Commentary: Do You Need a Favorite Cigar?
30 Jan 2012
Years ago, I overheard a gentleman make a wise statement in a cigar shop that has stuck with me ever since. “The best cigar is the cigar you like the best,†he said.
What a wonderfully simple (and true) declaration. So many people choose to smoke cigars that are new or expensive because they think those sticks will make them look cool. Others only choose cigars that have received the highest ratings, or those that are made by the trendiest cigar makers. Still others only smoke the biggest, the boldest, the darkest, or the thickest. And others hunt for certain flavor profiles.
But at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that the cigar you choose makes you feel great and provides a pleasant experience. There’s no right answer when it comes to picking your cigar or deciding when, where, or how to smoke it. As long as enjoyment is the end result, you’re doing it right. Keep up the good work.
And if you have an all-time favorite cigar, well that’s fine too. I applaud your ability to narrow down the massive field to one supreme smoke, whether you’ve deemed that smoke supreme for its sentimental value or its physical attributes. Just don’t be shocked when I tell you I don’t have a favorite.
I often get asked what my favorite cigar is, and I think people are surprised—and sometimes disappointed—when I don’t have an answer. The truth is, I don’t have a favorite all-time song either. The music I listen to depends on a lot of different variables, not the least of which is my mood. Results can vary across genres that are completely dissimilar. If I could name a favorite song, it would change so often that it would render the act of naming a favorite completely meaningless.
That said, I do have a dozen or so songs that I would consider consistently among my favorites, some because they have sentimental value, some because I just really like the way they sound. The same could be said for cigars. Maybe I should have a “top five†answer prepared for the next time I’m asked what my favorite cigar is. Or maybe it’s enough to say, “I like too many cigars for too many different reasons to pick a favorite.â€
No, I don’t think you have to have a favorite cigar. But I won’t hold it against you if you do. If you have a favorite, feel free to share it in the comments below, and feel free to mention why it’s at the top of your all-time best-of list.
photo credit: Stogie Guys
Patrick Ashby
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief
Patrick Semmens
Co-Founder & Publisher
George Edmonson
Tampa Bureau Chief
For the first 5 years of cigars I smoked everything looking for my favorite. Turned out it was Short Stories. Smoked them for 10 years. Then enlightenment came and I now smoke a different cigar most days. I seldom smoke the same cigar twice in a month. So many cigars and so little time.
My favorite smoke of all time is the Litto Gomez Small Batch No. 2. Just really like the way this one tastes.
I have been smoking for 20 years and have greatly enjoyed hundreds of brands of cigars over the years. lately, I am a big fan of the usual suspects (Illusiones, Tatuaje, and most cigars coming out of the Raises Cubanas factory), but if I could only smoke one cigar it would be the Partagas Serie D No. 4. Consistently excellent. If I had to pick a non-Cuban, it would be the Padron Anniversario Monarca (Natural).
I'm sort of in the same place as you Patrick, with a bit of a twist. I may have a favorite for a period of time, but whether it be my taste buds being acclimated or something, I tend to move on to a new favorite within a matter of months. For example, for a time I thought the Joya de Nicaragua Antano Dark Corojo was one of the greatest things I ever smoked. Not so a couple of months later. But let's face it, it's alot more fun searching for my next favorite cigar!!
Because I write about cigars, too, I seldom smoke the same cigar more than once or twice in a week…3 or 4 times in month. That being said, when it comes to smoking cigars just because I want to, versus because I need to get a review written, I have some favorites I keep coming back to:
Four Kicks by Crowned Heads
Guillermo Leon Signature by La Aurora
L-500 Cabinet by La Flor Dominicana
I have been a regular cigar smoker for just over two years, and in that time, I have probably had 10 'favorite' cigars. Right now, I would have to say the ones at the top of my list are Rocky Patel Sumatra and Sun Grown and Alec Bradley MAXX The Fix.
I have to agree with you, having a favorite anything (or nearly anything) is a hard thing to do. I have a favorite type of music, a favorite flavor profile for beer, a favorite flavor profile for cigars, but no single favorite anything. The truth is, things get old. Even if a cigar is my flavor of the week or month I'd never say its my favorite, simply because soon I'll tire of it a bit and move on to something else.
Also I have to agree that you shouldn't smoke something regularly just because its considered the best. Always stick with what works for you, golf is a great example of that, I tried moving up in club price range, but found my game declining slightly. I don't have an explanation of why the Taylor Mades weren't playing as well as my Cobras, but they just didn't for me. Don't do something to make you a boss, so to speak, Bosses do what they want.
Peter G http://www.acigarsmoker.com
At this moment in time, a Joya Nicaragua Antano 1970 Gran Consul. Ask me again next week and you'll get a different answer =)
That's is one my favorites too.
i agree with the idea of it being difficult to narrow down a single favorite. I feel like cigars often depend on mood, much like music or even a meal. I tend to prefer milder sticks in the summer with a beer or rum based drink, and in the colder months prefer heavier bodied and darker sticks with a nice bourbon or whiskey. I also to stick with a few varieties for 2 or 3 boxes before i get the itch to try something new again, but always want some options. On the milder side right now i tend to go for anything Fuente, and on the heavier side i like a Gurka Colorado or Siglo IV
Current Favorites:
Cuban Crafters Medina Miami Torpedo
601 Blue Robusto
Rocky Patel Sungrown Lancero
My favorite cigar is the Ashton VSG. Why? I just think it has a great flavor profile along with it's awesome look and construction. I have tried many others and have a few top choices but I always compare it to the VSG…
A couple years ago I was all about Drew Estates products, Acid, Natural… About then on a golf trip a buddy gave me a Diesel Unholy Cocktail, "…betcha can't handle this guy". Ha! It turned out to be my go to stick ever since. I've tried a lot of others along the way, some really good, but I keep wandering back to the diesel when it's time to kick back.
I enjoy the Vargas by La Rosa Cuba