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Today's Smoke (2004-2022 Archive)

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Ok here it is finally wrapping up the 2016 list before Christmas of 2017. Started the night off on my ride home from work with this Rocky Patel Sungrown Maduro Robusto (#2 on Cigar Afficianados Top 25 of 2016). Interesting don't see alot of Sungrown Maduros (atleast I haven't). I don't see a lot of Rocky on botl very often. I do like his offerings though, but my palate has kinda moved into different avenues recently. This cigar is definatly unique in the Patel portfolio, but I'm not sure if this cigar truely deserves a #2 designation. Nevertheless, I enjoy it alot every time I smoke it or any other Rocky Patel I never have a bad experience.

A couple hours ago I lit up this La Flor Dominicana Andalusian Bull (#1 on Cigar Afficianados Top 25 of 2016). I've had this a few times in the past and actually have 8 or 9 remaining from a box 10 (so if anyone has not tried this and has absolutely been dying to try it PM me). This was by far the hardest cigar for me to find from 2016's list I spent several months on backorder lists before randomly stumbling into a new box at a b&m I discovered a few months ago and scooped up half the box... Then came back the next day for the remaining cigars and the box they came in. When you smoke this cigar you notice the first 1/4-1/3 are pretty damn good and very unique but after that it kinds dulls out a little and doesn't change flavor profiles very much. I have discussed this with a few other brothers and they seem to agree as well. But, I must say the construction, burn and overall aestetics of this cigar was second to none with regards to all the other cigars on the 2016 list.

Either way, now that I'm done with this smoke down of the 2016 list I have a few points I'd like to make.
1. They absolutely need more than 3 habanos. The fact that not even 1/5 of the top 25 cigars (and this goes for almost every year from CA lists) are habanos is a compete joke it truely is. I'm not saying it should necessarily be 50/50 or all habanos or anything but the leading cigars in the world (and make no mistake outside the US, habanos brands are the leading cigars across the rest of the world) should be better represented.
2. It's clear to me they missed Warped, and Tatujae and a bunch of other cigar brands that are superior to alot they put on this list.
3. I've had an unpleasant realization over the last couple months that CA's list are not unbiased. I mean I have always enjoyed reading Cigar Afficianado. It's my favorite magazine. However, I must have just been blind to it before, but money talks with regards to the top 25 cigars list and it's pretty damn clear to me that that's the case.
4. Over the past several months since joining BOTL, I have learned more about what's new and what's good in the cigar world from you brothers than I ever could from a million magazines and I look forward to learning more and more from you guys as the years go by. I thank you for putting up with these posts over the past few weeks. I know some are long winded (like this one). That said, I plan on doing the same or similar style of top 25 smoke down next year and years to come but am thinking next year it may be better served on a seperate thread. Merry Christmas Brothers!


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