CigarCoop

The #12 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Sonata Vibrato. While it’s distributed by Altadis U.S.A., Aging Room is a brand owned by Altadis’ Director of Product Capability, Rafael Nodal. Aging Room, and particularly the original Aging Room Quattro line, has seen tremendous success. In 2019, the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua garnered critical acclaim, including a Top 20 Cigar on Cigar Coop and a Cigar of the Year from Cigar Aficionado. This past year, Nodal introduced a new line, an offshoot of the Quattro Nicaragua line known as the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Sonata. Like many Aging Room Cigars, the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Sonata is inspired by Nodal’s love of music. A Sonata is a classic music composition for an instrumental soloist, often accompanied by piano. After the success of the original Aging Room Nicaragua Quattro, Nodal decided he wanted to compose his own interpretation of a sonata, but in the form of a cigar. https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rc6

The #13 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Micallef Black Toro. If there is one cigar company that has made the best use of its Ambassador group, it would have to be Micallef Cigars. The Micallef Ambassadors group is an integral part of providing input to its products. One piece of feedback that Micallef heard frequently from its Ambassadors group is that it needed a cigar that was fuller in terms of strength and body compared to most of the medium strength and body cigars that existed in the portfolio. For the Micallef Black, Micallef incorporated this feedback and developed a blend to on the fuller side. Micallef Black had a soft launch just prior to the 2023 Premium Cigar Association Trade Show and had a full launch at the Trade Show itself. It's the Toro size of the Micallef Black that landed a spot on this year's countdown. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rbP

The #14 2023 Cigar of the Year is the HVC Selección No. 1 Natural Poderosos. Back in 2022, HVC Cigars released a Maduro offering known as the HVC Selección No. 1 Maduro. While HVC Cigars has been a company in business for over a decade, the No. 1 is significant. This is because, in 2022, HVC Cigars moved into its own factory, Fabrica de Tabacos HVC S.A. Before that, many of HVC Cigars’ blends had been coming out of the Aganorsa factory. The Selección No. 1 gets its name because it was the first cigar from that factory. In 2023, HVC Cigars added another blend under the HVC Selección No. 1 line known as the HVC Selección No. 1 Natural. It's the Natural offering that lands on this year's Countdown. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rb9

The #15 2023 Cigar of the Year is the E.P. Carrillo INCH Nicaragua No. 60.In 2012, E.P. Carrillo launched a line focused on large ring gauge cigars known as the INCH Series. Large ring gauge cigars are nothing new to Ernesto Perez-Carrillo as he was considered a pioneer in this area while he was with La Gloria Cubana. Released in a Maduro and a Natural (Sumatra), it quickly became one of E.P. Carrillo’s most successful lines. In 2022, a new regular production addition to the INCH line, the INCH Nicaragua, was added. As the name indicates, INCH Nicaragua is not only a 100% Nicaraguan cigar, but it's a cigar that's made in Nicaragua - and it's made at the Plasencia factory in Nicaragua. This marked the first time E.P. Carrillo worked in a factory outside its Tabacalera La Alianza facility. Since then, E.P. Carrillo has done the Allegiance at the Oliva factory (which landed on the Countdown at #22) and Short Run 2023 out of Oscar Valladares' factory. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-raO

The #16 2023 Cigar of the Year is the 601 La Bomba Warhead VIII by Espinosa Cigars. One of the most popular annual limited edition series of cigars to hit the market over the past decade has been the 601 La Bomba Warhead Series. This series has a great track record of success, landing seven different times. Warhead is an extension of the original 601 La Bomba line, but it replaces the Nicaraguan Habano wrapper with a Broadleaf wrapper. As the name Warhead suggests, it is intended to be a stronger and bolder cigar. Each installment of the Warhead has featured a different size with a tweaked blend adjusted to that size as well as a different set of artwork. Warhead made its debut in 2013 and, with a couple of exceptions, has maintained an annual release schedule. The eighth installment came out in 2022 – appropriately titled Warhead VIII. This introduced a 6 x 60 box-pressed vitola into the series. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-rao

