Cigar Aficionado

Cigar Aficionado is a magazine for the man who enjoys life’s great pleasures: fine dining and entertaining, the finest wines and spirits, world travel and the arts. At the heart of every issue is the cigar: what to smoke, where to smoke, and how to enjoy a great smoke.

highlights • A Dominican, a Cuban and a Nicaraguan score 94 points in a three-way tie for top scores of this issue. Each is quite different, expressing their respective regions and the unique styles of their producers. They are part of an issue filled with intriguing cigars, including a plump Cuban and no shortage of bargain smokes.

Father’s Day

out of the humidor

Cigar Aficionado

good life guide • Living well demands that we indulge in things that are of superior quality and excellent origin. This guide aspires to find and recommend the best of everything to aficionados of the good life.

S.T. Dupont Line D Fire-head Guilloche Pens

Miraval Berkshires

Smart Coffee Makers

Porsche 911 Targa

The Mojito

Salmon Fishing

The Aykroyd Method • Comedy legend Dan Aykroyd knows a lot about virtually everything, including how to relax with fine cigars

Rush’s Judgment • Media phenomenon Rush Limbaugh is winning bigger and bigger audiences with his no-holds-barred brand of commentary

Letter to Rush • When Rush Limbaugh died on February 17, CIGAR AFICIONADO posted a blog about his passing at cigaraficionado.com by editor and publisher Marvin R. Shanken. The story also appeared in the March/April edition of the magazine.

LIKE TIGER LIKE SON • Tiger Woods allowed a rare glimpse of his son in a family tournament, and now the world wonders, “Is he a diamond in the rough?”

TIGER’S Challenge • Can 45-year-old Tiger Woods come back from his shocking February car crash?

cigars

churchills • The highest score here comes from the Ashton Heritage Puro Sol Churchill, which scored a very impressive 94 points. In terms of strength, the cigar is a middle child between the stronger Ashton VSG and the milder Ashton Cabinet, and is a smoke of detailed flavors arranged in interesting ways. Close behind, the Padrón Serie 1926 Serie Maduro No. 1 scored 92 points for its rich, resonant palate of cocoa bean and strong, semisweet chocolate. The Serie 1926 is one of the more full-bodied smokes that Padrón produces and tied with the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Churchill. It was released in 2002 and at 92 points shows it’s still a contender nearly two decades later. According to the company, the Honduran broadleaf wrapper cloaking the cigar has been aged for 12 years.

figurados • High scores abound in this tasting of figurados, most notably the Sancho Panza Belicoso. Sancho Panza was never one of Cuba’s larger brands, and it’s only grown smaller. Not counting Regional Editions, this sublime, 94-point Belicoso is the only cigar left in the line. Three cigars scored 93 points. The Arturo Fuente Rare Pink Happy Ending is one of the newest from Fuente, and part of a brand dedicated to breast cancer awareness. Montecristo turned 85 last year and Altadis celebrated with the 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua, which is made by A.J. Fernandez. The No. 2 is balanced and bold. While the Undercrown from Drew Estate was released as a surrogate for the limited-production (and more expensive) Liga Privada, the Sungrown Belicoso shows that Undercrown has established its own identity.

grandes • It’s quite rare that a cigar with a 60 ring gauge gets a high score in our tastings, but the top-scoring grandes in this test proved exceptional. The Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series No. 4 Maduro, at 94 points, shows all the characteristics of the company’s lauded 1964 blend but scaled up in this large, blocky format. The cigar is made in Nicaragua and gives the smoker all the bold, signature notes of cocoa and...