Havana House’s Cigars of the Year 2024

Each month this year, we have selected an exceptional cigar to highlight as our ‘Cigar of the Month’. As 2024 comes to a close, we can now celebrate our 12 cigars of the year.

• January – Chateau Diadem Conviction Petit Belicoso
• February – Cavalier Genève White Series Elegante
• March – Roma Craft Aquitaine Anthropology
• April – La Flor de Cano Elegidos
• May – Foundation Highclere Castle Victorian Robusto
• June – ADVentura The Explorer Robusto Grande
• July – Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Robustus II
• August – Silencio Los Rios Robusto
• September – VegaFina 1998 VF 52 Robusto
• October – Gurkha Cellar Reserve 18 Year Old Solara
• November – Casdagli Daughters of the Wind Pony Express
• December – ADVentura The Royal Return Queen’s Pearls Corona

January – Chateau Diadem Conviction Petit Belicoso

We started the year off strong with the Chateau Diadem Conviction Petit Belicoso. The Petit Belicoso is a newer format for the Chateau Diadem line. Normally, a blend works well in the format it was made for, but this one is a jack of all trades. You can feel that a lot of love has gone into the blend, and the end result is a very good smoke. This cigar starts off creamy with hints of cocoa and hazelnut, developing into coffee and earthy notes.

February – Cavalier Genève White Series Elegante

The Cavalier Genève White Series Elegante is an outstanding cigar. Cavalier Genève have greatly expanded their portfolio over the years. The White Series for me is their flagship blend, it’s so elegant. Its mild to medium strength makes it a perfect cigar for enjoying in the morning or even the last cigar of the day. Though not overly complex, it does have a well-balanced array of notes including a distinct natural sweetness that pleased the palate throughout the smoke.

This is a box-worthy cigar and an excellent example of a fine Honduran smoke. This is a must-try cigar and worthy of anyone’s rotation. A very easy choice for us as our cigar of the month.

March – Roma Craft Aquitaine Anthropology

A full-bodied cigar with tasty notes of coffee, cedar, and spice. Its reddish-brown Ecuadorian Habano wrapper covers a Cameroon binder and a Nicaraguan filler. The Roma Craft Aquitaine Anthropology is known for its deep intensity, savoury flavours and excellent construction.

April – La Flor de Cano Elegidos

The La Flor de Cano Elegidos offers a nostalgic journey with its sandalwood and almond hints in the beginning and a crescendo of black pepper towards the end. Its burn is steady and sharp, producing a firm and stable ash, while the draw is impeccable with satisfying smoke output. While not overly complex, it exemplifies the pure and robust flavours of Cuban tobacco.

May – Foundation Highclere Castle Victorian Robusto

The Foundation Highclere Castle Victorian Robusto started out with medium strength and medium body. Along the way there was a gradual increase in the intensity of both. While there was more in the way of strength and body at the end of the cigar, the flavours are so pure in this cigar and it was enjoyable from the very start to the finish that I didn’t want to end.

June – ADVentura The Explorer Robusto Grande

The ADVentura The Explorer Robusto Grande is all about balance. This medium-strength Robusto offers delightful notes of spice, chocolate, and sweetness. It features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, with a filler blend of Dominican and Ecuadorian leaves that have been aged 5 to 7 years. A fantastic mix of flavours that all work really well together. The construction of the cigar is quality as is the blend of tobacco.

July – Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Robustus II

The Plasencia Alma Fuerte Colorado Claro Robustus II is a medium-strength cigar with a soothing natural sweetness and a woody profile accompanied by subtle notes of spice. This beautifully crafted Nicaraguan puro’s red-hued wrapper has been aged for 10 years, which gives this flavourful cigar a mellow dimension.

August – Silencio Los Rios Robusto

The Silencio Los Rios Robusto is a cigar you can enjoy at any time of the day – it’s very easy to enjoy with a nice flavour. Each puff hits the palate with floral and herbal notes, developing into coffee notes with hints of liquorice and cinnamon.

September – VegaFina 1998 VF 52 Robusto

The VegaFina 1998 VF 52 Robusto is an elegant smoke that has a medium-bodied profile and smooth flavour and aroma transitions. We especially enjoyed the continued development of the fruit, pepper and earthiness throughout.

October – Gurkha Cellar Reserve 18 Year Old Solara

Not everyone is a fan of Gurkha, but that seems to be the same with lots of cigar brands. If you have never tried one before I would suggest the Gurkha Cellar Reserve 18 Year Old Solara. It showcases just how good their cigars can be. This Dominican puro delivers a nuanced and sophisticated flavour profile that may surprise even seasoned cigar enthusiasts.

November – Casdagli Daughters of the Wind Pony Express

The Casdagli Daughters of the Wind Pony Express shows that New World offerings can change and develop in flavour as you smoke them. The complexity of this change keeps us more than interested and the fruity flavours combined with the salted nut is reminiscent of Cadbury’s fruit and nut bars.

December – ADVentura The Royal Return Queen’s Pearls Corona

Much like its counterpart, The Royal Return King’s Gold, ADVentura The Royal Return Queen’s Pearls Corona is a cigar crafted for the connoisseur. The Queen’s Pearls Corona offers subtle, refined, and well-balanced flavours, delivering everything one might expect from a classic “old school” Connecticut Shade cigar.

In fact, it stands out as one of the finest Connecticut Shade cigars we’ve smoked over the past year. While it’s not a cheap cigar, it certainly delivers great value. I would highly recommend it to any cigar enthusiast, and it would make an excellent Christmas gift.