For Episode 291, we are proud to welcome Lee Marsh, founder of Stolen Throne Cigars a our special guest. Lee and his company have been quiety building up a nice portfolio of offerings and tonight we will learn Lee’s story and learn about Stolen Throne Cigars. Plus, we will have our Alec Bradley Live True Segment, FSG Beef Question of the Night, Tabacalera USA Ties That Bind, and Espinosa Today in Sports History. For our Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Deliberation segment, we will look at the “Cigars on the Year End List Graveyard”. This will focus on those cigars that have landed on EOY lists that have vanished or become endangered species.

The #17 2023 Cigar of the Year is the La Palina KB Part Three. The story of La Palina’s KB is quite interesting from both the La Palina end and the Cigar Coop end. In 2011, La Palina Cigars introduced its second line, El Diario. La Palina positioned El Diario as an everyday smoke and was one meant to be more affordable than its ultra-premium Family Series. El Diario went on to capture Cigar Coop’s #1 Cigar of the Year for 2011. The following year, La Palina unveiled a 4 1/4 x 40 petit corona line extension with a more robust tweaked blend known as KB. KB stands for “Kill Bill,” and it was named because the prototype of the sample given to La Palina owner Bill Paley was so strong that it threw him for a loop. Later, La Palina released a second KB size in the form of a 6 x 40 vitola, the KB II. Fast forward to 2021, and La Palina decided to discontinue the El Diario line while launching a new line around KB. In addition to the KB and KB II sizes coming over, La Palina added two new sizes: Part Three (5 x 52) and Part Four (6 x 54). It’s the Part Three vitola that lands on this year’s Countdown Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-r9P

The #18 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Knuckle Sandwich Maduro Toro H. One of the big stories of 2022 was the announcement that celebrity restauranteur Guy Fieri would be teaming up with Espinosa Cigars to launch the Knuckle Sandwich brand of cigars. Knuckle Sandwich Cigars is a brand produced and distributed by Espinosa Cigars. The brand has proliferated and now has three regular production lines and three limited edition lines. The Knuckle Sandwich Maduro is a regular production line and is one of the two original blends released when Knuckle Sandwich launched. It's the Maduro that has earned a spot on the Countdown. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-r99

We are pleased to welcome the one and only Nick Perdomo, President and CEO of Perdomo Cigars back to Prime Time. Perdomo Cigars is finishing up a big year, capped off with the shipping of the long-awaited Perdomo 30th Anniversary. We’ll get the update on this and all things Perdomo on this very special, Special Edition to finish up 2023! Plus, we have our Vintage Rock-A-Feller Cigar Group U.S. History segment, Tabacalera USA Great Things are Happening Here, and Espinosa This Day in Sports History segments. References Oklahoma Teen Overcomes Shyness to Collect and Give Away 54,000 Toys: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/oklahoma-teen-overcomes-shyness-to-collect-and-give-away-54000-toys/ Minnesota Hosts World Snow Sculpting Championship–And The Giant Ice Art is Pretty Spectacular: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/third-annual-world-snow-sculpting-championship-in-stillwater/

The #19 2023 Cigar of the Year is Weller by Cohiba 2022. The cigar comes from General Cigar Company. Over the past few years, Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG), General's parent company, has collaborated with the Buffalo Trace Distillery. The brands from Buffalo Trace that STG has worked on include Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Fireball Cinnamon, and Weller. The first collaboration between STG and Weller was the release of the Weller by Cohibain 2021. The Weller by Cohiba aimed to provide a cigar that could complement Weller Bourbon. For those who don’t follow the spirits world, Weller refers to a line of premium bourbons sold under the W.L. Weller brand. W.L. Weller stands for William Larue Weller (1825–1899). The following year, there was another release featuring an all-new blend, appropriately called the Weller by Cohiba 2022. Since then, there has also been a 2023 release. All three differ, but we'll focus on the Weller by Cohiba 2022 release. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-r8L

