2015 Stogie Fresh Honor Roll: Part 1
by David "Doc" Diaz
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
This year marks the 9th Annual Stogie Fresh Gold Star Awards for
our favorite cigars of the year. Part 1 of this two part series of articles will feature our FAVORITE
REVIEWED CIGARS of the year. In part two, we will reveal DOC'S FAVORITE NEW CIGARS of 2015.
We provide these yearly awards because we believe that, whether large, medium, or small, cigar manufacturers and brands should be recognized for their efforts to create CONSISTENTLY HIGH QUALITY CIGARS.
To create a list of the "Best" cigars of the year is presumptuous. In truth, the best cigars are those that the individual smoker thinks are best, not those considered best by the reviewer. So instead of claiming our honor roll is filled with the "best" cigars, the Stogie Fresh Honor Roll represents our "favorite" cigars of 2015. These cigars have either been featured on the weekly Stogie Fresh 5 podcast, or have been reviewed by Stogie Fresh in the regular cigar review cycle and have been given our highest ratings.
This year, we once again include an Age Factor score that recognizes cigars that have performed well on several occasions over a period of time. By reviewing cigars multiple times over the course of many months, we can separate what we call, "flash in the pan" cigars, from those that are consistently good. The Stogie Fresh Honor Roll identifies cigars that are CONSISTENTLY EXCELLENT IN FLAVOR AND CONSTRUCTION. Our reviews help to answer the question of consistency and value by reviewing the same batch of cigars over a long period of time. No other review site that I know of can make this claim. Because of our methodology, the Stogie Fresh reviewing system is the only system in the industry that can make definitive statements about the results of prolonged aging.
PART 1: FAVORITE REVIEWED CIGARS
1. Tatuaje 10th Anniversary Havana Cazadores Wrapper: Nicaragua
|
2. Nomad Estelí Lot 8613 Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
|
3. Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Wrapper: USA/Kentucky Fire Cured, Mexican San Andres
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4. Gran Habano STK Zulu Zulu Habano Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
|
5. Las Cumbres Tabaco Señorial by José Blanco Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
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6. Room 101 Cigars Master Collection Three Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
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LONG LIST: Listed in the table below are 20 of the top reviewed cigars of 2015. These cigars have been reviewed one or more times, with each review involving smoking 2-3 samples, minimum. For cigars that have been reviewed multiple times, we have averaged the review score, then we apply an Age Factor adjustment, which can add to the average score based on a combination of average score and age of the cigars (all ties broken by my own adjustment). The Age Factor adjustments are as follows:
| AGE OF CIGAR | <6 months |
6 mo—1 yr |
1 yr—1.5 yr |
1.6 yr—2 yr |
2 yr—2.5 yr |
| PTS +/- | 0 PTS |
.5pts |
1pt |
1.5pts |
2pts |
Brand |
Name |
Type |
Avg Score |
Age Factor |
Adjusted Score |
| 10th Anniversary | Havana Cazadores | 92.9 |
1 |
93.9 |
|
| Estelí Lot 8613 | Toro | 93.3 |
0 |
93.3 |
|
| Family Reserve by Drew Estate | Robusto | 92.7 |
.5 |
93.2 |
|
| STK Zulu Zulu Habano | Lancero | 91.1 |
2 |
93.1 |
|
| Señorial by Jose Blanco | #5 Corona Gorda | 92.5 |
.5 |
93.0 |
|
| Master Collection Three | Lancero | 92.4 |
.5 |
92.9 |
|
| Hex | Figurado | 92.3 |
.5 |
92.8 |
|
| Maduro | 50 (Toro) | 90.7 |
2 |
92.7 |
|
| Intemperance BA XXI | A.W.S. IV (Lonsdale) | 92.6 |
0 |
92.6 |
|
| 2012 Limited Edition | Fugitive (Perfecto) | 90.5 |
2 |
92.5 |
|
| The Banker | Annuity (Toro) | 92.4 |
0 |
92.4 |
|
| Signature | Torpedo | 92.1 |
0 |
92.1 |
|
| Black Label | Robusto | 91.5 |
.5 |
92 |
|
| Regular Production | No. 2 (Torpedo) | 90.9 |
1 |
91.9 |
|
| Habano Maduro | Toro | 91.3 |
.5 |
91.8 |
|
| Avion (Fausto Special Selection) | 12 (Short Perfecto) | 91.2 |
.5 |
91.7 |
|
| ESG | 23-year salute (Toro) | 90.1 |
1.5 |
91.6 |
|
| Limited Edition | 2015 Year of the Sheep (Torpedo) | 91.0 |
.5 |
91.5 |
|
| 100 Anos Cameroon Burns Tobacconist Edition | Lancero | 90.9 |
.5 |
91.4 |
|
| Family Reserve No. 45 Maduro | Toro | 91.3 |
0 |
91.3 |
Click on links in Brand field above for the most recent full review.