Cigar Aficionado

Connoisseur’s Corner: Bolivar Coronas Gigantes (1995)

Bolivar was always the Cuban cigar brand you reached for when you wanted a bold cigar, something with power and a kick. Named for Simón Bolívar, the Venezuelan military man who led many Latin American countries in the fight against Spanish rule, his stern visage stares from the …

Connoisseur’s Corner: Davidoff Château Margaux (circa 1988)

Taking one of these petit coronas out of its wooden cabinet and slicing off the cap is like uncorking a fine wine aged for decades. And I suppose that was the point, as cigar icon Zino Davidoff named this Cuban series after the finest Bordeaux houses in France. Cuban Davidoffs …

Connoisseur’s Corner: Partagás Churchills Deluxe (1995)

Back when this Churchill was rolled, it was considered a fairly big cigar, but over the past 30 years cigars have grown so fat that a 47 ring gauge appears remarkably slim. It’s beautiful—expertly pressed, with a reddish-brown colorado wrapper. It draws like a dream. It’s a slow …

Connoisseur’s Corner: Montecristo No. 4 (1959)

If you look on the bottom of this box, it doesn’t say “Habanos S.A.” or even “Cubatabaco.” Instead, it reads “Menéndez, García y Cía., Ltd.”—the original owner and maker of Montecristo before Cuba’s cigar industry was nationalized. We know that these cigars are from 1959 because …

Connoisseur’s Corner: H. Upmann Coronas Major Tubo (circa 1958)

Imagine going to one of the fanciest stores in New York City and not only finding cigars for sale, but cigars with the name of the establishment on the band. This pre-Castro H. Upmann comes from the long-gone humidor of Saks Fifth Avenue. It’s small, a little more than five …

Connoisseur’s Corner: Don Candido Dunhill Selección Suprema No. 501 (circa 1960)

The Don Candido line was created in the 1930s by Cándido Vegas Díaz, owner of the El Rey del Mundo factory. This brand was positioned as being even more high-end than the already premium El Rey del Mundo cigars. Dunhill became its exclusive distributor until the brand was …

Connoisseur’s Corner: Davidoff Château Mouton Rothschild (1986)

Cuban Davidoffs are among the rarest cigars in the world, but the Château Mouton Rothschild is especially difficult to find. It was only produced in the 1980s, giving its production a much shorter lifespan than other Davidoff cigars made in Cuba. Even the box is different. …

Connoisseur’s Corner: Cohiba Siglo V (1995)

Thirty years in a slide-lid cabinet make first puffs of this lonsdale quite cedary, but the intense woodiness passes after about a half inch, blossoming into a sweet and nutty smoke. There’s plenty of chestnut, almond and pecan notes still driving this cigar. Sweetness manifests …

Connoisseur’s Corner: Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 (2015)

The world of Cuban robustos is surprisingly small, and one of the very best is the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2. This 10-year-old example is a superb performer, with a smooth, full draw. It delivers pleasant baking spice notes of cinnamon and nutmeg, with a slight chocolate …

Connoisseur’s Corner: Punch Churchill (1991)

Big Punch cigars can be glorious, and this stately Churchill—which is one year older than this magazine—doesn’t disappoint. It has a true box press, its edges squared by being compressed into a dress box next to its neighbors. It starts off with an earthy core balanced by …