The Grammy Awards are scheduled for Sunday February 4, 2024 and the nominations are out. On Episode 116, we take a look at the key categories and who the nominees are, then decide who we want to win and who we thin think the Grammys will pick. For this show, Dave smokes the Paul Stulac Red Screaming Sun and Coop smokes the E.P. Carrillo Pledge Prequel As always you can follow along with our Spotify Playlists: Episode 116 Playlist References Complete 2024 Grammy Nominations: https://cigarjukebox.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/2024_grammy_nominations.pdf 2024 Grammy Nominations Announced: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/11/11/2024-grammy-nominations-announced/ Shane MacGowan, Pogues Frontman, Dies at 65 | Pitchfork: https://pitchfork.com/news/shane-macgowan-pogues-frontman-dies-at-65/ Taylor Swift Caps Banner 2023 with Person of the Year: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/12/08/taylor-swift-caps-banner-2023-with-person-of-the-year/ Top 50 of 2023 / #25 – 21: Hip Hop, A Collective and Interesting Collabs: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/12/16/top-50-of-2023-25-21-hip-hop-a-collective-and-interesting-collabs/ Top 50 of 2023 / #30 – 26: Our First Reggae Track, A Lot of Gecs and Some More Bunnies: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/12/12/top-50-of-2023-30-26-our-first-reggae-track-a-lot-of-gecs-and-some-more-bunnies/ Top 50 of 2023 / #35 – 31: Songs About Time, Reclaiming Your Music and Some Spice: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/12/07/top-50-of-2023-35-31-songs-about-time-reclaiming-your-music-and-some-spice/ Top 50 of 2023 / #40 – 36: More Foundational Comebacks, Made – Up Languages and Aussie Music: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/12/05/top-50-of-2023-40-36-more-foundational-comebacks-made-up-languages-and-aussie-music/ Top 50 of 2023 / #45 – 41: An Emotional Tribute, A Bunny and a Brit Pop Third Act: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/12/02/top-50-of-2023-45-41-an-emotional-tribute-a-bunny-and-a-brit-pop-third-act/ Top 50 of 2023 / #50 – 46: Spiderman, The Blues and Metal: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/11/26/top-50-of-2023-50-46-spiderman-the-blues-and-metal/ AVO Cigars to Collaborate with DJ D-Nice for AVO Expressions 2024: https://cigarjukebox.com/2023/12/13/avo-cigars-to-collaborate-with-dj-d-nice-for-avo-expressions-2024/

The #20 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Manolo Quesada 75th Anniversary by Quesada Cigars. On April 10th 2022, Quesada CigarsFounder and President Manuel “Manolo” Quesada turned 75 years old. Commemorating the occasion, Quesada Cigars released a special limited edition cigar dubbed the Manolo Quesada 75th Anniversary. More recently, Manolo’s daughter Raquel has been playing an increasing role in the operations of Quesada Cigars, but according to Quesada Cigars the Manolo Quesada 75th Anniversary was a project specifically blended by Manolo himself. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-r8o

We are giving away a second prize pack from the December 2023 contest around Romeo y Julieta. This contest is brought to you by Tabacalera USA - great things are happening here.

The #21 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Blackened M81 Toro by Drew Estate. Blackened M81 is a three-way collaboration project between Metallica’s James Hetfield, Distiller Rob Dietrich of Sweet Amber Distilling, and Drew Estate's own Jonathan Drew. Blackened is the name of a whiskey collaboration of Metallica and Dietrich. Dietrich and Drew have been friends for a while. It was Dietrich who introduced Metallica lead singer James Hetfield to Drew. Soon enough, the idea of creating a cigar brand was floated. From there, the wheels were put in motion to create a cigar that shared the vision of the Blackened Brand. After iterating through many test blends during the COVID-19 pandemic, they settled on the flavor profile, the Blackened M81. As for the name M81, it stands for Metallica 1981 – the year Metallica was formed. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-r7F

