#23 Oliveros Sun Grown Reserve This epic encounter might be one of the bigger surprises on the Top 30 Cigar of the Year countdown. This time it takes us to a new blend from Rafael Nodal of Oliveros Cigars. Coming it at #23 is the Oliveros Sun Grown Reserve. This was one of three new […]
2011 Cigar of the Year Countdown: #24: My Father El Hijo (Part 7 of Epic Encounters)
William Cooper Cigar of the Year, Uncategorized No Comments 2011 Cigar of the Year, Epic Encounters, My Father, Smoke Inn Microblend Series
My Father El Hijo For today’s epic encounter, we head to South Florida for retail-exclusive cigar offered by Smoke Inn. Once again, a famous cigar family is responsible for making this epic encounter possible – the Garcia family. Coming in at #24 is the My Father El Hijo. As mentioned, this is a cigar that […]
2011 Cigar of the Year Countdown: #25: Quesada Oktoberfest (Part 6 of Epic Encounters)
William Cooper Cigar of the Year, Uncategorized No Comments 2011 Cigar of the Year, Epic Encounters, Quesada
#25: Quesada Oktoberfest This epic encounter gives us a taste of Germany – via the Dominican Republic. Once again, a legendary family of blenders is responsible for bringing a cigar to us – this time it is the Quesada family. Coming in at #25 is the Quesada Oktoberfest. The idea behind the Oktoberfest was to […]
2011 Cigar of the Year Countdown: #26: My Father Limited Edition 2011 (Part 5 of Epic Encounters)
William Cooper Cigar of the Year, Uncategorized No Comments 2011 Cigar of the Year, Don Pepin, Epic Encounters, My Father
#26: My Father Limited Edition 2011 This epic encounter brings us to the son of a cigar legend that has become one of the top blenders in the business. Coming in at #26 is the My Father Limited Edition 2011. This is the second limited edition cigar in the “My Father” line. Originally this […]
2011 Cigar of the Year Countdown: #27: Toraño Vault (Part 4 of Epic Encounters)
William Cooper Cigar of the Year No Comments 2011 Cigar of the Year, Epic Encounters, Toraño
This epic encounter takes us to the island of Ometepe – a volcanic island in Lake Nicaragua. This is the place where a missing ingredient was applied to a blend that had been locked away for over a decade. At #27 is the Torano Vault. This refers to the name of a box that Carlos […]
2011 Cigar of the Year Countdown: #28 Viaje WLP (White Label Project – St. Patrick’s Day) Candela (Part 3 of Epic Encounters)
William Cooper Cigar of the Year, Uncategorized No Comments 2011 Cigar of the Year, Candela, Epic Encounters, Indie, Viaje
#28 This epic encounter uses the word “candela” – and yes a candela cigar makes my 2011 Top 30 Cigars of the year. Coming in at #28 is the Viaje WLP (White Label Project – St. Patrick’s Day) Candela. Similar to how manufacturers tried to raise the bar making more fuller blends with Ecuadorian Connecticut, […]
2011 Cigar of the Year Countdown: #29 Humo Jaguar by Miami Cigars (Part 2 of Epic Encounters)
William Cooper Cigar of the Year, Uncategorized 1 Comment 2011 Cigar of the Year, Epic Encounters, Miami Cigars
#29 for 2011: Humo Jaguar by Miami Cigars It’s time for a the second Epic Encounter of Cigars of 2011 – the 2011 Cigar of the Year countdown continues. Coming in at #29 is the Humo Jaguar by Miami Cigars. While Ecuadorian Connecticut cigars were a theme of 2011, there was another theme that got […]
2011 Cigar of the Year Countdown: #30 E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut (Part 1 of Epic Encounters)
William Cooper Cigar of the Year, Uncategorized No Comments 2011 Cigar of the Year, E.P. Carrillo, EPC, Epic Encounters
#30 for 2011: E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut With 2011 being as good a year for cigars as any, selecting which cigars made the Top 30 was probably as tough as any. With that said, picking #30 was probably the hardest selection I had to make. There were a lot of good cigars that did […]
2011 Top 30 Cigar of the Year Countdown – Epic Encounters
William Cooper Cigar of the Year, Uncategorized No Comments 2011 Cigar of the Year, Cigar Coop, Epic Encounters
Avo LE10 – 2010 Cigar of the Year It’s that time of the year. Time to countdown the Top 30 cigars for 2011. It seems like every year I say “this is the best year for cigars ever”. However, in each case it has been true – and 2011 truly takes the cake in my […]
Cigar Review: Liga Privada T52 (2009 Cigar of the Year)
William Cooper Cigar of the Year, Reviews, Uncategorized 1 Comment Drew Estate, Hall of Fame, Historic, Liga Privada, Review
Drew Estate Liga Privada T52 (My 2009 Cigar of the Year) The Liga Privada T52 is truly a special cigar that has received a lot of accolades on this web-site. In 2009, this was selected as my Cigar of the Year. This past weekend, the cigar was officially inducted into the Cigar Coop Hall of […]