The 2017 Cigars of the Year list created by Cigar Aficionado was topped by a unique cigar known as the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos blend. Specifically, the Eye of the Shark vitola was chosen, and the name is a reference to the appearance of the cigar when viewed from above. Seriously, it looks like a tiny shark body! The open foot and tapered belicoso-style head create a silhouette that we would recognize anywhere.
The flavors were considered exquisite by fans of Cameroon tobacco. If you haven’t acquired the taste for this exotic and woody leaf, you may want to try and get into it just to experience this outstanding blend from Arturo Fuente.
The 2017 Cigars of the Year ranking continued on with the Padrón Serie 1926, a blend that is one of the most consistently excellent cigars on the market. The earthy coffee bean notes are a signature flavor that many smokers could pick out blind if they had to. Padrón, along with several other leading companies, is a big part of why Nicaraguan tobacco is so popular these days.
Speaking of which, the #3 cigar on the 2017 Cigars of the Year list was the Oliva Serie V, another Nicaraguan puro. At 95 points, this strong, full-bodied blend showcased another way to mix Nicaraguan tobacco to create a surprisingly different flavor profile. Sweet and spicy, this was a ligero-powered blend not to be missed.
The #4 spot belonged to a Cuban Bolivar blend, and it preceded the #5 cigar, the Alec Bradley Tempus Natural. The Tempus Natural combined a variety of rich tobaccos from around the world – mainly Honduras – but also Indonesia and Nicaragua. The experience of smoking it was likened to the satisfaction you might get from a hearty stout. That’s a pairing suggestion, as far as we’re concerned.
At #6 on the 2017 Cigars of the Year rankings, we find the Ashton Symmetry. Using a wealth of tobacco, you get a complex and balanced set of flavors that will have you relishing each puff. But many people will find this smoke eclipsed by the My Father The Judge blend at #7. Unlike more refined My Father blends, this one is potent and more in your face than the rest. For many smokers, however, it was just the kind of My Father cigar they’d always been waiting for. Big smoke from that stick!
A boutique cigar maker showed up in the #8 spot. Guardian of the Farm Apollo Selección de Warped was a collaboration that simply hit the sweet spot. It’s a nice nutty smoke that launched a whole subline of cigars for Max Fernández of TABSA and Warped’s Kyle Gellis.
Lovers of more potent cigars were probably focused on the #9 cigar on the 2017 Cigars of the Year list, which was the Plasencia Alma Fuerte. Strong, spicy, and totally unapologetic, this blend was one for the hardcore cigar hounds. This was vintage leaf put to perfect use.
The top ten was completed by the Villiger La Flor de Ynclan. It’s probably not a brand many premium cigar aficionados had encountered, but it was described as “sweet and charming from the first puff to last, anchored by simple-yet-pleasing notes of chocolate and salt, and then refined by more precise intonations of walnut and orange marmalade.” We’re sold.
Please browse our selection of 2017 Cigars of the Year at your leisure.
