[BigAsh]

#7
Illusione Epernay 10th Anniversary D'Aosta
Rank: 7
Rating: 94
Price: $12.00
Made By: Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubanas S. de R.L.
Factory Location: Honduras
Dimensions: 6" by 50 ring gauge
Filler: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua
The Illusione Epernay series turned 10 years old in 2019, and to highlight this milestone, brand owner Dion Giolito released an extraordinary cigar: the 10th Anniversary D’Aosta, a typical toro size blended with atypical tobacco. Epernays aren’t strong smokes, nor were they ever intended to be. Giolito wanted to stress refinement and subtlety over strength, so Epernays are made without ligero, the most powerful tobacco on the plant.

Rather, Epernays are made with lower-priming tobaccos to give each puff the elegant, effervescent qualities of a fine Champagne, hence the name (Epernay is named after the town in France’s famed Champagne region). The blend for the 10th Anniversary D’Aosta is the same formulation of tobaccos as the rest of the line, save for a different binder to better showcase the filler. Unlike other Illusiones, which are made in Nicaragua, Epernays are produced in Honduras. At one time, the Illusione core line was made in Honduras as well, but Giolito moved production to Estelí.

Since Epernay’s inception, however, Giolito believed that the Honduran Raices Cubanas factory understood the intricacies and logistics of the brand, so he kept Epernay where it was. The D’Aosta, with its luxurious layers of gingerbread, orange peel and caramel, marks the fourth time an Epernay has made it to the Top 25 list.

#6
Oliva Serie V Lancero
Rank: 6
Rating: 94
Price: $8.08
Made By: Tabacalera Oliva S.A.
Factory Location: Nicaragua
Dimensions: 7" by 38 ring gauge
Filler: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Long, thin cigars don’t often appear in Cigar Aficionado’s Top 10, but this year, the Oliva Serie V Lancero impressed us with its focused flavors and unrelenting intensity. Made in Nicaragua, the Lancero is essentially everything we love about the Serie V line, only concentrated into a slender format, resulting in a very dense, amplified smoke that hits the center of the tongue with a solid earthy note and then blossoms beautifully across the palate, leaving precise impressions of pistachios, nutmeg and chocolate-covered almonds.

While thin cigars like lanceros are prized by connoisseurs, they’re not necessarily top sellers in cigar shops, as the market presently favors thick ring gauges. In factories, small mistakes on the rolling table can mean a lancero that doesn’t draw. But Oliva continues to produce this slender format despite market trends. It’s found its audience and this is partly due to the remarkable consistency. The blend here is entirely Nicaraguan with the wrapper naturally playing a larger role in the overall effect of the cigar.

Oliva has undergone some major changes in the last few years. The company transitioned from a family-owned operation into a corporate entity and a new factory in Nicaragua meant increased production capacity. Changes like that don’t usually bode well for cigar companies, but Oliva has been a delightful exception.

#5
Rocky Patel A.L.R. Second Edition Toro
Rank: 5
Rating: 94
Price: $14.00
Made By: Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A.
Factory Location: Nicaragua
Dimensions: 6 1/2" by 52 ring gauge
Filler: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Mexico
Buzzwords like “aged,” “limited” and “rare” are thrown around quite a bit, especially in the cigar world, but Rocky Patel gives these words new meaning in his new A.L.R. brand. The cigars are limited, as they’re produced in small quantities; rare because Patel doesn’t release as many of these cigars into the market as he does other brands; and finally, aged, the most crucial and defining claim of these smokes.

According to Patel, each A.L.R. Second Edition cigar is aged for two years after it’s rolled before going to market. While the component tobaccos are already aged, Patel claims that these cigars get a two-year resting period for maturation and added levels of complexity. This probably contributes to the cost. Few Rocky Patel cigars are this expensive.

Astute smokers will recall the First Edition, which came out in 2018. The Second Edition here is a completely new blend consisting of a Mexican San Andrés wrapper and Nicaraguan tobaccos grown on Patel’s farms in Estelí and Condega. Patel started growing tobacco a few years ago and now his tobaccos are starting to appear in his cigars, giving the portfolio an entirely new facet.

This box-pressed Toro has all the sweet, satisfying qualities of malted chocolate and vanilla bean, balanced by an uplifting hint of fresh, shredded coconut. Only 2,000 boxes of this size were created, but Patel will be releasing these smokes in batches as they come of age in his Nicaraguan factory.