#10 – Arcana CAO Mortal Coil

The CAO Arcana Mortal Coil was certainly an enjoyable cigar, but that didn’t come without it’s issues. The draw on 3 of the cigars I smoked were all a bit on the tight side. Not anything that killed the experience but it did require some extra effort. Outside of that, I enjoyed the flavor profile, and the pricing seems perfect if the cigar performed without the issues. The flavor profile was particularly exceptional. I have a handful more of these that I will probably let rest a while and see how they perform in a few months but it’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a CAO as much as I have this year.

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#9 Drew Estate Liga Privada Undercrown 10

There is so much hype around each one of Drew Estate’s releases, and in most cases, they deliver which is the case for the Undercrown 10. This cigar has all the flavors from the classic Undercrown maduro line that I love, with added body and a ton of new flavors. The cigar reminded me so much of Abuelita hot chocolate for those familiar. The cigar is balanced, complex, and nailed my personal profile for what I look for in a cigar. The burn performance was great, and the cigar as a whole offered a fantastic experience. These are a bit pricy as they are almost pushing the bounds for the normal Liga Privada lines, but the cigar does deliver.

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#8 Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021

hen Davidoff hits it out of the park, its all the way out of the park and the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 landed in a different time zone. The big, bold and unique flavors kept me on my toes from start to finish. The construction is flawless, and this cigar is astonishingly still available. The price tag probably has a lot to do with it, and is my only gripe here. But you get what you pay for and in this case, you get a hell of an experience.

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#7 Tatuaje The Frank Redux 1

While the original Frank is so far in my rear view mirror that I can’t remember much of that experience outside of my written words, I do remember how special of a cigar that was. The Frank Redux 1 delivered the same experience. It’s just an all around fantastic cigar. The flavor profile is incredible and really marries up well with my I personally look for in a cigar. The blend is complex, yet balanced, the price is perfect, and the fact that it’s much easier to find this time around is just awesome. I’ve always been a huge fan of the monster series and I for one am more than happy with it’s resurrection.

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#6 Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka

The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka is an exceptional cigar. The profile is incredibly nuanced and complex. Anyone who knows Saka knows just how picky he is when it comes to his blends and I can’t imagine the work that was involved getting this one right where it is. Outside of the flavors the experience as a whole were flawless. No burn issues, no heat or sap. Just all around a great experience. While this cigar was excellent, the cost still feels a little steep for me. I know you can’t achieve the same experience without the high-level of production and selectivity, something that Steve Saka is known for, I just don’t know if I’d grab a full box of these. This is something I’d probably keep a few around for though when I am craving such a complex experience. Now if you’re a big Sin Compromiso fan and don’t mind paying a bit of extra coin for a next level version of the cigar I think you’ll be all over this one!

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#5 Black Label Trading Co. Last Rites Viaticum

Giving credit where credit is due, this is easily one of the best cigars I’ve smoked all year. The construction and burn were fantastic while the unique blend and flavor profile really appealed to my personal palate. And when I say it “really appealed”, I meant that I loved it. There are few drawbacks, but most are expected. It’s a bit pricey, however I feel the price is justified as I don’t mind paying $15 for the experience it delivered. It’s very limited. Well, that’s a given. And it burns very quickly. None were big enough miffs to keep me from purchasing quite a few more.

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#4 Tatuaje T110 2021

That Tatuaje 110 is everything I remember it being. A complex cigar that will kick your butt if you aren’t ready for it. The flavor profile was great, the burn was awesome after the slight stumble at the start, and the price is on point. If only these weren’t so limited. If for some reason you happen to stumble across any, buy them. All of them. You won’t regret it.

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#3 Black Works Studio Hyena

The Black Works Studio line is unique, and the Hyena is a perfect example of that. Cameroon is a tobacco that I don’t often smoke, and every time I do I wonder why I don’t smoke more of it. The tobacco is just so flavorful which is on full display in this African version, which is the first time I have ever tried. The cigar is packed with very deep, rich, and complex flavors that will keep you on your toes but more importantly, are all extremely pleasant and appealing. This was probably one of the better cigars I’ve smoked all year and something that I will definitely keep on hand going forward.

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#2 Illusione Jeremy Piven Collection PIV Robusto

I’d be curious to know just who Jeremy Piven met with before ultimately deciding to do this collaboration with Illusione. Why he chose Illusione, well that’s pretty obvious. As my boy Drew would say, “Cause he is the king of Corojo!”. The PIV Robusto carries some great, deep, yet very balanced flavors. While a few of the cigars we reviewed recently by Illusione tend to be a bit of a departure from his normal style, the PIV Robusto is a great representation on just how well Dion knows his way around Corojo. This is a perfect afternoon smoke when you are craving something with a good amount of flavor that won’t overwhelm your palate yet still deliver.

