Top 25 Cigars of the Year – 2021

Drew Estate Undercrown 10

Drew Estate had an interesting way of showing off its new Undercrown 10th Anniversary line. It was actually first shipped unbanded as a mystery cigar as a part of their Freestyle Live event before the cigar was announced. We reviewed that cigar and event pack here. During the show it was revealed that the cigar was the Drew Estate Undercrown 10, a cigar celebrating the 10th anniversary of the original Undercrown. It joins the existing Maduro, Shade and Sun Grown lines.

The blend for Drew Estate Undercrown 10 uses a Mexican San Andres wrapper, Connecticut Broadleaf binder and Nicaraguan fillers. There are regular production sizes all in 20 count boxes: Toro (6 x 52) $12, Robusto (5 x 50) $11.75, Corona Viva (5 x 43) $10.50, and Corona Doble (7 x 50) $13.50. There is also a limited-edition “Factory Floor Edition” which is a 6 x 46 $13.60 lonsdale. This also come in a 20-count box and will also include a “tobacco leaf library,” meaning a sample of each individual leaf comprising the blend. There will also be an event only size, the Undercrown 10 Tuani Belicoso (6 x 52) only be available at event hosted by Pedro Gomez. This will be packaged in coffins of two similar to the Liga Privada “A” and Undercrown Manifesto.

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Aganorsa Leaf Rare Leaf Reserve

Aganorsa Leaf announced a new line exclusive to Aganorsa Select Partners in December of 2020, Aganorsa Leaf Rare Leaf Reserve. This tobacco for this new cigar only comes from select lots on their best farms. Those lots produce a small amount of tobacco that is unique in flavor and aroma. The blend for Rare Leaf Reserve uses all Aganorsa tobacco. It starts with a café wrapper leaf from Jalapa, double binder and filler tobaccos of mostly Criollo 98 with small bit of Corojo 99.

Aganorsa says Rare Leaf Reserve is a regular production line, but is produced in only very small amounts and has been quite hard to find selling out quickly. This small amount is why it is only available at Select retail partners. It comes in three sizes: Robusto (5.25 x 52) $10.99, Toro (6 x 54) $11.50, and Titan (6 x 60) $12.10. All sizes come in boxes of 15.

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Crowned Heads Mother Church JR 50th Anniversary

JR Cigar has been celebrating their 50th Anniversary in 2021. For this milestone they have been releasing a series of collaboration cigars with big name brands, one of them being Crowned Heads. Together, they released the Crowned Heads Mother Church JR 50th Anniversary in March. This release celebrates both the 50th anniversary of JR Cigar and pays homage to Crowned Heads’ roots in Nashville, Tennessee.

The name comes from the famed Ryman Auditorium, Nashville’s legendary music venue. Formerly known as the Grand Ole Opry House, the Ryman has played host to several of the most legendary musical acts of the last 100 years, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and the Foo Fighters. Due to its origins as The Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1892, the venue has long been known as Mother Church by Nashville natives.

Crowned Heads Mother Church JR 50th Anniversary is rolled at Tabacalera Pichardo in Nicaragua, a frequent team up with Crowned Heads recently. That factory also makes their Mil Dias and Juarez lines cigars. The blend uses an Ecuadorian Corojo 99 wrapper, Connecticut broadleaf binder, and aged tobacco from three of the main growing regions of Nicaragua for the fillers. The cigar comes in a unique box designed to look like the stained glass windows and church-like features of the Ryman Auditorium. Mother Church comes in 10-count boxes and only one size, a 7 x 48 Churchill. Each has an MSRP of $12.90 or you can pick up a box for $129.00. Only 500 boxes were productid for this release.

