#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.

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The Good Stuff:

The Winston Churchill line has been a staple in the Davidoff portfolio since 2007. The brand changed names to “Davidoff Winston Churchill” in 2014 and the first Limited Edition Davidoff Winston Churchill was released in 2016 and quickly became one of the most sought after super-premium releases each year it was released (2016, 2019 and 2021). This brings us to the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021. The cigar comes in a single 6 x 52 Toro format featuring an Ecuadorian wrapper over Dominican Hybrid 275 binder and Piloto Ligero, Hybrid 20-20 Seco, San Vicente Mejorado Ligero, San Vicente Viso filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic in addition to Esteli Viso fillers from Nicaragua. The Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 comes packaged in boxes of 10 running $32 per stick with only 4,500 boxes produced. I purchased mine over from our great friends at Cigars International.

• Size: 6 x 52
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian
• Binder: Dominican Hybrid 275
• Filler: Dominican (Piloto Ligero, Hybrid 20-20 Seco, San Vicente Mejorado Ligero, San Vicente Viso) & Nicaragua (Estelí Viso)
• Body: Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: $32
• Pairing: Bruery Mai Zombie (Olde Ale 16.7% ABV)

Prelight:

The Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 starts off with an incredibly consistent, milky brown wrapper. The wrapper’s texture is very toothy and gritty with a good amount of oils as it’s laid seamlessly over itself. Its crazy how, just, flawless this cigar looks. The wrapper itself is very dense and hard while the cigar as a whole is very tightly packed and heavy as hell. The cigar showcases some light veining as the beautiful body leads up to the cigar’s round, double-wrapped cap. The cigar is polished off with the elegant white and gold Winston Churchill band we all love as well as an additional gray and gold secondary band with the words “Limited Edition 2021” embossed across the front.

The wrapper on the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 gives off a whole mess of almond and mossy aromas while the foot of the cigar carries much more spice and natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a ton of mossy, oaky notes over some very sharp spice and natural tobacco flavors.

First Third:

The Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 starts out with a whole mess of deep oak, moss, almond, and spice over a great earthiness, light citrus and vanilla. The draw is impeccable as each, tiny, little puff kicks out massive clouds of thick, white smoke which might as well live here as they take so long to dissipate while the cigar itself releases only slight amounts of stationary smoke. The burnline is dead even and razor thin leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted dark gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my lap. Thanks wind!

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 and the flavors are mostly the same, and I hope that is the trend. The full-bodied profile leads with a whole mess of moss, oak, almond and spice still over more vanilla, almond and citrus while a light floral mixture has began to show face. The retrohale is VERY sharp and really brings the spice to the forefront of the profile. The cigar is still burning like a dream and I close out the second third with only a very minor nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021 and the flavors, while still in the full-bodied arena, have started to balance and out a bit. The profile is now composed of a creamy mixture of oak, almond, and vanilla over lighter notes of spice, citrus, and earthiness. It took almost two hours to take this cigar down to the nub, and I didn’t baby it. It just burned very slow no matter how often I hit it. I close out the cigar with a decent nicotine kick and already craving another.

Overview:

When 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.

Pairing:

Bruery’s Mai Zombie is a big ass Rum Barrel Aged Ale with lime, grapefruit, orange flower water and spices. Coming in at 16.7% ABV this beer leads with a really juice forward mixture of cherry, grapefruit, caramel, and a dash of lime with a whole mess of almond on the aftertaste. This is a beautiful summer beer that packs a hell of a punch, pun intended. The beer really meshed well with some of the light citrus, vanilla, and almond flavors in the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2021.

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