Dan's Best of 2011 Cigars

Every year most blogs put out a end of the year "best of" list.  I myself haven't ever done one before, so this is my first attempt. All of the opinions in this list are my own and do not reflect my partner's favorites of the year. Maybe I can talk Mario into making his own list but I can't make any promises. So here we go...my top five cigars of 2011.

#5 - My Father El Hijo

The My Father El Hijo was the third release in the Smoke Inn's Micro Blend series made exclusively for their shops in Florida. I was completely blown away by this cigar and I will write it again like I did in my full review: in my opinion, this is the best cigar ever made with the My Father brand name attached to it. Lots of spice, cedar and a robust caramel flavor fill this cigar's taste profile making it flavorful and unique.  Full review here.

#4 - Emilio Cigars Grimalkin

I smoked two different blends from Emilio Cigars this year and, while both were decent sticks, the second one I tried (Grimalkin) gave me what probably was my biggest surprise of the year. I had heard about this cigar and the rumblings of who may or may not have made it, but I never felt any real urgency to smoke the samples I had. If I only knew then what I know now. The Grimalkin had a distinct vegetable-like flavor profile mixed with more traditional black pepper. My smoking partner and I both nubbed these and were equally stunned by our findings.  Full review here.

#3 - Padron SI 15 Maduro

Just like my #5 cigar of the year, the Padron SI 15 comes from the Smoke Inn Micro Blend series. This stick proved just how wrong I could be about my constant proclaiming that smaller ring gauge cigars are always better. Coming in at a 6 x 60 vitola the Padron SI-15 is every bit as massive as it sounds, not only in physical size, but also in flavor. Dark chocolate and coffee notes dominate the flavor profile (and with a lot of strength to back it up.) I would put this stick up against any Padron Family Reserve release and say it would beat it.  Full review here.

#2 - Illusione Epernay Le Taureau

For the last few years, every time I smoked any size of the Illusione Epernay I always asked myself, "Why don't I smoke more of these?" Well in 2011, I did just that and put the Epernay line into the front of my normal rotation of cigars. Toward the end of this year, New Havana Cigars got a small shipment of new sizes of the Epernay and I think one of them (the Le Taureau) is the best vitola yet in the line. This 56 ring gauge cigar has a ton of power, but even more than that, it has a ton of flavor. I will still hold to my statement in the review that the Epernay is the single-most balanced blend on the market today in premium cigars.  Full review here.

#1 - Tatuaje La Vérité 2009

Taking the number one spot for me this year (and on my first ever top 5 list) will come as no surprise if you have talked to me about cigars in the last 6 months, have seen some of my twitter updates when people are talking "best of", or if you happened to catch my guest spot on Kiss My Ash Radio. I've not been able to stop praising this cigar and I honestly think it is well deserved. The Tatuaje Vérité 2009 is clearly the stand out cigar of the year. The blend is extremely complex in flavor and the experience of smoking one of these makes you feel like you are enjoying something special. Pete Johnson and the team at My Father cigars outdid themselves on this one and I am very happy that I have a decent supply. I can't begin to express how much I am looking forward to the 2010 version. Full review here.


Well that's it. Thanks for reading my top five cigars for 2011. I hope that you agree with some and maybe disagree with others.  Please leave a comment and tell me what you think. I'll wrap up this post with a few honorable mentions that just barely missed the list.


Honorable Mentions:
Surrogates Cigars Bone Crusher - Very strong cigar that is perfect when looking for something heavy. Not in limited quantities like a lot of other releases this year, which is a plus.  (review)

Subculture Studios MY UZI WEIGHS A TON - Another 6 x 60 sized cigar, but another easily enjoyed. Easy to smoke and solid medium strength, flavorful cigar.  (review)

Illusione MK Ultra - This is the cigar I was most excited to be released this year and it delivered. Classic Illusione taste ramped up into a  more powerful cigar.  (review)

