With all of that out of the way, let’s get into it.

My top 10 favorite cigars

I have arranged this list in alphabetical order to appease my compulsions, but nothing more. So, don’t approach this list as if it’s best to worst or vice versa. All of these cigars are delicious and will provide you with an exceptional experience — that’s why I love them.

That doesn’t mean I won’t smoke anything else, in case it needs to be said. These are just my regulars.

Aganorsa Rare Leaf Reserve Corojo and Maduro

Source: Aganorsa

• Strength: Full-bodied
• Favorite Size: Toro (6×54)

I always say these cigars are like a dessert because they are. The Criollo 98 and 99 tobaccos add lots of sweetness, pepper, cinnamon, and beyond. You’ll also get baking spices, cocoa, leather, and a lot of incredibly creamy flavors. The Maduro version is very much the same, except with darker flavors like espresso, black cherry, black pepper, and dark chocolate. You can’t go wrong with either one. Hell, get them both if you can.

Boneshaker Full Body Cast

Source: Boneshaker

• Strength: Full-bodied
• Favorite Size: Maul (6×54)

I first tried these towards the end of last year and as soon as I did I bought a ton. They’re priced well normally, but in a deal they’re incredible. They smell amazing, like pure chocolate when lit. You’ll also get flavors like chocolate, spice, pepper, and leather. I legitimately smoke one of these almost every day, that’s how good they are.

E.P. Carrillo Pledge

Source: E.P. Carrillo

• Strength: Full-bodied
• Favorite Size: Sojourn (6×54)

I know, I know. E.P. Carrillo is a fan-favorite brand and a lot of cigar enthusiasts love talking about it, but it’s for good reason. The entire Carrillo lineup is fantastic, but one I keep coming back to is the Pledge. It was named the #1 Cigar of the Year in 2020 with a thick, creamy experience that offers tons of dark flavors, pepper, and spice. If I’m feeling like a stronger cigar but I don’t want to burn my face off, I reach for this one. It pairs remarkably well with coffee or any warm beverage, even hot cocoa.

HVC Hot Cake

Source: HVC

• Strength: Medium-Full
• Favorite Size: Laguito No. 4 (4×52)

Sometimes, a cigar has a name that just goes so well with the experience. If there’s only one on the market that serves as an excellent example, let it be HVC’s Hot Cake. It tastes like a doughy, delicious hot cake. It’s also a flavor bomb with chocolate, cream, pepper, wood, earth, and sugary pastry notes.

H. Upmann by AJ Fernandez

Source: H. Upmann

• Strength: Medium
• Favorite Size: Toro (6×54)

The citrus flavors in this cigar are something to behold. Dried apricots or dried fruit with lots of sweetness permeates with every puff. But you’ll also taste cedar, hazelnut, baking spices, cream, and coffee. AJ Fernandez rarely blends a bad cigar, if at all, and this one is one of his greats.

La Aurora 120th Anniversary

Source: La Aurora

• Strength: Medium-Full
• Favorite Size: Robusto (5×50)

This absolutely delicious and sweet cigar offers a mesh of graham-crackery and cocoa flavors. It is one of the best Dominican blends I’ve had in a long while. I tried it during a virtual tasting experience for the first time, guided by the brand’s Master Blender Manual Inoa. You’ll get cocoa, cinnamon, coffee, cream, and even a hint of fruit or citrus. It’s incredible. Every single cigar lover should try this one at least once. I mean it.

Plasencia Alma Fuerte Sixto II Hexagon

Source: Plasencia

• Strength: Full
• Favorite Size: Gordo (6×60)

Now, I’ve had this cigar in several sizes, but I keep coming back to the big, Gordo with a large ring gauge. It smooths out the experience and makes it super pleasant, not that this cigar isn’t pleasant either way. Plasencia is the master of dark, leathery flavors and this one does not disappoint. You’ll get lots of dark chocolate, earth, vanilla, and spices.

San Lotano Requiem Habano by AJ Fernandez

Source: AJ Fernandez

• Strength: Medium-Full
• Favorite Size: Toro (6×54)

The San Lotano Requiem has this incredible delicious, tropical-beachy flavor that I cannot get enough of. It kicks in about midway through — the flavor is also in the My Father Number 1 — but you’ll also pick up lots of wood, leather, spice, and a bit of pepper. The creamy afterfinish is also enjoyable.

Southern Draw Kudzu

Source: Southern Draw

• Strength: Medium
• Favorite Size: Toro (6×52)

While the flavors in the Kudzu are typical, with spice, cedar, chocolate, and earth, the experience is certainly unique. I haven’t been able to find a comparable cigar to this one, so I keep them stocked in my humidor at all times. It’s a solid medium to full-bodied experience, and the Habano Oscuro wrapper is nice and toasty. Pair it with something sweet and you’ll be in bliss.

Warped La Colmena

Source: Warped Cigars

• Strength: Medium
• Favorite Size: Amada No. 44 (5.5 x 44)

One of the best things about this cigar is it’s remarkably close to an authentic Cuban, without being one. You’ll definitely pick up a hint of that Cuban twang if you’re paying attention. The La Colmena has so much complexity and so much flavor, it’s unreal. You’ll taste lots of honey, cream, vanilla, white pepper, and wood notes like cedar. The name “La Colmena” quite literally translates to “the beehive.”

Some honorable mentions

Source: Boneshaker

Here are a few other cigars I smoke regularly that didn’t make it on my top 10 favorite cigars list.

• Boneshaker Lunatic
• Guardian of the Farm Cerberus by Aganorsa
• JFR Corojo
• La Aurora 107 Nicaragua
• Southern Draw Rose of Sharon
• Southern Draw Rose of Sharon Solomon (CDM Exclusive vitola)

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