Cigar Reviews from the CigarFinder Editorial Team
In-depth, structured cigar reviews scored on a 100-point scale. Construction, flavor, evolution, and value, smoked and reviewed by the CigarFinder Editorial Team.
Quick answer: Each review covers visual inspection, cold draw, three thirds of the smoke, conclusion, and pairing recommendations. Scores break down into Appearance, Aroma, Construction, Smoking Experience, and Flavor (each 0 to 10), aggregating into a 100-point total. Sample source is disclosed on every review.
Padron Family Reserve 50 Years Maduro Review
A 96-point ultra-premium reference. Released to commemorate Padron's 50th anniversary. 10-year aged filler, the longest-aged tobacco in the...
La Flor Dominicana Andalusian Bull Review
A 95-point Cigar Aficionado #1 of 2016. La Flor Dominicana's Andalusian Bull is the brand's most-celebrated release. Ecuadoran Habano wrappe...
Arturo Fuente OpusX Petit Lancero Review
A 95-point benchmark for Dominican puro perfection. The OpusX Petit Lancero uses tobacco grown only at Chateau de la Fuente, the only Cuban-...
Padron 1926 No. 9 Maduro Review
A 95-point benchmark for ultra-premium Nicaraguan maduro. Cigar Aficionado #1 Cigar of 2007. Box-pressed Nicaraguan puro with deeper, fuller...
My Father Le Bijou 1922 Torpedo Box Pressed Review
A 95-point reference for full-bodied Nicaraguan box-pressed perfection. Cigar Aficionado #1 Cigar of 2015. Habano Oscuro wrapper, Nicaraguan...
Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado Review
A 94-point benchmark and Cigar Aficionado's #1 cigar of 2014. Oliva's Serie V Melanio is the brand's flagship and proved that Nicaraguan ble...
My Father Flor de las Antillas Toro Review
A 94-point reference for refined Cuban-style smoking. Cigar Aficionado #1 Cigar of 2012. Nicaraguan Sun Grown Habano wrapper, full-bodied Ni...
Drew Estate Liga Privada Unico Series Dirty Rat Review
A 94-point lancero benchmark for Liga Privada fanatics. Connecticut Habano wrapper over the same Drew Estate filler that defines the Liga Pr...
Drew Estate Liga Privada No. 9 Robusto Review
A 94-point reference for full-bodied Connecticut Broadleaf maduro. Earth, cocoa, coffee, leather, pepper. Heavily allocated and worth the hu...
Padron 1964 Anniversary Maduro Robusto Review
A 93-point reference benchmark for Nicaraguan maduro. Box-pressed, four-year aged filler, ten-year aged wrapper, cocoa-coffee-leather core t...
Crowned Heads Las Calaveras 2024 Corona Gorda Review
A 93-point boutique reference for the annual Las Calaveras release. Crowned Heads' annual Day-of-the-Dead-themed limited edition. Each year...
Arturo Fuente Anejo Reserva No. 77 (Shark) Review
A 93-point benchmark for the annual Anejo release. Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper aged 7 years. Box-pressed perfecto shape. Cocoa, leather, d...
Drew Estate Liga Privada T52 Robusto Review
A 93-point reference for full-bodied Connecticut Stalk-Cut Habano. The brighter, peppery counterpart to the No. 9. Cedar, sharp pepper, dark...
Warped La Hacienda Doble Robusto Review
A 92-point boutique benchmark for refined Cuban-style smoking. Kyle Gellis's Warped Cigars built its reputation on traditional Cuban-influen...
Illusione MJ12 Robusto Review
A 92-point boutique benchmark for refined Habano craftsmanship. Dion Giolito's Illusione brand built its reputation on small-batch boutique...
Dunbarton Sobremesa Cervantes Fino Review
A 92-point Lonsdale-style boutique benchmark. Steve Saka's Sobremesa is the brand's Habano-wrapped flagship, distinct from the Mi Querida ma...
