The Top Ten Cigars of 2006

Townhall.com ^ | 1/1/07 | Mike Adam

[wagglebee]

The other day, one of my readers asked “Why do you have to be so political and controversial in every column? Why can’t you just relax?” Well, those are good questions. And maybe they’re best answered with a non-political column on my favorite cigars of 2006 – a column written for my fellow cigar-smoking friend Dennis Prager. And, since I’m not being political, this is also for my favorite fat lesbian Rosie O’Donnell.

(Author’s Note: This column was sponsored, in part, by Donald Trump Enterprises, which has since filed for bankruptcy after an unsuccessful suit for sexual hair-assment against the producers of “The View,” a once-popular daytime talk show for recovering alcoholics).

10. Don Lino Africa by La Aurora. This 6 ½ - inch, 58- ring monster is among the more attractive cigars on my list. The dark and veiny wrapper gives a distinct coffee flavor to an otherwise earthy cigar. Few cigars I characterize as “earthy” make my annual Top Ten. But this one has too fine a burn, too nice a draw, and too powerful a punch not to merit inclusion.

9. La Flor Dominica Double Ligero DL-700. Measuring over 6 inches in length with a ring gauge of 60, this one will keep you occupied for a couple of hours. This is a rich medium to full-bodied cigar dominated by a coffee flavor. It is also slightly nutty with a good, firm draw. Several of my friends have placed this cigar in their year-end Top Five.

8. Saint Luis Rey Reserva Especial Belicoso. This is by far the best bargain on my list. I get these cigars for $3.30 a piece from my buddy Steve Gimello at Brooklynn Cigars in Wilmington, N.C. (http://www.brookelynncigars.com/). At just over 6 inches, this 52-ring cigar is just the right size. It has a fantastic draw and burn with a dominant chocolate flavor. Creamy vanilla notes add to the flavor of this excellent medium to full-bodied cigar.

7. Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte Cadiz. This is a complex cigar – one I’ve heard described as woody, earthy, nutty, and leathery. I’ve detected coffee and chocolate flavors, too. After you smoke this medium-bodied 6 1/8-inch by 54-ring Virgin Sun Grown gem, write me at www.DrAdams.org to tell me how it tasted to you.

6. Oliva “O” Churchill Maduro. I’ve recommended this powerful 7 by 50 Nicaraguan before. But beware of the new packaging. The cloth cigar ring is gone - replaced with a standard paper ring – but it is still the same potent, full-bodied, after dinner smoke.

5. The Coronado by La Flor. This cigar comes in a 50, a 54, and a 60-ring version, all of which are seven inches long. I prefer the 54-ring but all are wonderful smokes.

Beware: This is a very powerful smoke. But the earthy flavor is complimented by a wonderfully rich and cedary finish that some will find to be the ideal combination in a full-bodied cigar.

4. The Edge Corojo by Rocky Patel. This 6 ¼ – inch, 52-ring cigar caused me to stop reading the cigar ratings in Cigar Aficionado. To call this cigar “grassy,” their raters must have smoked it right after putting down a crack pipe. Just after this spicy, potent cigar gets going, it begins to take on a sweet, hardwood flavor. Warning: It is potent, hence the name “The Edge.”

3. The Chisel Double Ligero Maduro by La Flor Dominica. This is the best tasting, most potent maduro I’ve ever smoked. It is best to use a “V” cutter on this 6-inch by 54-ring beauty – but not before operating any heavy machinery.

2. Rocky Patel Virgin Sun Grown Torpedo. I think every man deserves 72 of these virgin sun grown cigars when he gets to heaven. It is a rich, cedary, medium bodied cigar with a unique and tangy finish. This 6 by 52 gem just keeps getting better with every puff. I’ve burned my fingertips many a time on this wonderful cigar. I was hard pressed to keep this one out of the #1 slot.

1. The Chisel Double Ligero Natural by La Flor Dominica. Given my love of corojos, maduros, and virgin sun growns, it is really quite shocking that my #1 pick for 2006 is a cigar with a natural wrapper. Nonetheless, this is the best tasting cigar I’ve ever smoked. I’ve singed by eyebrows many a time sniffing the wrapper of this rich, cedary 6 by 54 beauty. The slightly spicy taste adds complexity to the finest fell-bodied smoke that money can buy. The communists in Cuba could never match the perfection found in this fine Dominican figurado.

Now that we’re done, could someone please pass the “V” cutter? It’s right next to my copy of The Satanic Verses.

[wagglebee]

I bought a couple boxes of the La Flor Dominicas after I heard Rush talking about them a year or so ago, but they still have nothing on Fuente Opus X.

[wagglebee]

Cigar Aficionado Ping.

[Mr. Mojo]

Little fancy for my blood.

I'm satisfied with my Fuente Hemingways and Partagas #10s.

[wagglebee]

I love the Hemingways, plus they are a lot less expensive and easier to get than the Opus X.

Partagas Cubans are fantastic, but for the most part the Dominicans have never impressed me that much (the 150th anniversary back in 1995 were great, the 160th anniversary this year was a bit of a let down).

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Marsh Wheeling Stogies are the best.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

M. Marsh & Son Marsh Wheeling was founded by Mifflin M. Marsh in 1840. Located in Wheeling, West Virginia, it was the oldest cigar manufacturing company founded in the United States. After beginning production and sale from his home, Mr. Marsh developed the company and opened a factory first on Water Street and later on 12th Street between Water and Main. In 1908, the company opened the historic location at 905-915 Market Street. In 2001, the Wheeling plant was closed and the company was bought by National Cigar, which moved production to Frankfort, Indiana.

M. Marsh & Son is most notably remembered for the Marsh Wheeling brand of stogies. The cigar's famous box became a known staple of the tobacco industry. A box also appeared in the movie The Green Mile as the home of Mr. Jangles, a mouse kept by one of the prisoners.

[martin_fierro]

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[End Times Sentinel]

For my money, you can't beat a Punch Grand Cru No. II

Also, a philly blunt, vanilla flavored, hollowed out and filled in with cheap weed, that's pretty good too.

Owl_Eagle

If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.

[Doomonyou]

boink

[Tijeras_Slim]

Gurkha Tubos.

[clintonh8r]

My personal #1 is still the A. Fuente don Carlos Doble Robusto.

[traditional1]

Here's one for cigar lovers:

[devane617]

"I bought a couple boxes of the La Flor Dominicas after I heard Rush talking about them a year or so ago, but they still have nothing on Fuente Opus X."

I agree. When I read the list and did not see the Opus X, and a couple entries from Rocky Patel, I knew the reviewer did not live in my Cigar world...

[wagglebee]

I think the Rocky Patels are decent but way over-hyped.

[wagglebee]

It's hard to go wrong with any of the Fuentes.

[RightOnline]

As a 'newcomer' to the world of cigars....and eager to learn......please add me to your ping list? Thank you.

[devane617]

I keep a couple boxes of each of the following in my humi all the time. For a beginning cigar smoker, there is no better twos cigars available. See jrcigar.com for the best mail-order deals.(no, I am not affiliated with jr in any way.)

BACCARAT CIGARS Handmade HON Wrapper: HON Binder: MEX Filler: HON Mild-Medium Bodied A Honduran classic that has weathered the test of time. Unlike most Hondurans, the Baccarat is a wonderfully mild blend with a sweet gum cap that adds a light taste of sweetness to the line. A relaxing cigar that is easy on the palate and the wallet.

CUESTA REY CIGARS Handmade DR Wrapper: CAM/CT Binder: DR Filler: DR Mild-Medium Bodied A popular brand since 1958, wrapped in African Cameroon leaf manufactured by Tabacalera Fuente, it remains one of the most consistent, mild, creamy cigars on the market.

[andy58-in-nh]

It's hard to go wrong with any of the Fuentes.

I quite agree! I'm a big fan of the brand, and have smoked many of the Gran Reservas and Hemingways and have found the quality very consistent. Yesterday, I had a Fuente Reserva Añejo, and it was just wonderful.

Mr. Adams and I appear to share a taste for "full-bodied" cigars. I've had several on his list, and of those the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero stands out as one I found almost too powerful. If you haven't tried them, the Rocky Patel "Edge" line is quite good (and a real bargain at $4-5 a stick), although I prefer the Maduro to the Corojo.

Finally, one serious omission in my mind from the "Top 10" has to be the Padron Serie 1926 40th Anniversario Maduro - easily a "95" rating in my book, but pricey, too ($20-25 each, if you can find one). Obviously, it's for special occasions only (unless money is no object), and well worth the expense.

[RightOnline]

Thanks for the tip(s). :)

[hlmencken3]

Novice cigar smokers will get sick on most of the listings in Adam's article.

Before the cigar boom of the 1990s, my favorites were Don Diego, Baccarat and Royal Jamaica. Royal Jamaica is defunct, but Don Diegos and Baccarats are still fine mild cigars that won't break the bank.

My current 'favorite' is the Fonseca Cedar.

[devane617]

See my post #16. I agree, Baccarat is a fine, mild cigar for the beginner. The listed cigars will do more to turn off beginning smokers, than to provide them a plesant experience.