Cigar Aficionado

Since 1992, every issue of Cigar Aficionado has been packed with new ratings of cigars, suitable for all cigar lovers, whether you are a seasoned veteran looking to try something different or a newcomer in need of guidance on where to start. At the end of the year, you would be in possession of six issues of the magazine and 24 issues of our digital newsletter Cigar Insider. Looking through it all, what does it mean?

There’s more to just smoking a cigar and pronouncing it good or bad. Whether it’s something that has been around for decades or a brand that was just released, our reviews provide readers with a cross-section of the industry unlike any other. You can see what countries produce the highest-quality or most affordable smokes, which sizes and shapes score best and all manner of trends. , cigars are handmade products, made of materials grown on farms, and are at the mercy of Mother Nature, whose unpredictable moods affect each crop. Factories or tobacco suppliers may change, even if the name on the band does not. All of these can factor into a cigar’s performance from year to year.

We rated 621 cigars in 2023, most of which came from what we call The Big Four: Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Cuba.

Since the onset of the pandemic, the handmade cigar industry has been in a period referred to as a “New Cigar Boom,” with imports reaching levels not seen in decades. Both 2021 and 2022 exceeded 450 million cigars imported into the United States, with 2022 totaling 464 million. Some began to wonder if the growth had finally come to an end at the start of 2023 when the numbers for the first quarter showed an 8.8 percent decrease, according to data provided by the Cigar Association of America. But the latest numbers (through the end of September) showed the market not far below where it was at the same time in 2022. The growth may not be over just yet.

With the rise of imports, one would expect a decrease in quality, but that seems to not be the case. Fifty-one percent (317) of the cigars we rated in 2023 scored 90 points or higher, a considerable increase from the 43.3 percent that scored 90 or more in 2022. A whopping 80 cigars scored 93 points or higher in 2023—12.9 percent of the entire year’s tasting—compared to a mere 46 in 2022. Some of these cigars ultimately found their way onto the Top 25 list. (Note: this analysis does not include our Top 25, cigars that undergo a separate retasting.) America’s cigar market is not only bigger than it’s been in years, the quality level is higher.

Of the top performers, 46 cigars scored 93 points, 22 scored 94, and seven achieved an exceptional 95 points—Classic status on our 100-point scale. Five reached the dizzying height of 96 points; only one cigar in 2022 scored so high.

In the past, Cuba usually took the cake when it came to producing the most top-performing smokes, but 2023 was Nicaragua’s year with 36 of our highest-scoring cigars, compared to Cuba’s 20. Nicaragua’s quality has been exceptional in 2023, more than doubling the 14 cigars that earned 93 points or more in 2022. The Dominican Republic was not far behind Cuba with 18, and Honduras delivered three. There were also two from the United States and one from the Bahamas, the latter made without local tobaccos. Both are exceptionally small cigar producers.  

Twelve cigars scored 95 points or more. Cuba, Honduras and the Dominican Republic each delivered one, while the rest were Nicaraguan. Most were tried-and-true mainstays from Oliva, Padrón and La Aroma de Cuba, but one was a new release: the Blackened Cigars “M81” by Drew Estate Corona, a three-way collaboration between Metallica’s James Hetfield, Drew Estate’s Jonathan Drew and Rob Dietrich of Blackened Whiskey.

Numbers of high-performers aside, consistency is key as the saying goes. Of all the countries in our ratings, Costa Rica had the highest percentage of high scores at 83.3 percent and an average score of 90.33 points, but at six cigars rated, the sample size was significantly smaller than most. Of the Big Four, Cuba had the most consistent performance with 61 out of 82 cigars earning 90 points or higher (74.39 percent) for an average score of 90.88.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Cuban cigars carry the highest average price tag. In 2022, Cuba raised prices to level the global playing field and prices have only gotten higher. The four most expensive cigars we rated all year cost more than $100 apiece, and all are Cohibas. We did find two Cuban bargains, however: the Rafael Gonzalez Corona de Lonsdale (10.50 euros) and the Partagás De Luxe (Tubo), which sells for about 8.60 euros.

Nicaragua, the largest producer of cigars in the world, and the home of many of the biggest names in the industry such as Padrón, Rocky Patel and Oliva, had the greatest presence in our ratings. We reviewed 276 Nicaraguan cigars, which averaged 89.95 points, and 149 of them (54 percent) scored 90 points or higher. The average price of a Nicaraguan cigar was $12.66.

