I don’t use lowball scores like everyone else. I am a grumpy, but generous, old man providing laudatory ratings for cigars I love. If you read me, you already know this…and you put up with my enthusiasm.
There is no such thing as a perfect cigar…unless you decide it is so. Smoking cigars is an ancient hobby that has our lifelong devotion. It relieves stress, it is calming, and it is more fun than a poke in the eye from an angry wife…it is the cheapest psychoanalysis known to modern man.
Shower your wife with elegant baubles and lavish furs…hopefully she won’t mind you spending the children’s college fund on a bunch of dried leaves rolled like a giant wiener (giant is relative).
Cigars are listed in the order of their scores 97-100:
HVC La Rosa 520 Rare of Rare 97
E.P. Carrillo 15 Year Anniversary L.E. 97
Arturo Fuente Opus X Perfecxion No. 77 Shark 97
Padrón Family Reserve 1964 No. 85 Maduro 97
Viaje WLP The Rise of Claudenstein 97
Principle Aviator Series 10th Anniversary 98
Paul Stulac Cigars White Blinding Light Toro 98
Cartas de Amor Cigars ‘El Baile’ 98
Alfonso Gran Selección Estelares 98
La Aurora Puro Vintage 2009 Edicion Limitada 2024 98
Padrón 1926 Serie 80 Years Natural 98
Henk Maori Ediciõn Limitada 99
Casdagli Basilica C#3 Petit Robusto 100
Padrón Serie 1926 No. 90 Maduro 100
Casdagli Basilica C#1 Toro 100
Arturo Fuente Opus X Rosado Oro Oscuro Perfecxion No.4 100
Byron 21st Century Elegantes 2018 Vintage Limited Edition 100
La Palina Goldie Prominente 100
Padrón 1926 Serie No.90 Natural 100
I worked with Small Batch Cigar to get you a deal on the still available cigars from my list.
You can snag a 7-cigar sampler called Katman’s Top 21* Pack (HVC La Rosa 520 Rare of Rare, E.P. Carrillo 15 Year Anniversary L.E., Padrón Family Reserve 1964 No. 85 Maduro, Viaje WLP The Rise of Claudenstein, Warped La Colmena No. 44, La Aurora Puro Vintage 2009 Edicion Limitada 2024, Padrón 1926 Serie 80 Years Natural).
And a 5-cigar sampler of cigars I rated 100 called Katman’s Perfect 100 Sampler (Casdagli Basilica C#3 Petit Robusto, Padrón Serie 1926 No. 90 Maduro, Casdagli Basilica C#1 Toro, Byron 21st Century Elegantes 2018 Vintage Limited Edition, Padrón 1926 Serie No.90 Natural).
You can use promo code KATMAN for 15% off through Dec. 31, 2024.
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS, top 25
Well done, sir. This is the only “best of” list I have seen that didn’t include a number of laughable choices, obviously influenced by some of the bigger brands. The SBC samplers are also a great idea. It’s nice to be able to try some of the top cigars without having to commit to fivers or go on a scavenger hunt at the local brick and mortars.
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Hi Jeff,
Cigar manufacturers and cigar distributors make it a habit of mailing (several times per year) lots of fivers to bloggers hoping to get positive reviews of what are generally piss poor catalog brands. They will often throw in a fiver of something expensive in hope of preying on the reviewers’ guilt and shame. I get it. But it rarely works…but you will see a lot of the same cigars being reviewed in the second half of the year from a wide swath of cigar reviewers. And hence, a lot of the same everyday cigars are reviewed over and over, and some even making the top 25.
I swerved from the usual suspects of current releases and included a couple cigars that had years of aging…good is good. These tried-and-true blends are often missed in order to pay homage to something shiny and new. I don’t know who makes up these rules, but trix are for kids. I don’t have to follow any sustainable industry edicts other than those I concoct in my decaying head.
And for those that might see conspiracies where there are none…this is all me. SBC is not part of any perceived devious plan. They wouldn’t dare interfere with my deranged way of doing things. They know better. But they are a longtime partner who is so easy to work with…and they aim to please. I’m very happy with our new deal.
Merry New Year and Happy Christmas everyone.
Phil aka katman
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