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Crowned Heads Le Pâtissier

Crowned Heads showed off an exclusive cigar to attendees of the PCA 2021 Trade Show. Le Pâtissier translates to ‘pastry chef’ in French. Crowned Heads Le Pâtissier is an offshoot of the Crowned Heads Le Carême line that came out in 2016, which was inspired by French chef Marie-Antoine Careme. The two blends sport a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, that’s where the similarities end. This is the first Crowned Heads blend to come out of Tabacalera Pichardo that uses broadleaf.

Crowned Heads Le Pâtissier only comes in one size, a 6 1/2 x 44 lonsdale parejo. The blend starts with a Grade A Dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Nicaraguan (Jalapa) binder, and filler tobaccos from Costa Rica and Nicaragua (Pueblo Nuevo and Ometepe). It is packaged in cabinets boxes of 20 and each cigar has a retail of $10.50. Le Pâtissier is produced at Tabacalera Pichardo in Esteli, Nicaragua, that also rolls the Crowned Heads lines Juarez, and Mil Días.

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Tatuaje T110 Capa Especial

The original Tatuaje T110 was one of the company’s most saught after cigars. The blend us based on an unreleased cigar that Pete Johnson created in 2006 called “Thermonuclear.” That blend was said to use entirely ligero tobacco. The T110 first came out in 2009 as an an exclusive for R. Field Wine Co. in Hawaii. The T was short for Thermonuclear and the 110 refers to the 110mm length of the cigar. This final version of the blend did not use entirely ligero, and is comprrised of ligero and high priming visos. Only 390 boxes of 25 of the original cigar existed. 200 of those were packed traditionally and 190 were wet-packed to keep the humidity in the bundle.

The T110 finally made a comeback in April of 2021 more the 11 years after the release of the original. In this run, 1,000 boxes were made and the cigar itself was the same size. In addition to that re-release, two other versions came out later in the year, a Reserva and a Capa Especial with altered wrappers. The Capa Especial version uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. With these variations of the blend, 2,400 boxes of each were made. Each cigar has an MSRP of $10.00.

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Black Works Studio Hyena

In March of 2021, Black Works Studio (BLK WKS) announced their newest limited edition cigar: Black Works Studio Hyena. The blend uses a Cameroon wrapper, Nicaraguan Habano binder, and Nicaraguan fillers. It comes in two sizes: Corona Gorda – 5 x 46 (20 count) MSRP $12.00 and Lonsdale – 6.5×42 (20 count) MSRP $12.50.

James Brown described the cigar as a tribute to he and his wife’s many years living in Africa. Black Works Studio Hyena is rolled at Fabrica Oveja Negra in Estelí, Nicaragua. Only 700 boxes of each size were made and each size has a rabito cap.

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Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka

At this year’s TPE trade show, Steve Saka announced a new version of his Sin Compromiso cigar that would be even more refined and as a result, expensive. Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka is the version of the Sin Compromiso blend that Saka says he’s been smoking personally for the last two years that is actually made with the best leaves among the already very selective leaves for the blend. In addition, the blend has been tweaked to include an extra Pennsylvania Seedleaf in the filler, making it a bit stronger.

Paladin de Saka comes in one size, a 7 x 52 box-pressed Churchill. The blend starts with same components as the original Sin Compromiso blend: a Mexican San Andrés Negro “cultivo tonto” wrapper, Ecuadorian hybrid habano binder, and fillers from Nicaragua. The biggest difference is the addition of that one Pennsylvania Seedleaf in the filler. The “Cultivo Tonto” in the wrapper leaf description is a reference to a special growing method Saka uses that was inspired by Japanese fruit farmers. They actually remove the bottom leaves of the plant so bulk of the nutrients are sent to the upper leaves. So for this particular fruit and tobacco leaf, the yield is much lower and the cost is much higher, but the flavor is unique and powerful.

Some other differences between this and the regular line of Sin Compromiso include a regular box press, while the rest of the line is soft pressed. Paladin de Saka is also aged for an extra year before being sold. The band is also a slightly darker shade of pewter in the lighter areas. Each cigar carries an MSRP of $29.75 and come in boxes of 13.