Dunbarton Mi Querida Triqui Traca No. 548 Review
A 92-point boutique benchmark for full-bodied Connecticut Broadleaf maduro. Steve Saka's Triqui Traca line is the bolder, ligero-heavy cousi...
Tatuaje Black Label Petit Robusto Review
A 92-point full-bodied benchmark in compact format. Pete Johnson's Black Label is the bolder Tatuaje line. Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, full...
Arturo Fuente Don Carlos No. 4 Review
A 92-point reference for refined Dominican Cameroon. Named after Carlos Fuente Sr., the Don Carlos line uses Cameroon wrapper over Dominican...
Padron 1964 Anniversary Natural Robusto Review
A 92-point reference for refined Nicaraguan natural-wrapper smoking. The Sun Grown Habano counterpart to the 1964 Maduro. Cedar, almond, hay...
Foundation Tabernacle Robusto Review
A 92-point boutique benchmark for Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro under $10. Earth, dark cocoa, leather, espresso. Nick Melillo's flagship blen...
Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story Review
A 92-point benchmark for the modern figurado. Cameroon wrapper, Dominican filler, perfecto-shaped, 4-inch quick smoke that delivers cedar, a...
Foundation El Gueguense Toro Review
A 91-point boutique reference for Cuban-style modern American smoking. Foundation Cigar Co.'s El Gueguense line is the brand's Cuban-influen...
Plasencia Alma del Fuego Candente Review
A 91-point benchmark for tobacco-grower-driven Nicaraguan smoking. The Plasencia family is one of Nicaragua's most-respected tobacco growers...
Aganorsa Leaf Signature Belicoso Review
A 91-point boutique reference for tobacco-grower-driven smoking. Aganorsa is one of Nicaragua's most-respected tobacco growers, and the Sign...
Black Label Trading Co. Lawless Robusto Review
A 91-point boutique benchmark for ligero-heavy Connecticut Broadleaf. James Brown's Black Label Trading Co. flagship Lawless line. Connectic...
Caldwell Long Live The King Heater Review
A 91-point boutique benchmark for full-bodied character. Caldwell's flagship Long Live The King line. Mexican San Andres wrapper, Dominican...
RoMa Craft CroMagnon Aquitaine Mode 5 Review
A 91-point boutique benchmark for refined Habano. RoMa Craft's CroMagnon Aquitaine line is the Habano-wrapped variant of the original CroMag...
Crowned Heads Four Kicks Capa Especial Robusto Review
A 91-point boutique benchmark for refined Ecuadoran Habano. The Four Kicks Capa Especial uses a special Ecuadoran wrapper grown specifically...
La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Belicoso Review
A 91-point Mexican San Andres Maduro reference. Don Pepin Garcia's blend for Ashton, made at My Father factory. Mexican San Andres wrapper,...
Tatuaje Havana VI Verocu Review
A 91-point Cuban-influenced reference. Pete Johnson's Tatuaje line, made at My Father factory by the Garcia family. Nicaraguan Habano wrappe...
Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Review
A 91-point reference for mid-size figurado smoking. The Signature is the 6-inch Hemingway, larger than the Short Story, smaller than the Mas...
Drew Estate Undercrown Maduro Robusto Review
A 91-point benchmark for accessible Connecticut Broadleaf maduro. The daily-smoke alternative Drew Estate created when Liga Privada became t...
Davidoff Aniversario No. 3 Review
A 91-point luxury reference for refined Connecticut Shade. Cedar, cream, almond, faint pepper. The Aniversario line is Davidoff's elevated l...
Espinosa Laranja Reserva Toro Review
A 90-point boutique Brazilian-wrapped reference. Erik Espinosa's Laranja Reserva line uses an unusual Brazilian Habano wrapper that produces...
AJ Fernandez New World Robusto Review
A 90-point value reference for AJ Fernandez's Nicaraguan blending. The New World line is AJ Fernandez's flagship value-tier offering, design...
