Cigar Aficionado just posted its top 25 cigars of 2008. Its #1 cigar: The Casa Magna.
Do you agree? What was your favorite cigar of 2008? What are you looking forward to in 2009?
Popularity: 29% [?]
Cigar Talk: What was your favorite cigar of 2008?
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{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve got to say that the Rocky Patel Decade (My review) was the hands down best cigar I’ve had this year.
The Alec Bradley Tempus cigars were good too, but that Decade was quite nice. The El Tiante’s I tried were probably the cigar I wanted to love the most, but didn’t. They weren’t bad, just not my cup of tea.
Oooh, I just noticed #4 is the new La Aroma de Cuba. As one of my favorite cigars, I’m going to have to try that one soon.
The Casa Magna is a decent stick. I’ve smoked three, and have one more in my humidor. Smoke of the year? I dunno about that.
For me, the best cigar I smoked was the Padilla Series 68 Lancero. The torpedo is much easier to find on the net or at your B&M but honestly the lancero is a different and much better smoke.
I have to say I have never tried or heard the Casa Magna cigar. My tops cigar of the year has to be Don Pepin’s My Father. A close second would be the Cabajuan Guapo. I have to say that CA Top 25 list is very suspect to me. It does not include any 601′s, camachos, or Tatuaje’s. I have to question the list.
Suspect indeed!! Although CA’s best of lists includes many fine cigars, they seem to seem slanted toward the established, mega cigar companies. (Can you say advertizing/influence?)
The Casa Magna doesn’t even break my top 20, and
while the Guapo (#13)is good it is certainly not Pete’s best. Perhaps CA is not smoking the Tatuaje Reserva’s or his newer line (La Riqueza). The Tempus down at 25 ?? and no mention of the Liga 9, or Cruzado??
The cigar I enjoyed most this year was “The Frank”. I know it wasn’t widely available but it was complex, intriguing and satisfying.
I have to be honest and say that I’ve only smoked a couple of the cigars you guys speak of.
Keep the suggestions coming, folks. Adding them to my list…
For new cigar of the year, I’d go with the Cruzado.
I was surprised with the choice of the Casa Magna at #1. I tried several and found them to be pretty good but not one I would buy a box of even though I love Nicaraguan cigars. Numbers 2-4 on the list make sense. The one missing that has been my favorite this year is La Riqueza #4.
The taste of the Tempus is fantastic but everyone I’ve smoked has had major burn and draw issues. It is by far the most frustrating cigar I’ve ever smoked – not worth the effort.
I don’t know that I have any cigars this past year that really rocked my socks off enough to put it ahead of all of the others, but I was more adventurous this year in trying new brands, and was richly rewarded. I enjoyed
“finding” the Perdomo cigars and so far I am really enjoying discovering some of their treasures.
-Dave
I purchased a 5 pack of Gurka Silver Signature at CI for $3. a stick on sale. The best value cigar I have had in 2008. I quickly purchased another 5 pack before the sale ended.
My favorite stick of the year was the Cubao by United Tobacco (Series 601 guys). It has tremendous complexity and flavor for a very reasonable price. I also enjoyed the Mi Dominicana by Jose Seijas and the Oliva Series V double toro.
Hungry Trout Gringo Maduro FTW, Strong enough it put me to sleep after a Meal and coffee, but smooth as silk while smoking, Try one if you can get one, I can see if I can dig up their phone# if ya’ll want it
My favorite this year is either the Olia Serie V Churchill or the La Flor Dominicana Factory Press III.
There are a few sticks that I would rate over the Casa Magna, although it is a pretty good smoke at a very reasonable price…well, it WAS reasonable. I truly enjoyed the Tempus. It should have been rated much higher. I also really enjoyed the LX2 from CAO. It was surprisingly great.
Again, someone brings up the Cigar Aficionado “advertising/review” conspiracy…about the Casa Magna! Is there any further proof necessary that this is a truly pathological conspiracy? Who the heck even makes Casa Magna? It’s not the two most frequently cited co-conspirators: Altadis and General. I searched and can’t find any substantive information on the web about Casa Magna in the form of a website about them set up by the company that makes them…indicating that they are a very small company.
About the cigar itself, I got two at the Vegas Big Smoke in November. I had one and it tasted strongly of ammonia so I didn’t touch the second one yet. With this big win for them, I’ll probably pick up one at a B&M to see if it’s any better.
My favorite cigar of 2008? La Flor Dominicana Ligero L-500 Oscuro. Not a new smoke, but my absolute favorite. Favorite new smoke? Touch decision, but I would say either Rocky Patel Decade or CAO LX2 (no specific sizes on those two).
By the way, the cigars that consistently get the best ratings from Cigar Aficionado? Cubans. And they spend absolutely no advertising dollars in the magazine. Which just kind of blows away the conspiracy theory.
