Every year Cigar Aficionado announces the Top 25 cigars of the year and this year had some incredible offerings. We have picked out some of our favourites from the Top 25 and put them in to a selection for you to enjoy.

Cigar Aficionado 2023 Cigar Selection includes:

Rocky Patel A.L.R. Second Edition Toro (6 1/2 x 52) – Rank 4/25 – This isn’t the first time this exact cigar has been on our Top 25 list. It first appeared in 2019, but back then it was the No. 5. For 2023, it’s moved up a spot, showing us that Rocky Patel continues to improve quality and consistency at his Tavicusa factory in Nicaragua where this cigar is made. The “A.L.R.” in the brand name stands for “Aged, Limited and Rare.” According to Patel, he makes these cigars in very small amounts each year. He also says they’re all aged for two years after rolling. Some might think that this long step is unnecessary, but in the case of the A.L.R. Second Edition Toro, it’s the cigar’s defining factor. The cigar is made with a Mexican wrapper and Nicaraguan tobacco that Patel grew on his farms in Condega and Estelí. It seems that the extra age allowed the tobaccos to marry for an exceptionally harmonious smoke that fully saturates the palate in a luxurious fashion. Rich layers of nutmeg, German chocolate cake and shredded coconut become weightier and more sophisticated with each puff. If you missed this cigar in 2019, we suggest you try it now. 

Partagás Serie P No. 2 (6 1/8″ x 52) – Rank 6/25 – Most seasoned smokers of Cuban cigars can recognize this band from across the room. Its glossy red finish and gold lettering is without flourish or ornament, but it’s an unmistakable signifier of Cuba’s Partagás Alphabet Series. For many years, the Alphabet Series consisted of only one cigar, the Partagás Serie D No. 4. Over the decades, the D No. 4 became immensely popular—so popular that Habanos S.A. decided to expand the series in 2005 with the Serie P No. 2, a pirámide made in the same dimensions as the iconic Montecristo No. 2. Today, the Alphabet Series includes many sizes, making it a brand within a brand, but the Serie P No. 2 got our attention. It’s marketed by Habanos as one of Cuba’s more full-bodied cigars. While we didn’t find it particularly strong, the Serie P No. 2 was beautifully balanced and complex showing a precise palate of nutmeg, maple syrup, fresh coconut and cured tobacco—a honey-like note that you can smell in a barn when the leaves are nearly done curing. Luckily, this cigar is among the easier Cubans to find around the world and is offered in different formats: three-packs, 10-count boxes and standard boxes of 25.

Romeo y Julieta Línea de Oro Hidalgos (4 7/8 x 57) – Rank 11/25 – The Cuban Romeo y Julieta Línea de Oro line is the super-premium extension of the core Romeo brand, much the way Behike is to Cohiba or the Línea 1935 is to Montecristo. To indicate its upper-echelon exclusivity in the Cuban portfolio, Habanos dressed the cigars in ornate, holographic bands and packaged them in gleaming boxes made of lacquered red sycamore. But the cigar isn’t just about pageantry or inflated prices. Yes, the cigars here are more expensive than core Romeos, but they are indeed exceptional and the Hidalgos was the finest Romeo y Julieta we had all year, with a festive palate of fruit and nuts, specifically dried fig, raisin, almond and pecan.

Cohiba Pirámides Extra (6 1/4″ x 54) – Rank 16/25 – Excluding limited editions and special releases, the Cuban Cohiba Pirámides Extra is the only figurado in the line. It’s also the thickest, not to mention one of the most expensive. If you’re willing to splurge on this large torpedo, you’ll experience the most dynamic Cohiba we smoked in 2023. The cigar is called Pirámides Extra because it’s a little thicker and a little longer than traditional Cuban pirámides sizes. But that little “extra” was also put into the blend, as it offers an elegant profile starting with chestnut and cinnamon to almond paste and black pepper. The underlying oakiness is a signature of the brand—Cohiba’s tobacco spends time in oak barrels during final fermentation. 

West Tampa Red Robusto (5″ x 50) – Rank 25/25 – An industry veteran and alumnus of General Cigar, Rick Rodriguez left General to strike out on his own and start the West Tampa Tobacco Co. in 2022. Since then, he and his partner, Gus Martinez, have been busy building the brand and getting the cigars into the hands of smokers. The name is a reference to the cigar-making city Rodriguez’s grandparents emigrated to, but his cigars aren’t made in Tampa. They’re made in Nicaragua at the Garmendia Cigar Co. factory. West Tampa Red is the company’s third and strongest release. A bold core of chocolate is apparent from first puff to last, also showing layers of hickory, nutmeg, leather and a mocha finish.

This cigar selection comes with our Havana House humidified pack to keep your cigars in perfect condition during transit and for weeks after so you get that fresh out of the humidor smoking experience. Also included is a high quality German made cigar cutter and Havana House matches.