StogieGuys.com’s Top Cigars of 2016 (Part II)

This year’s collection of our highest-rated cigars is, like those in the past, a small set of the many we smoked. Only four achieved the heralded five-stogie rating.

That is two fewer than in 2015 and one below the 2014 number, but double that of 2013.

Obviously, a cigar needs special qualities to get such a high rating. We define them as “tasty, complex … truly an occasion” and worthy of “your full and undivided attention.”

Each year’s stellar crop is different from the past, and 2016 is no exception.

Warped Futuro Selección Suprema

First up is the Warped Futuro Selección Suprema. This Nicaraguan puro represents a collaboration between Warped and Casa Fernandez and is said to use rare Aganorsa tobacco. This vitola is 5.625 inches long with a ring gauge of 46 and an MSRP of $8.75. The review noted that it “starts with an initial burst of creaminess before it settles into a woody flavor with light spice and hints of honey. Occasionally, I even pick up on a combination of flavors that reminds me of banana bread.”

Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary Connoisseur

Even a casual StogieGuys.com reader would likely be aware of our affinity for PG Cigars. They consistently rank among our favorites, and the Paul Garmirian 25th Anniversary Connoisseur did so in March. Released in a single size (6 x 52) with undisclosed details on the tobaccos, this toro was “characterized by restrained strength. You get the distinct sense that if it had been rushed at all the Connoisseur would have had some rough edges, but instead the full-bodied woodiness is tempered by a cornucopia of other subtle flavors. While $19 is a lot for a cigar, and you’d expect a lot for such a premium price, the PG 25th Anniversary delivers.”

Aging Room Cigars Bin No. 1 B Minor

The next cigar to gain five stogies in 2016 was an echo from an earlier year. Aging Room Cigars Bin No. 1 B Minor was a four-star stogie in 2014 and moved up after aging in my humidor. “All that made the Bin No. 1 such an enjoyable smoke seemed to be sanded down just a tad and locked together in a velvety, even experience,” I wrote. “I couldn’t help but think of the spice and sweetness as having become intertwined in some sort of cigar smoke double helix.” At 6.125 inches long with a ring gauge of 52, it has an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with Dominican filler and binder. The retail price is about $12.50.

E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2016

The final five-stogie smoke for the year was the E.P. Carrillo Short Run 2016, a limited edition in a line that Ernesto Perez-Carrillo introduced in 2010, not long after starting his new company. With an Ecuadorian wrapper around Nicaraguan tobaccos, this toro-sized (6 x 52) smoke costs $12 and earned high praise in the review: “Exquisite in every way while maintaining incredible balance and offering rare subtlety, I have no reservations about awarding this triumph a rare rating of five stogies out of five.”

To find all our previous five-stogie cigars, click here. And you can read about the StogieGuys.com rating system here.

Here’s to even more great smokes in 2017!

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys