The fact is that cigar preferences vary from person to person, but the one thread that binds them all is the love for the cigar. Their passion and curiosity to try different and experience the best is the driving spirit behind every cigar maker. Cigarafficianado is doing a great job testing the cigars, rating them with the best parameters, and making the selection a bit easier for cigar lovers.
They follow a step-by-step selection process, reviewing, listing, brand disguising, smoking, and tasting against each other before rating. That is the reason we are vocal about some of the top-rated cigars from their list.
1. E.P. Carrillo Pledge Prequel
Pledge Prequel is from the Carrillo series of EP Carrillo has scored 98 in ratings and ranked no:1 in Cigarafficianados TOP 25 CIGARS OF 2020 list. This box-pressed cigar is made in the Dominican republic uses Nicaraguan filler wrapped in Connecticut Habano with an Ecuador binder. It is a hand-made 5 x 50 traditional Robusto. Its flavors are so well blended, various reviewers have different taste experiences. It is a masterpiece by Ernesto Carrillo.
2. Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro
Quattro Nicaragua Maestro from Aging Room Is the winner of 2019 with a 96 rating. Aging room is an established cigar maker with a list of achievements since its debut in 2011 and one of the best boutique cigar brands globally—a complete Nicaraguan with filler, wrapper, and binder all from Nicaragua. Quattro Nicaragua has four vitola; the maestro is a 52 x 6 toro rich with chocolate and woody flavor complemented with mild roasted almond.
3. E.P. Carrillo Encore Majestic
Encore by Ernesto P Carrillo, a wannabe jazz drummer turned master cigar maker is another all Nicaraguan Puro made in the Dominican republic. Ernesto Carrilo, the man behind the famous La Gloria Cubana, had a long journey in cigar making. Encore, the topper in the 2018 list, was an instant winner after its commercial launch. Reviewers noted that Encore majestic Robusto releases complex flavors of oak to tea.
4. Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Eye of the Shark
Arturo Fuente started making cigars more than a hundred years ago. A tribute to Carlos Fuente Sr., the eye of the shark is the reincarnation of the old 1976 Don Carlos with a different DNA, and Cigaraficionado hails it as an unorthodox one. Half Dominican with an African Cameron wrapper tastes the traditional Fuente with a twist of the savory aroma of Cameroon wrapper was rated 97 and the champion of 2017.
5. La Flor Dominicana Andalusian Bull
La Flor Dominicana started in Santiago, Dominican Republic, in 1996. Named a Spanish fighting bull, Andalusian Bull denotes the Spanish lineage of the creator, Litto Gomes. It also carries a matador emblem on the band.
Andalusian Bull is a unique hand-made cigar using Dominican fillers and binders with Ecuador wrappers. Taming this bull is a work of specialist matadors and is made in limited quantities. Top-rated 96, the La Flor Andalusian Bull is the 2016 winner of TOP 25. It has strong notes of leather and mild spices.