Cigar Aficionado's Top 25 Cigars of 2009
Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of 2009:
Draper’s Selections
Visit W. Curtis Draper Tobacconist or call
(202) 638-2555 to arrange Pick-Up or Delivery.
1. Padrón Family Reserve No. 45: Maduro Stronger than typical Padróns and is an intense smoke jammed with rich, hearty, coffee notes and a heady amount of spices, the leaves inside are as old as 10 years.
4. Diamond Crown Maximus No. 1: A rich, sweet cigar with plenty of cedar on the palate and a finish with notes of espresso beans, with bold and oily Ecuadorian Sumatra seed wrappers that are dark and alluring.
5. Oliva Serie V Belicoso: The fifth year one of Oliva’s cigars has made the CA Top 25 List, superb construction, powerful, full-bodied flavors and a balancing sweetness, the best bargain in the Top 10.
7. Arturo Fuente Hemingway Classic: Sublime balance of ultra-thin and toothy Cameroon wrapper pairs exquisitely with the filler blend, resulting in a complex smoke smacking of orange peel, cedar and coffee, one of the cigar world’s premier smoking experiences.
9. Ashton VSG Torpedo: The original powerhouse cigar, dark, features Sumatra-seed wrappers grown under the cloudy skies of Ecuador at the foothills of the Andes, sweet cedar and nutmeg flavors, with a creamy texture.
11. La Aurora Preferido Maduro Robusto: The only cigar on the Top 25 List made with Brazilian tobacco both in the filler blend and as the wrapper leaf, heavy on hickory, black cherry and raisin notes, with considerable strength.
13. La Flor Dominicana Salomon: Beautiful, strong and complex, blend of homegrown tobacco from La Canela, Dominican Republic and a stunning, dark Nicaraguan wrapper combines to bombard the palate with bold flavor of black cherry, licorice and rich cocoa.
15. Benji Menendez Partagas Masters Series Majetuoso: Filled with flavor, a lovely Cameroon wrapper, and nutty, salty notes with pleasant accents of red and black pepper. The best Dominican Partagas we have ever smoked.
16. Alec Bradley Family Blend: Alan Rubin has made family a priority since he founded his cigar company. He named it Alec Bradley Cigars after his two sons. A fat cigar capped with a tight pigtail, the smoke is marvelous, subtle, elegant and balanced, medium body.
19. Illusione Epernay Le Ferme: Epernay is made in Honduras from all Nicaraguan tobacco. The first puffs have an incense and leather character, then take on spice and notes of Sauternes dessert wine on the finish.
23. CAO Lx2 Toro: One of the best cigars CAO has ever made, a robust blend of tobaccos from Central America and the Dominican Republic, it features tobacco from a farm called Pueblo Nuevo, the leaves combine in a savory mix of leathery sweetness.
24. Xikar HC Series Habano Colorado Belicoso: Made by Jesus Fuego a creative cigar maker with a knack for working with nontraditional tobaccos, such as the Costa Rican leaf he uses in the filler blend, dark and oily with a robust strength that is heavy on pepper and leather.
25. Nestor Miranda Special Selection Coffee Break: Diminutive, but flavorful, another Pepin Garcia cigar, this one made for longtime cigar industry veteran Nestor Miranda, with Honduran and Dominican tobaccos, this cigar is beefy and nutty, balanced by a touch of sweetness.
W. Curtis Draper Tobacconist
640 14th Street NW (at G Street), Washington, DC 20005
Telephone: (202) 638-2555
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