Camacho Triple Maduro Robusto Review
A 90-point Honduran benchmark for full-bodied triple-maduro smoking. Camacho's distinctive blend uses three different maduro tobaccos (wrapp...
Ashton Classic 8-9-8 Review
A 90-point reference for refined Connecticut Shade Dominican. Ashton Classic is the brand's mainstream offering, made at the Tabacalera A. F...
Drew Estate Herrera Esteli Brazilian Maduro Toro Review
A 90-point reference for Cuban-style Drew Estate. Brazilian Mata Fina maduro wrapper over Cuban-style Nicaraguan filler. Designed by Willy H...
Cohiba Red Dot Robusto Review
An 89-point reference for the Dominican Cohiba. The Red Dot is the brand's mainstream offering for the US market, blended in the Dominican R...
San Cristobal Elegancia Toro Review
An 89-point mild premium reference. Don Pepin Garcia's Connecticut Shade blend for Ashton, made at My Father factory. Connecticut Shade wrap...
Drew Estate Undercrown Sun Grown Robusto Review
An 89-point sibling to the Undercrown Maduro. Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper instead of Mexican San Andres. Brighter, more cedar-forward, with re...
Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970 Robusto Review
An 88-point Nicaraguan heritage reference. Joya de Nicaragua is Nicaragua's oldest premium cigar maker, and the Antano 1970 line preserves t...
Montecristo White Court Review
An 88-point reference for refined mild Dominican smoking. The White line is Montecristo's mildest offering, designed to deliver consistent e...
Padron 3000 Maduro Review
An 88-point benchmark for value-tier Nicaraguan maduro. The flagship of the Padron Series (the standard line below the 1964 Anniversary). Pa...
JC Newman Brick House Robusto Review
An 87-point reference for everyday Nicaraguan value smoking. JC Newman's Brick House line is one of the brand's most-popular value offerings...
Romeo y Julieta 1875 Churchill Review
An 87-point reference for accessible Dominican Churchill smoking. The 1875 line is Romeo y Julieta's mainstream offering, designed to delive...
Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente Royal Salute Review
An 87-point benchmark for accessible Dominican premium. The Chateau Fuente line is the Fuente family's mainstream offering, designed to deli...
Padron Damaso No. 17 (Robusto) Review
An 87-point milder Padron experience. Connecticut Shade wrapper over Nicaraguan filler. Released in 2015 as Padron's first Connecticut Shade...
Macanudo Cafe Hyde Park Review
An 86-point reference for the most-popular beginner cigar in America. Macanudo Cafe is the entry-level Dominican premium that introduces mil...
How we review cigars
Every review on this page follows a fixed structure: pre-light inspection, first third, second third, final third, and a conclusion with pairing recommendations. We score on five dimensions of 10 points each, aggregated to a 100-point total.
- Appearance. Construction visible to the eye. Wrapper quality, oil sheen, vein structure, cap finish.
- Aroma. Pre-light foot aroma and cold-draw flavors. The first signal of the leaf quality.
- Construction. Burn line, ash hold, draw resistance, smoke production. The objective performance.
- Smoking Experience. Pacing, balance, evolution, lack of harshness. The subjective experience over the full smoke.
- Flavor. Depth, complexity, integration, finish. The most weighted dimension for most smokers.
What our scores mean
- 95-100. Reference benchmark. The cigars by which others are measured.
- 90-94. Excellent. Worth seeking out and worth the premium price.
- 85-89. Very good. Reliable and recommended for the price tier.
- 80-84. Above average. A solid daily smoke without standout traits.
- Below 80. We typically do not publish reviews below 80. If you see one, the cigar had a reason worth writing about.
Sample sourcing and disclosure
Every review discloses where the cigar came from. Most are purchased at retail. Some are provided by manufacturers or retailers as samples for review. The disclosure is on the review page itself, never hidden. Sample provenance does not affect our scoring methodology, but you deserve to know.