The #22 2023 Cigar of the Year is the E.P. Carrillo Allegiance Sidekick. The Allegiance is the fourth installment of the Perez-Carrillo line. The Allegiance is a cigar that Ernesto Perez-Carrillo blended, but it is being produced from Oliva’s TABOLISA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. It was the second project by E.P. Carrillo to be produced outside its Tabacalera La Alianza factory. Other projects we have seen are the E.P. Carrillo INCH Nicaragua out of Plasencia and the Short Run 2023 out of Oscar Valladares’ factory. The name Allegiance pays homage to the many partnerships and alliances the Perez-Carrillo family has forged over the years. In the case of the Allegiance, the partnership is strong, as Oliva had one of its Cuba Aliados projects produced at Tabacelrera La Alianza. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-r7t Note: On this audio/video recording, we incorrectly said E.P. Carrillo had eight appearances on the Countdown. In reality it was nine.

Today we are reviewing the Mi Querida Black PapaSaka from Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust. Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust released the Mi Querida Black SakaKhan last year at the 2022 PCA Trade Show which was met with a lot of excitement. The cigar ended up many Top Cigars of the Year list and was a huge seller in cigar shops. With the success of the SakaKhan, Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust decided to release a new Mi Querida Black in a corona gorda size which they named PapaSaka. The PapaSaka features a very similar blend with the notable difference being the Honduran tobacco in the SakaKhan being replaced with tobacco from the Dominican Republic in the PapaSaka. Let’s look at the blend. Mi Querida Black PapaSaka Vitola: Corona Gorda Size: 5 5/8 x 48 Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf No.1 Dark Binder: San Andres Negro Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran, Dominican Country of Origin: Nicaragua Factory: Nicaraguan American Cigars S.A. (NACSA) MSRP: $15.95 PapaSaka provided by Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust From Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust: Mi Querida Black (pronounced “me kay-ree-dah”) is the ultimate execution of our family of broadleaf ligas. “Black” is the third iteration of this style of blend within our Mi Querida family of puros. It retains the soul of our two other ligas within the line, however with the addition of a very select grade of Honduran grown Habano Seed tripa incorporated into the blend. Only the finest materials are utilized from the exhaustively “creamed” tripas, to the very best grade of dark Connecticut-grown Broadleaf capas with acute attention paid to their craftsmanship. Robust, rich, and decadently satisfying, the Limited Production Mi Querida Black is the apex of broadleaf cigars. Mi Querida Black is handcrafted at NACSA cigar factory under the stewardship of their Master Cigar maker Raul Disla at my direction. Packed in an elegant box that expresses from the outside the richness of the blend inside. As always, the pace of its production is being dictated by the tobaccos themselves and therefore it will be limited in its availability via Select Purveyors for the foreseeable future. You can watch our interview with Steve Saka of Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust with us at the 2023 PCA Trade Show here where he discusses the PapaSaka. Final Score: 92

The #23 2023 Cigar of the Year is Muestra De Saka – The Bewitched by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. In 2022, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust The Bewitched made its national debut, becoming the sixth installment of the Muestra de Saka brand. Owner and master ligador Steve Saka has described the Muestra de Saka line as a limited production line of unique blends that reflect his blending machinations. The story of the Bewitched goes back to 2021, when the company released a special limited edition cigar to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Owl Shop of Worcester. Following that release, a decision was made with the blessing of the Owl Shop to release the same cigar as an ongoing release under the Muestra de Saka portfolio. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-r6S

The #24 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Red Anchor Admiral by United Cigars. Red Anchor is a line that was brought back by United Cigars in 2022. According to United Cigars, the brand has over 250 years of history. In 1770, Red Anchor was the first registered trademark for a cigar shop; in 1772, it was the first cigar brand ever created. By 1937, the brand was dormant. A few years ago, United Cigars' owner David Garofalo, who has an affinity for cigar history, acquired the trademark so he could resurrect the brand. In 2022, the Red Anchor was brought back to coincide with the brand's 250th anniversary. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-r5X

Today we announce the contest winner from the December 2023 contest around Romeo y Julieta. This contest is brought to you by Tabacalera USA - great things are happening here.

