The Perfect Draw
Top 10 Cigars 2009
Alright, I know, we’re almost two weeks into the new year, a new decade even, and the time for Top 10s has passed. Well, you’re going to have to make room for one more because I have done one as well.
What follows is my Top 10 most memorable, enjoyable, amazing cigars that I smoked last year. I decided to make my Top 10 all about the highest scoring cigars that I smoked but, rather, the cigars that scored well and were special to me for some reason or another. Price is a small consideration in this list but quality is what is most important.
And now I humbly submit to you my Top 10 Cigars of 2009.
This cigar is awesome. I only gave it 89 points but, once you consider the price point, it’s a steal. For less than $4.00 (if you buy a box of 30) you will get a little bomb of flavor.
9. Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro
The Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro Robusto is a fine cigar. Medium bodied with chocolate and earthy flavors. Maybe not enough complexity but a joy to smoke nonetheless.
I was walking through a local cigar shop, saw this cigar at what turned out to be a hefty markup (thanks to the California taxes, I’m sure) and decided to pick it up. After all, it was the top cigar at Cigar Aficionado in 2008. And it is good but not mind blowingly good. The Casa Magna Colorado Belicoso has spice, wood and nuts as the main flavors. Definitely worth it considering the price.
A torpedo, the CAO L’Anniversaire Maduro Belicoso, was a wonderful blend of earth and chocolate. Loads of flavor and enough complexity with this cigar to make it very enjoyable. I have been meaning to pick up some of these again and now that it’s officially in my Top 10 I don’t see why I shouldn’t.
6. Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente
I started out smoking the Gran Reserva line of Fuentes and because of that they will always hold a special place in my heart. Even though I don’t consider the normal Fuente line to be anything special anymore this one was a home run for me. I loved everything about it.
When I smoked the Man O’ War Ruination Robusto No. 1 I wasn’t expecting a whole lot. The original Man O’ War line was a fine cigar and I was thinking I was going to get something along those lines, maybe a little better. Boy was I wrong. Yeah, it was full bodied but it had a lot of flavor and depth to it as well; something I thought was lacking from the original line.
The Tatuaje Miami Reserva J21 is simply a great cigar. Tons of complex flavors from beginning to end with this one. Need I say more?
3. Padron Anniversary Series (Natural)
The Padron Anniversary Series Monarca is a special cigar. Tons of full bodied flavor oozes from this cigar. If only the second half had been as good as the first half I bet this cigar would have been my favorite cigar of the year. And, ironically, it was the first cigar I smoked in 2009. Nothing like starting off with a bang!
This cigar, the Fuente Fuente Opus X Belicoso XXX, received my highest score this year with 96 points and the only reason why it’s not going to be number one is because of the price. $26.00 is a lot to pay for a cigar that is less than five inches long but you have to give the Devil its due with this one. It really is a special cigar and its flavor profile matches up with what I like extraordinarily well.
Smoking the Camacho Triple Maduro 50/4.5 was Heavenly for me. This is the one cigar that I go back to as often as I can and, even though I gave a higher mark to the Opus X, that is why it’s my top cigar for 2009.
Never Forget
9-11
9-11 changed many lives. Many know someone who was murdered on that day. Many more know someone who has or still is fighting in the War on Terror. Some of my friends joined after high school and some of the people I met in college fought as well.
What we can do right now is donate some money to the many charities that are out there for those who have protected us since that day. Here are a couple organizations that I support:
Cause: Helping America’s Military Wounded
These are all worthwhile charities and worthy of your donations.
CheapHumidors.com Contest Winner!
Thanks to all the people who entered the contest. The winner of the $15 gift certificate to CheapHumidors.com is Brad Herndon!
Congratulations Brad!
My Birthday at The Cellar
It was a great night full of amazing food, out-of-this-world bourbon and surprisingly good cigars (I like Punch cigars but they just seemed significantly better Thursday night. I’m sure it had something to do with the setting.). Here is what I had at The Cellar:
The Bourbon
Evan Williams Single Barrel – The world’s only vintage-dated Single Barrel Bourbon and is one of the world’s most acclaimed whiskeys. The first American Whiskey ever to win The Spirit Journal’s Whiskey of the Year award.
Elijah Craig 18 yr. old – The oldest Single Barrel Bourbon in the world at 18 years, Elijah Craig Single Barrel is a rare marvel of whiskey-making.
Parker’s Heritage 27 yr. old – Simply one of the oldest bourbons on the market. This smooth spirit features silky and sweet nose with hints of caramel and vanilla. The taste is amazingly balanced and smooth…sweet without being too sweet…and dry without being too dry!
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The Cigars – Punch
The original Punch cigar was created in 1840 by a Cuban cigar manufacturer named Manuel Lopez. In an effort to attract the British market, he named the cigar after Mr. Punch, the cantankerous half of the Punch and Judy puppet shows.
