Unable to keep up with all the new releases (I leave that to Tony), I am sticking with the same format for my top 10 list as in past years. The only criteria I have is that I had to of reviewed the cigar during the last calendar year. 2015 marked one of the best years in my 10 years of smoking. Everything from the budget friendly cigar to the super-premium, cigars are performing better and tasting better than ever before making it a little harder this year identifying the very best, in my opinion. And as Tony said in his Top 10 List, “Here at Casas Fumando we don’t claim to be the best in the business, nor do we take ourselves very serious. We’re just a couple of guys who like to smoke cigars, so our very subjective lists reflect that”. Now onto the good stuff.

# 10 VegaFina Nicaragua

Vitola: Gran Toro | Size: 6 by 52 | Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano 2000 | Binder: Nicaraguan Seco | Filler: Nicaraguan Ligero, Nicaraguan Viso, Nicaraguan Seco

Once again, a manufacturing giant has made its way into my top 10 list and for good reason. It is hard to beat a cigar around $6 that highlights natural tobacco sweetness, woodsy notes, black pepper spice, an underlying citrus, and toasted bread. This medium flavored, low to medium strength cigar performs exceptionally.

Review HERE.

#9 MoyaRuiz Cigars – La Jugada Nunchuck

Vitola: Churchill | Size: 7 by 54 | Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan

Inspired by Cigar Dojo, Danny Moya and Nelson Ruiz launched the La Jugada Nunchuck in 2014. The Nunchuck features dark flavors of black pepper, coffee, earth, and cocoa rounded out by a sugarcane sweetness, hazelnut richness, and creamy cedar. Complex, balanced, and spicy, this is one gimmicky yet awesome cigar. MoyaRuiz’s La Jugada Prieto landed the #3 spot on my 2013 list.

Full review HERE.

#8 Global Premium Cigars – 1502 Nicaragua

Vitola: Robusto | Size: 5 by 50 | Wrapper: Nicaraguan | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan

Unless you have been living under a rock, you are aware of the significant changes that took place in House of Emilio after the retirement of Gary Griffith this past year, but that did not seem to phase 1502 Cigars which seems to be gaining a solid footing in the industry. Enrique Sanchez has released several cigars in the last few years, but this Nicaraguan puro out performs them all. On the upper end in terms of strength and flavors, the 1502 Nicaragua shows off what Nicaraguan tobacco is all about. This is another very reasonably priced cigar coming in at $6.50.

Full review HERE.

# 7 Bombay Tobak – MBombay KeSara Vintage Reserve Nikka

Vitola: Grand Corona | Vitola: 6 1/2 by 46 | Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut | Binder: Ecuadorian | Filler: Dominican and Peruvian

#6 United Cigar Group – Garofalo

Vitola: Robusto | Size: 5 by 50 | Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan

The Garofalo has become the standard by which I gauge all other Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapped cigars. While 2015 may be the year of Connecticut Shade cigars (Padron Damaso and Undercrown Shade), the Garofalo stands with the best of the them and even beats out most of them when you take the price of under $7 into consideration. What made this blend so enjoyable was the play between the light, creamy, sweet woodsy notes from the wrapper and the heavier spice flavors delivered by the Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. You can find these over at Two Guys Smoke Shop’s online store (2guyscigars.com).

Full review HERE.

# 5 Perdomo Cigars – Double Aged 12 Year Vintage Maduro

Vitola: Robusto | Size: 5 by 56 | Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan

Perdomo has found 2 spots on this year’s top 10 list (Garofalo is made by Perdomo), something that was completely unexpected. The Double Aged 12 Year Vintage Maduro delivers dark, heavy, rich flavors that are balanced and satisfying. There is also no lack of complexity in this stick. Perdomo has flown under the radar for several years for me, but it has become a company I will be keeping my eyes on going forward as I believe they have a lot going for them.

Full review HERE.

#4 Davidoff – Millennium Blend Tubo Robusto

Vitola: Robusto | Size: 5 1/4 by 50 |  Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown | Binder: Dominican | filler: Dominican

Davidoff has never been a company to grab my interest. As stated in the review, the price tag has caused me to stay clear of them, but thanks to our good friend at Famous Smoke Shop I was able to smoke through several Davidoff Millennium Blend in the Robusto vitola this year. Out of all the cigars on this list, the Millennium Blend is the one I was choose to light up to on a special occasion. This is not a new cigar by any means, but it still a darn good cigar worthy of making my top 10 list.

Full review HERE.

#3 Tatuaje – Limited Lancero Collection

Vitola: Lancero | Size: 7 1/2 by 38 | Wrapper: Varies | Binder: Varies | Filler: Varies

If someone is interested in getting to know Tatuaje cigars, this is the first place I refer them. At a reasonable price of $95 for the sampler, you get to smoke 10 of the best cigars on the market. Unable to pick just one cigar, I decided to throw in the whole sampler into the top 10 list (I may be breaking the rules, but who cares!!!). Reviews below:

• Tatuaje (Brown Label)
• Tatuaje Havana VI
• Cabaiguan Guapo
• La Riqueza
• El Triunfador
• La Casita Criolla
• Fausto

#2 Mel Caribbean Corp. – Bella Dominicana

Vitola: “M” | Size: 4 7/8 by 46 | Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra | Binder: Dominican | Filler: Dominican Seco, Dominican Viso Criollo 98 and Nicaraguan Viso

Bella Dominicana is probably the least known cigar on this list, but a cigar that is sure to make waves once it enters the U.S. market. Armando Diaz of Mel Caribeean Corp. teamed up with Jochy Blanco of Tabacalera Palma to create this exceptional cigar that delivers mainly medium flavors alongside a medium strength profile. Sweet, rich woodsy notes make up the core of the flavors with the appearance of some very intriguing flavors throughout. I have been able to share this cigar with several friends, ranging from beginner to veteran smokers, and they all shared very positive feedback on the Bella Dominicana. I cannot wait to see this enter the U.S market so I can smoke through the other vitolas.

