GOLD STAR AWARDS FOR BEST CIGARS OF 2009

This year marks the Third Annual Stogie Fresh Gold Star Awards for the best cigars of the year. These far-reaching awards acknowledge the best PODCAST FEATURED cigars, the best of the REVIEWED cigars and the best NEW CIGAR of 2009. We provide these yearly awards because we believe that, whether large, medium, or small, all cigar manufacturers should be rewarded for their efforts to create CONSISTENTLY HIGH QUALITY CIGARS.

PART 1: DOC'S BEST PODCAST PICKS

The Stogie Fresh 5 Podcast Honor Roll represents Doc’s picks for the top 10 cigars that he has featured on the Stogie Fresh 5 podcast over the past year. Cigars that are featured on the weekly podcast are one’s that the Doc is recommending and featuring based on smoking 5-10 samples. These are often more rare and/or expensive cigars, but not always.

1. 1.Eladio Diaz 55th anniversary Super Robusto (episode 168: May 10, 2009)
   

2. Size: 5.5 x 55
   

3. Cost: N/A
   

Every year Don Eladio Díaz, master blender of Davidoff, celebrates his anniversary making a rare new special blend from the best and most aged tobaccos from different countries for his own private collection.

For his 55th Anniversary he chose a 55 ring gauge by 5 1/2 length cigar, blending six different tobacco varieties with full strength and complexity in the filler and two different tobacco varieties for the binder and wrapper. It is probably the only cigar ever that has been blended with 8 different tobaccos from 4 different countries. And, some of the tobaccos were aged for up to 9 years! These are simply fabulous cigars and quite likely some of the best I have ever tasted. Don't get any notions about buying them, though. These were attained at auction and will likely never be mass produced. Nevertheless, these are a testament to the true mastery of blending premium cigars.

2. 2.Davidoff 2009 Limited Edition Selección 702 Toro Especial (episode 178: July 19, 2009)
   

3. Size: 6.5 x 50
   

4. Cost: ~$22.00/cigar
   

Davidoff hit a home run ball with this 2009 Limited Edition. It has all the makings of a great cigar. From the cosmetic features of look and feel, to the subjective elements of flavor, aroma, and finally to the construction and burn, this cigar is a delight in 3-dimensions. And, in my opinion, this is a good investment for aging.

The Selección 702 uses a fusion of  3 Habano  seeds to create a  very unique hybrid wrapper developed by Davidoff after years of experimentation. The seeds were cultivated by David Perez from ASP in Ecuador.

The flavors started with smoked wood and baking cocoa on the palate and a huge dose of white pepper on the retrohale. By the 1/3 point, I tasted alfalfa spice and a touch of tobacco sweetness that was lip smacking good. In the second half, the cigar showed more pronounced sweetness and displayed a long, tangy finish. The pepper spice that was so prominent in the retrohale in the early going, evened out and became rich and luxurious with notes of chocolate. This cigar will likely age for 5+ years. Pick some up if you can find them.

3. 3. Camacho 2009 Liberty 11/18 (episode 186: Sept. 13, 2009).
   

4. Size: 6 x 54
   

5. Cost: ~$16.00/cigar
   

The 2009 Camacho Liberty is the 7th iteration of the Liberty line of cigars, which are a tribute to America by the Eiroa family. The Liberty line is an annually released, limited edition cigar, with a new blend produced each year.

The newest Liberty was made back in October 2007 and then aged for 2 more years. The blend consists of a rare crop of Habano tobacco, which was the first and only crop of Habano used by the company to date. The crop yielded just enough for a small amount of cigars produced in the Liberty 2009.

The cigar comes out of the gate with some smoky sweet wood flavors.; almost a mesquite or BBQ flavor. It also displays a tangy flavor that always makes me think of Cuban tobacco. Kind of a tangy zing. But this cigar differs from Cuban cigars in that this one comes at you with full dose of pepper on the retrohale. Trust me, this cigar lights up your nasal mucosa like a flash-bang grenade. The finish lingers on the palate with a nice tobacco sweetness. This is one for the humidor and should age successfully for 5+ years.

PART 2: BEST REVIEWED CIGARS DEC. 2008 – NOV. 2009

The Best Reviewed Cigars awards are based on multiple reviews of each cigar over time. We assess cigars from the same batch over a time period averaging 15-18 months and often times longer. By reviewing cigars multiple times over the course of many months, we can identify what we call, "flash in the pan" cigars. That is, cigars that may be good, but are not consistently good. The Stogie Fresh 2009 Honor Roll acknowledges cigars that are CONSISTENTLY EXCELLENT IN FLAVOR AND CONSTRUCTION. The Stogie Fresh reviewing system is also the only system in the industry that can make definitive statements about the results of prolonged aging.

To qualify for a spot on the yearly Stogie Fresh Honor Roll, each cigar must have been reviewed a minimum of three times using the Stogie Fresh reviewing system, with the most recent review falling within the past 12 months. Overall rankings are based on the average score from the reviews. If there is a tie in scoring, the higher placement goes to the cigar that has been reviewed more times. If the cigars were reviewed the same number of times, the nod is given to the cigar with the highest score in the most recent review.