We rated 175 cigars from the Dominican Republic, which had an average score of 89.23 points; 73 scored 90 points or more (41.7 percent). Dominican cigars averaged slightly higher than Nicaraguans, at $13.70. Three of them cost $30 or more, reflecting the higher trend of cigar prices overall.

Honduran cigars trended lower, both in cost and in score. We rated 74 Honduran cigars, which had an average score of 88.68, making it the lowest-scoring of the Big Four. They also had the lowest price, averaging $10.55. A trio of Honduran cigars scored 93 points or higher, but Honduras has kept up its reputation of bang-for-the-buck smokes. Some even had price tags of less than $5, a very welcome sight in today’s inflated cigar market. Rocky Patel Vintage 2003 Cameroon Juniors, which scored 91 points, cost $4.35, and Henry Clay Rustic Cheroots, 90 pointers, can be had for $4.62.

We rated six cigars each from the United States and Costa Rica, the two most expensive countries outside of Cuba (with a sample size of more than one cigar), which averaged $22.16 and $30, respectively. We also rated one cigar apiece from Mexico and the Bahamas. With such small sample sizes, statistical analysis here would carry little meaning.

While cigar manufacturers all have their own sometimes contradictory criteria for what constitutes a robusto, a toro or a Churchill, we all know what a figurado looks like: a cigar with a tapered body, a pointed head or both. It was the best-performing size of 2023, averaging 90.47 points.

The miscellaneous and corona categories were close behind with average scores of 90.21 and 90.12, respectively. Miscellaneous is what we dub cigars that “fall between the cracks” of various parameters; most are extra-short robustos or grandes while others are close (but no cigar) to petit coronas, toros and Churchills. The more standardized corona ranges between 5 1/4 to 6 inches with a thickness of 38 to 45 ring gauge. Between these two categories, not only were the average scores quite close, but so were the sample sizes of 24 and 26 cigars, respectively.

Slightly longer than a corona—but usually about the same thickness—were lonsdales, a declining category. We only reviewed 15 this year, for an average of 89.93 points. As shorter, thicker cigars grow in popularity, longer cigars with thinner ring gauges such as these are finding it harder and harder to gain a space on cigar-shop shelves.

Next up were robusto, Churchill and toro. For many years, the robusto was the best-selling size in the United States, according to our retailer surveys in Cigar Insider. This year, it moved down to third place. In of performance, it ranked fifth in our reviews. Churchills, while still a staple in the industry, have decreased in popularity due to their length in a market that has shifted its favor toward shorter smokes.

Today, nothing sells quite as well as a toro, also known as a corona gorda. It’s the best-selling size of 2023, according to retailers, and accordingly toros had the largest presence in our ratings with a total of 151 cigars. With such a large sample size, its average rating of 89.54 points is probably the most comprehensive when examining the market as toros appear in nearly every product line imaginable.

The next three were panetela (27 cigars, 89.30), petit corona (14 cigars, 89.21) and double corona (12 cigars, 88.92). Though they still have their devotees, these are among the least popular vitolas on the market, with the first two being considered too thin a ring gauge for the average smoker; double coronas (measuring between 7 1/2 and 8 1/2 inches in length) are often seen as too long-term a commitment in the fast-paced, modern world, typically requiring upwards of an hour and a half to smoke.

The grande is an odd size. We define it as a straight-sided cigar with a thickness of 60 ring gauge or more and length of 4 3/4 inches or more. As the market has embraced the hefty size, the boundaries are being pushed with ring gauges up to 70, 80 and even a jaw-dropping 100—though nothing thicker than 70 was rated. While undeniably popular with consumers, the size just doesn’t do well in our reviews. It was the lowest-scoring size. We rated 67 of them, and they averaged 88.72 points.

What started out as a time where people worried the cigar market might be showing signs of weakness instead could turn out—once the final numbers are tallied—to be yet another great year. Regardless of the final import figures, 2023 has undeniably been one of high quality, with more Outstanding and Classic status cigars emerging than in recent memory. And despite higher prices, there are still some high-scoring cigars that won’t break the bank.