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#1 Black Label Trading Co. Bishop’s Blend 2021

The team over at Oveja Negra is making it really hard for me not to include every one of their releases in my top 10 cigars for 2021. I always thought the bishop’s blend releases were special cigars, but this year there was something extra special with the blend or tobacco. The flavor profile is absolutely incredible from start to finish. The cigar burned perfectly, and the price is actually lower than I’d expect for a cigar like this. The limited production is a bit daunting, but they have released a new run each year which evens it out. The only complaint here is the amount of sap this cigar produces. There is quite a bit and while slowing down my smoking pace greatly reduces it, I was unable to make it through any of the cigars I smoked without some slipping out. I’m sure some more rest would easily clean that up.

Read the Review here

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Prelight: Cigar #6 starts off with this absolutely beautiful, extremely toothy wrapper. This bad boy is oily! Bits of oil were rubbing off on my fingers every time I hold the cigar. The wrapper is a really dark, and consistent dark-chocolate brown. The construction on this cigar is immaculate. The only visible veins are very slight, and smooth. They blend so well in with the cigar they were hard to even find. Despite how lightweight this cigar is, it seems incredibly durable with very little give heading up towards the round double cap.

The wrapper of this cigar gives off a really nice cedar aroma while the foot lets loots a really, really deep spice. The cap clipped with extreme ease using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw is really interesting. It starts with just a ton of pepper, spice, cedar, and some sweet raisin. Strange I know, but if the cigar bears as much flavor as the cold draw I know I’ll be impressed.

First Smoke: Cigar #6 lit and toasted really quick, and really easy. This cigar starts off with a ton of pepper. After the pepper simmered down a bit the cigar’s real flavors kicked in. Starting out with a ton of cedar, some really sharp spice, sweet tobacco, and this really interesting grape/plum flavor I pulled from the aftertaste. The burline started out completely solid, and razor sharp producing a very beautiful, tightly compacted white ash. Despite the beautiful ash, it only held on for about an inch before taking a dive right into my lap.

Halfway There: Going into the second third of cigar #6 and the pepper has completely faded leaving room for this cigar to really take off. The deep cedar flavor is still the main flavor backed by subtle spice, sweet cinnamon, and that strange plum flavor I pulled early into this cigar. At first, I thought the wrapper on this cigar was Connecticut Broadleaf, but the more I smoke it, the more I find myself leaning away from that. Stalk Cut Habano maybe? It just doesn’t have to same sweet characteristics that Connecticut Broadleaf normally does. Anyhow, getting back into it, the retrohale on this cigar is really sharp and spicy, I don’t find myself doing it too often at all. Not to mention the fact that I can already feel a bit of the nicotine from this cigar.

Finish: The complexity of this cigar never stops amazing me. Into the final third of this cigar the pepper flavor from the start of the smoke made a brief reappearance. The main flavor is still this plethora of cedar. My mouth taste’s like I have been chewing on a black of cedar. At this point the Plum flavor is really taking off too. What a neat mixture of flavor. The body has really started to jump up as well.  I am scared to get up and walk around. There was a little harshness in the end, but nothing that I didn’t mind smoking through. All in all this cigar took about an hour to take down. Probably too fast for me to call it the cigar I am about to, but that’s just part of the game.

Overview: This was a damn good cigar. Extremely complex, bold, strong, and interesting. It really kept me on my toes. Not for the faint of heart. Just make sure you have a nice meal, and something to drink handy before taking on whatever cigar this happens to be. (on a side note, all these blind reviews are paired with water. Since I don’t know what they are I don’t want to risk pairing them with something that could ruin the experience. )

So now, for the part that makes me look like a complete dumbass. What did I think this was?

First off all, I really want to say this is a Nicaraguan cigar. It had all the characteristics, but the flavors were so interesting that I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a crazy mix of tobacco in there. What Nicaraguan cigar did I think it is? Well, I really couldn’t get over the wrapper. It looks like something I am so used to be the experience didn’t match. That being said, my first guess is this is some crazy Liga Privada blend. The wrapper REALLY identified with the wrapper seen on the T52. The rest of the experience didn’t, but with all the experimenting that Drew Estate has been doing lately, and Brooks’ ability to get ahold of just about anything, it wouldn’t surprise me. Second guess? Viaje. I haven’t had the pleasure of smoking too many Viaje, but this is something that would definitely fit within their line. Flavorful, strong, and different. Now lets see just how far off I was.

And the cigar is, Tatuaje’s Fausto. Is this cigar even out yet? Brooks doesn’t mess around.

Tatuaje’s Fausto is a new blend being released this year. New blend? Kinda. If any of you remember the extremely limited T110 blend that Pete made for R. Fields in Hawaii then this cigar shouldn’t been unfamiliar to you. The Fausto is the same blend form the T110, only in different sizes. After all the success of the T110 Pete wanted to eventually turn it into a fully produced line. The Fausto is a damn strong cigar. This is a full ligero cigar composed of Jalapa and Estelí grown Nicaraguan tobacco. At least I got that part right. And the wrapper? Ecuador Habano Maduro. Again, I was close!

If you want to find out more about this cigar, and see a great review of it, head over to this link to check out what brooks over at Smokingstogie.com had to say about it.

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