“It tasted strongly of ammonia.”
So here’s a question for you: What do you attribute its #1 ranking to? I know you, and I’m sure your palate is OK, but do you think you may have missed something? I’m curious about what you will think of the second stick.
what about tatuaje’s regios? not quite new, but pretty good smoke there. i’m glad to find someone mentioning the padilla 68 lancero (hoax), i got one sitting around and it just looks too good to smoke.
pepin’s ‘my father’ is great, i think…a step above ‘la aroma de cuba,’ but then his red label, ‘el rey de los habanos’ is one of the best light bodied sticks around, i think. it’s like the tobacco version of good sauternes.
I mentioned this elsewhere and someone suggested that the stogies that were provided for the Big Smoke may have been rushed into production. Since ammonia is associated with tobacco that hasn’t had a chance to age properly, I am guessing that person was probably right. I still have the second stick, but have opted to let it sit for a few months. I’ll pick up a Casa Magna at a local B&M and see how it compares with what I had before. The first LX2 I had was crap, too–also from the Big Smoke and rushed into production according to the company rep I spoke with about a month after the show. If I had only that experience of the LX2, I would not have elected to try it again and I wouldn’t have a favorable opinion of it now. So many people had reviewed it well, though, that I felt I had to give it a second chance. I owe the Casa Magna the same.
I’ll go out on a limb and pick something that underwhelmed a lot of people – the Macanudo 1968. I picked up about a dozen of these in the various sizes from samplers and freebies and it’s one of the best medium cigars of the year for me.
Really unfortunate that they made it “no online sales” because the MSRP is too high.
The Macanudo 1968 was OK as far as the taste.. I mean.. it’s a Mac so you kind of already know what it will taste like before you even smoke it.
I agree with Syrinxx about the price. I understand why they priced it more, but the flavor didn’t justify the added cost in my opinion. If it was some crazy new Macanudo that departed from the tried and true “smooth and consistent” recipe then I would have been more impressed, but this thing wasn’t special in any way that I could tell.
Reminded me of old TV shows when they would put a mustache or goatee on a character so that you would know that he was now evil or aggressive. A different label and price tag can’t hide the fact that it was a stock Macanudo in temperament and taste. Oh well. It’s still a fine cigar if you can find it on sale.
-Dave
Really? I have a few of the Macs still sitting in my humidor. (I did that cigar offer as well.) Haven’t tried it yet. Will have to give it a go soon.
I was thoroughly unimpressed with the Casa Magna. It is distributed by SAG, which used to sell Joya de Nicaragua before Drew Estate took over distribution. This was supposed to be their replacement for the Antano (maybe that influenced my judgement) and it doesn’t come close.
My favorite for 2008 is probably the LX2 Toro with the NUB Habano 460 as a close runner-up. My favorite all-time is still a tie between the Padilla Miami Robusto (original Pepin blend) and the Camacho Triple Maduro 11/18.
The Macanudo 1968 was impressively unimpressive . . .
Doesn’t look like anyone answered yet – Casa Magna is produced by one of the ‘big boys’ MATASA.
I receive catalogs from 6 national retailers and never heard of this cigar until I heard ‘No 1 cigar’ etc.
In 2008, the best new cigar for me was the Cusano ’59 Preferido.
I also liked Man o’ War. Luckily, I was sent several of these though various promotional/ marketing schemes. I don’t think I would have bought a cigar with a Greek helmet on the band.
I worked at Outland Cigars in Charlotte this past year (2008). We had a place in our humidor that we put all of our best selling cigars. At $5.25 the Casa Magna Robusto and three other sizes were hands down a best sellers. Med body, full flavor, Colorado wrapper, and med/spice. For the price a great smoke. We could not keep um in! Another best seller is the King Habano, Oscuro wrapper. They have a nub size which is popular. Again a med body cigar with full flavor and no spice. High 5 to 6 dollar range. Can’t keep um in!!! Made by Olivarios. The claro wrapper did not sell near as well. Go Oscuro!! Another hot seller was and still is the Legand Ario by Camacho! Also Med body and full flavor. This is weird but I was talking to our rep and I could not figure out what the flavor I was missing. It has a meaty flavor. It comes in three sizes. 6×60, a figurado, and a cornona size. They are all in the mid to high $5 range. We sold more of these then the Casa Magna. Can’t keep um in!!!! The Oliva Series V always sold out but we could not get them consistently. Great smoke!!!! We also sold alot of Gurka XO shaggy. Med body and in the $8 range. Ps Our most popular pipe tobacco was and still is Lane 1Q. Cavindish/Vannilla aromatic blend. Sells around $3 an ounce. Great smelling! Alitte wet though.