Cigars & Hunting
Bagging a big buck is a rite of passage for most hunters. The great outdoorsmen and women who camp out for hours in their deer stands exercise tremendous stealth and discipline waiting to take a shot. Hunting wild game requires patience, concentration, and a comprehensive awareness of your surroundings. That’s why hitting your target is a celebratory event worthy of smoking a cigar. A number of hunters are as passionate about cigars as they are about their guns. But the best time to smoke a cigar is after a big hunt, not while you’re on the trail.
Serious sportsmen invest a lot of time and effort scoping out and tracking their targets – and a lot of money too. Rifles, cross bows, knives, camouflage clothing, boots, decoys, and trail cams add up. Because animals like deer, moose, elk, bear, wild boars, and many others possess an immense sense of smell, hunters spray scent-killer on items that can’t be washed like their weapons. They go to great lengths to isolate the clothing they wear on a hunt to eliminate any hint of their own scent. Smoking a cigar out in the woods is counterintuitive if you want to get close to your kill. The scent of anything burning guarantees your prey will stay away.
Wait until you’re back at the lodge hanging out with your buddies to smoke a triumphant cigar. Here are 5 hearty blends to fire up after a long and arduous hunt.
1. Ashton Symmetry
A shimmering Cuban-seed wrapper leaf grown in Ecuador envelops an intricate blend of premium Dominican and Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos aged for optimal taste and aroma. Ashton Symmetry is blended by legendary cigar-maker Carlito Fuente in five iconic shapes. Tasting notes of cedar, coffee beans, figs, and spices astonish the palate in a procession of perfect draws. Symmetry is a 94-rated masterpiece blended to mark the hard work you stuck into your hunt.
2. La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial
Award winning cigar-maker Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia blends La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial from well-aged Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos grown on select Garcia family estates and an oily Ecuador Habano wrapper leaf. Notes of leather, cedar, smoked almonds, and fresh espresso materialize in six classic formats that exude enticing aroma from beginning to end. This 94-rated gem is a perfect companion in front of a roaring fireplace in a cabin in the mountains.
3. San Cristobal Ovation
San Cristobal Ovation is available in a trio of flawless small-batch shapes released by the Garcia family’s lauded cigar factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, every year. A lustrous San Andrés Oscuro wrapper leaf conceals a hearty interior of well-aged, full-bodied Nicaraguan long-fillers. A potent profile of wood, leather, black pepper, and sweetened hickory propels the senses to an utter state of bliss. Sip on a vintage scotch with an Ovation when you’re toasting this season’s big trophy.
4. My Father La Opulencia
In 2018, My Father La Opulencia scored 95 points and Cigar Aficionado’s ‘#2 Cigar of the Year’ honors with a meaty portrait of earth, pepper, dark cocoa, and roasted coffee beans. Six popular shapes summon a full-bodied finish with matching aromas thanks to a robust blend of Nicaraguan tobaccos beneath an extra-mature San Andres wrapper leaf. La Opulencia commands your taste buds and soothes your nerves simultaneously after an afternoon of stalking deer.
5. Padron 1964 Anniversary Maduro
When you’re pondering where to mount the six-point rack you picked up from the taxidermist, choose the right spot with a Padron 1964 Anniversary Maduro in your mouth. An all-Nicaraguan blend of premium aged tobaccos rests beneath a toothy Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper leaf in several sharp box-pressed shapes. Notes of dark cocoa, cedar, cayenne, leather, and baking spices leave an excellent impression as they culminate in a full-bodied, balanced finish. The top-rated cigar is a great excuse to get the scent of gun powder out of your nose.