1. 1. Ashton San Cristóbal Fabuloso -- Avg. Score 92.5 (based on 3 reviews)
   

2. Type: Torpedo
   

3. Country: Nicaragua
   

4. Size: 6.12 x 52
   

5. Wrapper: Nicaragua
   

6. Binder: Nicaragua
   

7. Filler: Nicaragua
   

8. Age at final review: 1 year 7.6 months
   

9. Cost: $9.50
   

10. Company website: http://www.ashtoncigar.com
    

Released in the summer of 2007 at the IPCPR Trade Show in Houston, this Nicaraguan "puro" is manufactured by José "Pepin" Garcia for Ashton Cigars. This cigar spent over two years in development and is produced by Garcia at his factory in Nicaragua.

This torpedo begins with earthy flavors and a sweet, nutty nuance in the aftertaste. The cigar produces a "spice hammer" on the retrohale that is not unexpected, but it does get your attention. Once the spice settles down on the palate, a light sweetness begins to emerge, lightly enveloping the taste buds. By the two-thirds point, the flavors rapidly deepen into coffee and dark chocolate, finishing with lingering medium-full flavors and body. This cigar continues to age well. It appears to be opening-up and is displaying more well defined characters as it progresses in age. The San Cristóbal shows a great capacity for aging and we believe this is one to buy in boxes to lay down in your humidor.

2. 2. Montecristo Serie C -- Avg. Score 91.8 (based on 3 reviews)
   

3. Type: Belicoso
   

4. Country: Dominican Republic
   

5. Size: 6.1 x 52
   

6. Wrapper: Cameroon
   

7. Binder: Nicaragua
   

8. Filler: Nicaragua and Peru
   

9. Age at final review: 2 years 2.3 months
   

10. Cost: $7.50/cigar
    

11. Company website: http://www.altadisusa.com
    

The Montecristo Serie C was first released by Altadis in 2007. It boasts a genuine African Cameroon wrapper with Nicaraguan and Peruvian filler and binder. This cigar starts off with light flavors of cocoa and wood, but also builds in complexity as you progress through the smoking experience. While the initial flavors are grassy and somewhat spicy, the aftertaste changes to flavors of nuts, sweet hay, bittersweet cocoa and coffee. Though complex and nuanced, this cigar is best smoked within the first couple of years.

3. 3. San Martín by Tabacalera del Oriente -- Avg. Score 91.1 (based on 3 reviews)
   

4. Type: Pyramid
   

5. Country: Peru
   

6. Size: 6 x 52
   

7. Wrapper: Peru
   

8. Binder: Peru
   

9. Filler: Peru
   

10. Age at final review:  11.2 months
    

11. Cost: $9.50/cigar
    

12. Company website: http://peruviancigars.net
    

We voted this Peruvian puro as the "Best New Cigar of 2007," and it is still showing great things. This is a gorgeous stick with an oily wrapper that has a slight leather-back turtle look. This stick was also already showing off a little bit of plume on the wrapper. This smoke starts with creamy, lush flavors of  sweet hay, raw nuts, light aromatic wood and a tangy spice on the retrohale. There are nothing but good flavors throughout this relaxing and enjoyable smoke. It is medium in body and medium to full in flavor. This is a must-try smoke that should age beneficially over the first 2-3 years.

PART 3: BEST NEW CIGAR OF 2009

The Best New Cigars are not necessarily new in the market, but they are new to us. These are cigars that we became aware of during the past year and have been impressed with. Usually there is only one winner of this award, but this year there were two cigars that impressed us and we gave BOTH our nod with the BEST NEW CIGAR AWARD.

Savinelli RyR (Rico y Raro)

Type: Toro Grande

Country: Nicaragua  

Size: 6 x 56

Wrapper: Ecuador

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Price: $6.85–$7.60

Company Website: http://www.savinelliusa.com

Savinelli is a famous and trusted name in the pipe-smoking world, a name associated with quality and incredible attention to detail. However, Savinelli cigars may be some of the best cigars that you've never heard of. The Savinelli RYR Series cigar is made in Savinelli's own factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. The wrapper features an Ecuadorian Habano seed leaf and the filler and binder are 100% Nicaraguan grown tobaccos.

This cigar is rich from the get go. It is a mouthful that you almost have to chew. It packs flavors of sweet tobacco, leather and smoked meat. And it's juicy… so much so that it makes your mouth start watering like Pavlov's dogs. This is not a cigar with nuance or complexity. It is big and bold and flavorful. It doesn't present on your palate like a surgical scalpel, but instead is more like a meat cleaver that lops off bone and gristle in one fells swoop. When I retrohale the smoke, I get a nice dose of aromatic cedar, which provides a nice counterpoint to the rich and juicy flavors. I recommend this cigar with an aged Port style wine. It should be best during the first 2 years.

De Fazio Picoso

Type: Robusto

Country: Nicaragua  

Size: 5 x 50

Wrapper: Honduras

Binder: Honduras

Filler: Honduras

Price: ~$7.50

Company Website: http://www.difaziocigars.com

In 2008, a new cigar brand was born. The company is the namesake of Carmelo Di Fazio, a television executive who, because of his love of fine cigars, ventured into the cigar industry by creating his own company: Di Fazio Cigars Corp. The Picoso is the most full-bodied of their lineup and is made with all Honduran tobacco.

The Picoso starts out with a fabulous spicy, sweet, cedary tang. There is also a little pepper spice on the finish. This smoke is medium to full in body and full in flavor. There is a surprising amount of complexity in this robust cigar. Pick up a few and give a try.