Cigar Aficionado

It’s that time of year again. We’re not much for resolutions, but it’s a good time to ponder what’s coming down the highway, and what are some things we might see in 2013.

“Homeland.” If you’re not a fan of this show (May/June 2012 cover), you should be. Will Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin) and Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) save the world? What will happen to Nicolas Brody (Damien Lewis) after he flees into Canada, accused by some of blowing up CIA headquarters? Is there a mole in the CIA, and who is it?

“The Newsroom.” We know the series (July/Aug. 2012) is being filmed right now, but how will the journalists inside the Atlantic Cable News offices manage the crisis and catastrophes that are sure to happen? Can Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) continue to be an independent anchor, telling it like is? Will he and Mackenzie MacHale (Emily Mortimer) get back together?

The Superbowl. By the time you read this, we will have a pretty good idea of which teams will be battling it out for Super Bowl XLVII, the 47th playing of the Big Game. Will the New York Giants survive their late season struggles to defend their title? Will New England avoid upsets? Will the Atlanta Falcons and the Houston Texans ride their in-season form all the way to final game? Will Peyton Manning make Indianapolis regret letting him go…oh wait, that’s already true but will he produce championship rings for the Denver Broncos?

The NBA. Winter is the doldrums in the National Basketball Association. Teams are getting tired playing through the middle of their 82-game schedule, but it’s not too early to start thinking about the play-offs. Will the Knicks hold up and win the division? Will the Miami Heat wake up, and begin to play like the defending champs? Will the Oklahoma Thunder and Kevin Durant come down to earth and stop rolling over nearly everybody in the league?

Whisky Boom. It’s amazing what’s going on in the world of whisky. Our sister publication, Whisky Advocate, announced their big event in April in Chicago, WhiskyFest. Tickets sold out in four days. If that’s not a sign of a boom in interest, we don’t know what is. Time to head to your local great wine shop or liquor store and see what’s on the shelves in the single malt Scotch and Bourbon sections.

And, we spend a lot of time focusing on cigars, and the cigar market. This year’s Cigar of the Year, Flor de las Antillas, is virtually unknown; a new cigar from a producer, Pepin Garcia, who has been making waves in the cigar business ever since he began selling cigars 10 years ago. So, what’s the new hot cigar of 2013? What cigars were introduced too late in 2012 for consideration in this year’s tests, and could surprise us in 2013?

We also dream about an end to the Cuban trade embargo. There are some rumblings out there that we may be moving closer to a new day for U.S. policy vis-a-vis Cuba than at any time in the last 50 years. Check out our last Cuba cover (Nov./Dec. 2011).

Of course, there’s always our golf games. Will our handicaps ever start to come down again, or are we simply going to have to accept reality and play for the sheer enjoyment of the game? You know the answer. So do we.