Full review HERE.

#1 Crowned Heads – Yellow Rose

Vitola: Box-Pressed Torpedo | Size: 6 by 54 | Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan

Since 2012, Crowned Heads has landed several spots on our annual top 10 lists, even a #1 spot in 2013 with their J.D. Howard Reserve. Well, this year they have reclaimed the #1 spot with their Yellow Rose, exclusive to Texas retail stores. After reviewing the Yellow Rose in May, it is a cigar I have been unable to get out of my mind. While I haven’t had the cigar budget to grab a box, each quarter when I am in Texas for work I make sure to stop by the local shop and grab a few to hold me over until my next visit. The rustic Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper delivers the common tartness and cocoa which matches up well with the Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos that add some strength and spice to the mix. I am absolutely in love with this blend and hope to see it around for years to come.

Full review HERE.

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September and October 2015 Recap

Most Memorable Cigars Smoked

1. Crowned Heads – Las Calaveras 2015
2. La Mission du L’Atelier
3. Tatuaje – La Riqueza
4. Mel Caribbean Corp. – Bella Dominicana

 September and October Cigar Reviews

Review Highlights

Jeremy’s Reviews
Mel Caribbean Corp. – Bella Dominicana 

Bella Dominicana delivered medium/full flavors at the start and transitioned to more of medium smoke throughout the last two third. The strength behaved exactly opposite with reaching medium/full at the end. I would characterize the core of the smoke, or the most consistent flavor, as sweet, rich woodsy notes with no lack of complexity and change-ups and a fair amount of pepper spice.

J. Fuego – Vudu Sacrifice and Vudu Dark, Famous Smoke Shop Exclusives

Sacrifice: Right of the bat, the Sacrifice delivered full-flavors that were full in body and medium in strength. I have absolutely no complaints in the performance department. While the draw was stiff at the pre-light, once lit, the draw was fine and the burn and ash was exceptional for a cigar less than $3.00. Not overly complex, but highly enjoyable smoke that I could see picking up in the evening and standing up to fuller body beverages.

Dark: The Vudu Dark is my cup of tea. The flavors of earth, cocoa, and pepper suited my palate with an evolving strength that moved from mild to medium/full throughout the smoke. Compared to the Sacrifice, the burn-line was not nearly as even, but was of no concern. I actually ordered up a jar of No. 7s, and I believe you may be hard-pressed to find a better cigar for the price.

Macanudo Estate Reserve 2015

Macanudo Estate Reserve 2015 delivers medium flavors, body, and strength, sometimes pushing full, with an effortless performance. The sweetness noted in the first third brought a nice balance to the dark and sour/floral flavors and was sorely missed once it exited in the middle third and never made a return. The sour floral or grapefruit essence held my interest throughout but I longed for the return of the sweetness.

Carnage, a Famous Smoke Shop Exclusive

Famous Smoke Shop’s Carnage blended by Nestor Plasencia delivers medium flavors and medium/full strength with a consistent profile with a core of rich woodsy notes and pepper spice, with some subtleties that are much more noticeable if this cigar is not hot boxed. The Carnage Robusto required one touch-up, but other that I don’t have any complaints on the performance.

Tatuaje La Riqueza Lancero

The core of the flavors were dark and spicy, with lots of subtleties in the profile and change-ups in each of thirds kept me engaged the entire time. Each time I burn through one of the Tatuaje lanceros in the Limited Lancero Collection, I feel like I just found my new favorite Tat. As it stand today, this may very well be my favorite.

Tony’s Reviews

Padron – Damaso No. 8

In my case, I was pretty disappointed in the lack of everything that you have come to expect from Padron in the case of the Damaso. The body was lacking, the flavor profile was less than stellar, and the price point was way too high for what the cigar delivered. Not to mention that I really tried to take my time with this cigar, but even then it burned way too quickly. It seriously only took me about 50 minutes to smoke this down to the very nub.

Crux Du Connoisseur

Each of Crux’s cigars have been hits in our book, and the Crux Du Connoisseur is no exception. In fact, it’s probably one of my favorites by the company. The cigar sports lots of character with a complex and interesting flavor profile that isn’t too far over the top.

Guest Reviews by Jeff Oda

L’Atelier Extension de la Racine ER14

Looking over my review of the first release of the Extension de la Racine (ER13), it appears that this one is quite a bit different in the flavors it presents, and I have to wonder if the shape of the cigar has something to do with that.  I definitely missed the Asian spice and floral elements that were present in the ER13 and that I enjoyed so much, so perhaps the Parejo shape is a better fit for this blend than figurado.

Roberto Duran Cigars – Neya 

The flavors were enjoyable and reasonably complex, and the experience was very much in line with the Duran EPF target.  The previous two that I had actually lasted about ten to fifteen minutes longer than this one, so YMMV.  At four bucks, I think that this cigar is an absolute bargain, and I have no qualms about recommending it to someone who’s looking for a high-value medium-plus bodied stick.

AJ Fernandez Enclave

The AJ Fernandez Enclave turned out to be a solid smoke, which while not the most complex around, provided a good range of flavors with enough transitions to keep me interested in it.  Construction and burn were top-notch, it smoked nice and slow, and the price is absolutely consumer friendly.

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