Punch Champion Natural – bold, full-bodied taste with a wrapper that is Ecuadoran Sumatra. Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan, Dominican (Piloto Cubano). Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf. 90 pts cigar insider.
Punch Rare Corojo Magnum – these cigars are made with extra rich, dark Sumatra wrapper leaves that are grown in the mountains of Ecuador. Medium to full bodied. 92 pts cigar insider smooth, earthy, slightly sweet flavors of clay, charcoal, stewed meat, and raisins.
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Dinner – By Executive Chef David Kelser
Seared Ahi Tuna served under a spicy Mango salsa and fresh micro greens
Ratatouille veloute with Pesto croutons and crème fraiche
Slow roasted Short Ribs over herbed Polenta and Shallot-Thyme Jus
Chocolate-Espresso soup with Vanilla Ice cream, Fresh Berries and Pistachio crisp
I was lucky enough to have a man from Heaven Hill’s Distillery at my table – an entertaining fellow who I am extremely jealous of. Wouldn’t it be great to have a job selling such amazing libations as the ones we had? Of course it would!
My favorite cigar was the Punch Champion Natural. It’s a perfecto with a good amount of kick to it. My only regret is that I smoked it first because I am certain it would have mixed much better with the older bourbons. As far as regrets go this is but a pittance. The cigar definitely belongs in the 91-93 point range.
Everyone at the table was great. They were all extremely accomplished men and the stories and jokes they told were a lot of fun. Before I continue with my Saturday I need to thank my professor, John Jackson, for inviting me. That cigar dinner was a great way to cap off my birthday. Thanks JJ!
Happy Birthday to Me!
I am 24-years-old today. [Yeah for me!]
Tonight, I will be attending a swanky cigar event, which is totally unrelated to my birthday. But so what? I’m going to be smoking some Punch cigars and drinking fine whiskey. Oh, and having great French cuisine. Can’t think of a better way to be spending my birthday.
If you [...]
Hunters & Frankau Cigar Smokers Club
One last thing before I go do stuff tonight: Hunters & Frankau, the importers of Cuban cigars into the UK, has started up their own online community for cigar smokers. It looks like an interesting site and there should be a lot of good information there about Cuban cigars in no time flat.
Mike’s Cigars
I have a new sponsor with Mike’s Cigars. You can see their link in the sidebar – Cigar Samplers. I was just looking through their samplers page and I found some really great deals that I think you guys might enjoy.
Additionally, if everything works out alright, and I think things will, the good people at Mike’s Cigars will be submitting a guest review every now and then. In order to maintain your trust, which is a paramount concern of mine, I will prominently say at the beginning of each of their reviews that they are a sponsor and their reviews will be put into a special category (I’ll figure that one out later) so that there will be no confusion. Having someone new review cigars may be a little bumpy at first but I will work with these guys to make sure that their reviews are up to par.
Again, take a look at Mike’s Cigars and their wonderful sampler packages!
CIGARS DIRECT MARCH MADNESS COMPETITION
Want to win up to $1,000 in cigars? Who wouldn’t! That’s why I’m doing this post about a great competition that is being put on by Cigars Direct. There are prizes for the top ten finishers but the top prizes are really special. Here are the top three prizes you could win:
1st Place is a 2008 Opus X Charity Box – 22 Count…retail value: $999.95
2nd Place is a sealed box of Opus X Robusto…retail value of $839.55
3rd Place is a sealed box of Hemingway Between The Lines… retail value of $799.95
But you have to act very fast! Here are the important dates:
Selection Sunday: March 15, 2009
Opening Round Game: March 17, 2009
First Round: March 19-20, 2009
Want more information about this great opportunity? Go HERE to find out how to sign up. It’s very easy, go to the Cigars Direct March Madness 2009 page to find out how.
My Old Cigar Reviews
Before I started The Perfect Draw I was keeping track of what I thought of cigars. I basically used the same system I do now but there were some minor differences back then. I probably have over 100 cigar reviews in my back log that I have documented. What should I do with these reviews?
What I think I should do is put them up on this site a couple a week. That way I will have something to put up on the site on slow days. Another reason I’m going to do this is because they are good reviews which shouldn’t be wasted.
The quality of these reviews, I think, are comparable to the reviews I am doing now (which, I hope, you think is very good). So when I do a review from my stockpile I will give you a heads up at the beginning of the post.
I Got my CAO Cigars Today for Wearing a Santa Hat!
That’s right. On Christmas Eve I decided to put on a Santa hat along with beard in order to win a CAO Champions Sampler. I think it was worth it because I won ten cigars from CAO that were rated 90+ by Cigar Aficionado and/or were a top pick from another publication (Robb Report and European Cigar Cult Journal). I’ve smoked some of these cigars in the past I can personally attest to the quality of these cigars.
What follows are some of the pictures I took to get this great prize and some pictures of the prize (just to show off). I would also like to thank CAO’s Director of Lifestyle Marketing Jon Huber for putting on this little contest. Follow him on Twitter @caocigars so you can have a chance to win a prize from CAO.
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