The #25 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Allegria Corona by Illusione Cigars. In 2022, Illusione Cigars would quietly unveil its version of the Allegria brand. It was back in 2017 when Dion Giolito acquired two cigar brands, One Off and Allegria. These are brands created by Andrea Molinari – and achieved a cult status in the marketplace. However, the brand fell dormant and pretty much disappeared from retail shelves. Giolito decided to bring these brands back to life. In 2018, One Off made its return, and then four years later it was Allegria's turn. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-r5l

After a one year absence, the unofficial CA Top 25 Pre-Game Show is making a return for 2023. Next week the CA Top 25 for 2023 list will be revealed. The results of this list will either make some in the cigar industry’s hopes and dreams come true, and it will shatter the hopes and dreams of the others. We’ve assembled members of the Cigar Coop Coalition team and are joined by guest panelists John McTavish of Developing Palates and Hector Alfonso of Espinosa Cigars. Our approach is unique, and probably the most accurate any in the industry. It’s also one of our most controversial shows, but as always we will deliver with the utmost respect.` We invite and encourage you to tune in live and weigh in on your precautions. Plus, we have our Vintage Rock-A-Feller Cigar Group U.S. History segment, Tabacalera USA Great Things are Happening Here, and Espinosa This Day in Sports History segments. References History Enthusiasts Found a Buried 15th Century Royal Palace All on Their Own– 'Against all odds': https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/history-enthusiasts-found-a-buried-15th-century-royal-palace-on-their-own/ 96-year-old scuba diver holds new world record: https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2023/11/24/96-year-old-scuba-diver-holds-new-record

The #26 2023 Cigar of the Year is Casa Cuevas Sangre Nueva Double Perfecto. This was a cigar line that was spearheaded by Alec Cuevas, who now is the company’s Director of Brand Development. Alec would become the fifth generation of the Cuevas family to be in the cigar business. He would join his grandfather and father, Luis Cuevas Sr. and Luis Cuevas Jr., respectively. The name for the cigar represents “new blood” in Casa Cuevas. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-r4l

The #27 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Davidoff Limited Edition 2022. This marks a return for Davidoff to the Countdown for the first time in four years. While Davidoff has been focusing on bringing back a lot of its historic limited editions, the Davidoff Limited Edition 2022 Gran Toro is an all new LE. This igar is unique in that it it brings tobaccos from the Black Label’s three blends: Davidoff Nicaragua, Davidoff Escurio, and, Davidoff Yamasá. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-r3m

The #28 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Ferio Tego Timeless Limited 10 Years. While Ferio Tego is a company that is only a couple of years old, it celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Timeless brand. The Timeless brand traces back to Nat Sherman in 2012, and it was acquired by former Nat Sherman employees and Ferio Tego co-founders Michael Herklots and Brendon Scott. When Timeless was introduced, it played a key role in the revitalization of the brands of Nat Sherman. Now that these brands are under the stewardship of Herklots and Scott, it makes sense to mark the milestone. The Timeless Limited 10 Years represents that milestone well.

The #29 2023 Cigar of the Year is the Joya de Nicaragua Dos Cientos. In 2021, the 200th anniversary of Central American independence from the Spanish Empire was celebrated. This would set the stage for creating several Central American nations, including Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. That same year, Joya de Nicaragua marked the occasion with Dos Cientos. This cigar was released in 2021, but I smoked it earlier this year. With some age, the cigar had a remarkable performance, landing it on the Countdown. Full Details: https://wp.me/p6h1n1-r2q