Father are also available in new re-sealable humidified sleeves. Simply called My Father Fresh Pack Sampler #1 and My Father Fresh Pack Sampler #2, each collection features a unique series of medium to full-bodied Nicaraguan gems, including the original 94-rated My Father, Flor de las Antillas in a Maduro wrapper, Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial, My Father La Gran Oferta, Don Pepin Garcia Original, and more. Impress your favorite My Father fan with spicy and complex cigars that automatically stay fresh for one year with zero fuss.
3. AJ Fernandez ‘El Cubano’ Sampler
Five popular blends (2 cigars each) make up the 10-cigar AJ Fernandez ‘El Cubano’ Sampler. Discover the 92-rated Enclave, 91-rated New World, 90-rated New World Cameroon, 90-rated Bellas Artes Maduro, and the 90-rated Dias de Gloria in a single convenient sampler for nearly half-off every day of the week. Small-batch cigar-maker AJ Fernandez has expanded his premium Nicaraguan portfolio by leaps and bounds recently. The ‘El Cubano’ Sampler is an excellent chance to get a taste of his bestsellers for a fraction of the price.
