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The
Dominican Republic and Nicaragua shared, in equal parts, the privilege of
appearing among the first five awarded cigars of the year 2020, according to
the annual ranking of the prestigious digital publication Cigar Aficionado. The
Dominican Republic obtained the first two places, and Nicaragua the third and
fourth place, being the fifth place in the power of a cigar made in Cuba.
Rank 1:
Tabacalera
la Alianza, from the Dominican Republic, obtained the No.1 position with the
pure E.P. Carrillo Pledge Prequel, which achieved a score of 98.
This 2020
triumph came as a confirmation of the quality and perseverance of Ernesto Pérez
Carrillo, a manufacturer with a 50-year career as the owner of factories large
and small, who between 2014 and 2020 won an interesting trilogy of awards.
Indeed, as a tribute to his family, in 2014 he released a brand called La
Historia, whose size E-III obtained second place in the ranking. Four years
later, with the E.P. Carrillo Encore, achieved that the pure Encore Majestic,
was named Cigar of the Year and just two years later he returned to obtain the
precious award.
This
dark-colored Pledge Prequel, measuring 5"X 50 ring gauge, stood out as
last year's richest and most structured pure, in part thanks to its Connecticut
Habano wrapper, a Cuban seed variety grown in Connecticut. It offers a savory
smoke with different and bold flavors of spicy oak, licorice, black cherry,
black pepper and other spices that harmonize with each other and provide a
subtle hint of baked apple at the end.
Rank 2:
The second
place was occupied by Fuente Fuente OpusX Doble Robusto, with a score of
97, a cigar made by Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia., also from the Dominican
Republic.
This cigar,
made entirely with tobacco grown in the Dominican Republic, belongs to the
OpusX line, which owes much of its character to its packaging, grown in the
shade of Corojo seeds, at Chateau de la Fuente, in that country. And precisely
in the packaging was the challenge to overcome, since this particular type of
leaf did not have a cultivation tradition in the Dominican Republic, but the
determination and perseverance of this manufacturer managed, with the right
seeds in the right soil, to incorporate a Dominican cover to the vast and complex
world of tobacco.
With this Doble
Robusto cigar, which provides a strong smoke with the aroma of baking spices,
harmonized with caramel flavor, cherry liqueur and at the end a note of rum
barrel, Fuente lives up to its deserved fame.
Rank 3:
The 1964
Anniversary Series Hermoso Padrón, winner of the third place in the 2020
Ranking, obtained a score of 97 and was made by Padrón Cigars Inc., a
well-known manufacturer in Nicaragua, with leaves grown and completely treated
in that country.
This cigar
belongs to the Padrón 1964 Anniversary line, which was released in 1994, as
part of the company's 30th anniversary celebrations. It is a robust box-pressed
short, with a dimension of 4 "X 56 ring gauge, it offers a mixture of
smoke whose flavors and aromas recall the qualities of cocoa and coffee,
typical of this line.
Apparently
it is precisely the size of this cigar, incorporated into the Hermoso line in
2016, which intensifies the vigor of this mixture, much in demand by the
public.
Rank 4:
La Mission L’Atelier 1959, are
made for the L'Atelier brand, at the García family's My Father Cigar factory in
Nicaragua, obtained 96 points in this fourth place.
La Mission,
which is a variation of the original line, L'Atelier, is distinguished by its
striking appearance and its interesting mix, composed of a Mexican layer from
San Andrés, with a binder and filler of Sancti Spiritus tobacco, grown in the
Central American country.
Especially
the 1959 size, it shows a flavorful note of sweet baking spices and a touch of
anise for a smoking experience full of contrasts and counterweights.
Rank 5:
The fifth
place, with 95 points, was for the Habano Punch Short by Punch, made
with a selection of wrapper,
filler and binder leaves from the Vuelta Abajo region, in Cuba. The historic
brand Punch, created in the mid-nineteenth century in that Caribbean country,
incorporated ring gauge 50 for the first time in its vitolario, the thickest of
the brand.
An
interesting fact to note is that the Cuban Punch brand had decades without
including a new size in its regular production portfolio. On the contrary, it
had eliminated sizes over time; that is why, at the 2019 Habano Festival, it
surprised the public when it announced this robust, “one of the finest Cuban Punches
we’ve encountered in years”, according to the words of Cigar Aficionado.
