The Cigar of the Year Countdown is a quantitative analysis of the best cigars of 2018. Other than the fact the cigar must be a box-worthy cigar to qualify for the list, price is not factored into the Countdown. In this exercise, I take a look at the list from a value standpoint and see how the Top 30 would look.
With our annual Countdown, we factor price out of the equation and rate the cigars on merit and other intangibles. With the Value rating, we assume all 30 cigars weigh equally on merit and intangibles and simply rank them from lowest to highest price.
As a third step, I took a cross-section of the Countdown and the Value ranking and came up with a Composite ranking. The concept for this ranking is simple – I applied an equal weight for how the cigar ranked versus how the price for the cigar was ranked. Points were then assigned for each of the two lists. 30 points for the top-ranked cigar, 29 points for the second-ranked cigar, etc. – all the way to 1 point for the 30th cigar. Points were then applied to the pricing: 30 points for the lowest priced cigar, 29 points for the 2nd lowest priced cigar, etc – all the way down to 1 point for the most expensive cigar on the list. The points were then added up. If cigars were tied in price, the points were distributed evenly (thus the half points).
This year, the VegaFina Añejado 7 Años Robusto Extra Pigtail won in a landslide. It was the least expensive cigar on the list coming in at $5.95. It also was the #3 Cigar of the Year on the Countdown. Tied for second was the La Gloria Cubana Collection Reserva Robusto and the Mi Querida Gordita by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust.
One interesting note, there were five cigars in the top five that had 2017 releases. The highest released composite-value cigar with a 2018 release date was the Viaje Exclusivo Nicaragua Petite Lancero (tied for fifth) followed by the 2018 Cigar of the Year, the Aladino Corojo Reserva (7th place).
OVERALL COMPOSITE VALUE RANKINGS
OVERALL VALUE RANKINGS (BY PRICE)
Hey thereCoop, Great show last night and I was happy to see the panel you put together. All of you were in rare form……… Love when you guys keep it real.
These lists are very informative and helped me narrow down the sticks I need to try next.
Happy New Year and Keep up the good work!!