Dan

REVIEW: Tatuaje Fausto

It is time for probably the most most talked about, cigar-geek anticipated releases of the year...the Fausto from Tatuaje. All the information has been leaked out about these sticks for awhile now, so I won't bore you with all the rumors, truths and legends that have been written about this release over the last year.  The description from New Havana Cigars pretty much says it all:

Quote New Havana Cigars: Based on the T110 (Thermonuclear) blend, Fausto is a much anticipated new lineup from Pete Johnson.  Fausto features an Ecuador Habano Maduro wrapper and a very strong blend of Nicaraguan filler that includes mostly ligero from Jalapa and Esteli.  As strong as the blend is, this full bodied smoke is filled with flavor and will be a daily staple for many who love a bigger smoke.  

I asked Pete about this stick at the show and he said, "It is what it is. It's for those guys who loved the T110 power and wanted more of it." 


Here's my post-dinner review.

Specifics

Vitola: Robusto Extra
Length: 5 1/2
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price:  $8.25 in 5 packs
Smoking Location: New Havana Cigars
Beverage: nothing

Pre-Light 

My Fausto was a beautiful looking cigar. After smoking so many cigars with broadleaf wrappers recently (which can be ugly a lot of the time) it was nice to see a silky smooth Habano Maduro. There were some small veins on the wrapper, but not anything that took away from the cigar's appearance. The black and red band had a nice contrast and was a modern version of a classic Cuban style. The pre-lit aroma was peppery, especially at the foot, where it made me sneeze. The cold draw is nice and free and tasted earthy with a slight vegetable garden flavor. You know when you smell a growing tomato plant? It doesn't smell like tomatoes. It has that vegetable garden smell.  That was this flavor.

First Third   

At first, I didn't get right from the cigar what I thought would come from the Fausto. I remember the T110 being right up in your face from the get-go. This stick started pretty mellow with a lot of graham cracker flavor on the front. The finish was more what I expected with some black pepper flavor, but not as strong as I thought it would be. The stick gave off a medium amount of smoke and the strength was obviously there, but not head strong, more body or gut strong. The ash was solid and the construction top notch, as always with My Father factory-produced cigars.

Second Third  

The second third of my Fausto had some transitions in the flavors but they were difficult for me to pick out.  There was a lot of flavor for sure, but I was wracking my brain for what the tastes were. I settled on a light milk chocolate mixing with some leathery notes, and still the pepper on the finish.  That sounds crazy, and is almost embarrassing to write, but it was the best I could do at this point.  What I think was evident in my not being able to decipher the exact flavor profiles was just how balanced the flavors were. Nothing stood out too much and nothing was so weak that it didn't come through on my palate. The strength of the cigar was showing through at this point also, but I must restate: it was more of a body/gut strength than a head spinner.

Final Third and Final Thoughts 

The final third of Fausto was pretty similar to the second half, except I would now describe the milk chocolate flavor from before as more of a dry cocoa taste. Again in the final third, the flavor profile was strong, but hard to pick out the individual flavors. The only real obvious flavor was the black pepper on the finish that never really took off, but was always there for a nice treat at the end of each draw. Full strength in the final third, so watch out if you have not had a nice meal before smoking this cigar.

My final thoughts on the tatuaje Fausto? Like I wrote above: The Fausto is not what I was expecting it to be. I was expecting that pepper bomb that I fondly remember from the T110. The flavors of the cigar were strong and the strength was there for sure, but I found it hard to pick out what the predominant flavor was. Overall, I enjoyed the cigar and I would buy it again, but it didn't floor me like some of Pete's other new releases. Strangely, I smoked the Avion recently (the same blend) and found it to be much more to my liking.  Guess it's true what they say: size matters, and maybe for me, this blend will be more to my liking in other sizes.

Would I buy it again? Yup, the price is right and it's a great full power cigar that doesn't go to far over the top into the sickly range. I'll try the other sizes in the line before I grab this one again though.

Would I buy a box? Right now I'd pass on a box, although I think they will really get nice with age. I'm not sure why I think that; just a personal feeling.

Dan