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Ferio Tego Generoso

Michael Herklots announced in January of 2021 that he would be bringing back the former Nat Sherman brands along with his business partner Brendon Scott. Along with the news of the legacy Nat Sherman brands came word that there would be new blends under the newly formed Ferio Tego brand. Eight months later came the announcement of Ferio Tego Elegancia and Ferio Tego Generoso; with the former rolled by the Quesada Family and the latter by Plasenia. Both factories were (and continue to be under the Ferio Tego brand) long time makers of Nat Sherman legacy brands.

Both the Ferio Tego Elegancia and Ferio Tego Generoso are limited edition cigars, and carry the price tag of such. Each only come in one size, a 6 x 50 toro. They also both come in boxes of 10 that can double as travel humidors with a place for humidification built in.

The Ferio Tego Generoso is rolled at the Plasencia Factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. The blend uses a Honduran shade-grown wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and Nicaraguan fillers. Production is limited, but exact numbers were not given. Each box of cigars in either blend retails for $210 or $21 a cigar. Ferio Tego is distributed exclusively by Davidoff of Geneva USA in the United States and its territories.

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Rojas Street Tacos Barbacoa

Noel Rojas’ latest cigar gets its name from the popular Caribbean and Mexican food, street tacos. The Rojas Street Tacos Barbacoa is the first in the line of which the company says there will be three blends. The Barbacoa uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and filler from the Somoto region of Nicaragua. The cigar was originally supposed to come out at the end of 2020, but got delayed until March 2021.

Rojas Street Tacos Barbacoa comes in three sizes: Robusto (5 x 50) – $8.00, Short Corona (5 1/2 x 46) – $7.50, and Toro (6 x 50) – $8.50. All comes in boxes of 16.

Aganorsa Leaf Guardian of the Farm Cerberus

Aganorsa Leaf released a new addition to their Guardian of the Farm line this year: Aganorsa Leaf Guardian of the Farm Cerberus. Unlike previous versions, named after actual dogs on the farms in Nicaragua, this one comes from the mythical three headed dog that stood watch at the gates of Hades.

Cerberus is a Nicaraguan puro that uses all Aganorsa Leaf grown tobacco including their new Corojo 2012 wrapper. The Cerberus is the first blend from Aganorsa to use this new wrapper.

Cerberus comes in 15-count boxes and three sizes: 6 ¼ x 52, 6×44, and 5×54. Most of the sizes will not ship until the first quarter of 2022 but 200 ten count boxes of a special 6×52 toro vitola were offered to members of the CIGAR.com Elite Advantage Loyalty Program beginning November 10, 2021. This is the version that has earned the spot on our top 25 list.

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Warped Chinchalle

The Warped Chinchalle was teased at PCA 2021, but because of supply chain issues, wasn’t shown off. It didn’t ship to retailers until September of 2021. This is the first Warped cigar made in the Dominican Republic. And not only that, it is rolled at a relatively new factory Tabacalera La Isla in Santiago, Dominican Republic run by Hostos Fernandez, nephew of Manuel Quesada.

The blend uses an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Dominican HVA binder, and Domincan fillers. It comes in one size, a 5 x 50 robusto that costs $12.50. It comes in boxes of 25. This is a regular production blend.

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Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Triqui Traca No. 448

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust added a new size to the Mi Querida Triqui Traca line this year, No. 448. The cigar measures 4 x 48. Steve Saka wasn’t originally planning on the size, but wanted to use the broadleaf from his event-only Polpetta on something he could sell instead of give away.

The cigar sells for $8.95 and comes in boxes of 20. It was one of the many new cigars shown off by the company at the 2021 PCA trade show. The blend is the same as the rest of the Triqui Traca line, which itself is a more strong version of the Mi Querida line. The original Triqui Traca was our cigar of the year in 2019. We have not reviewed this size yet, but will this year.

Aganorsa Leaf Supreme Leaf Corona Gorda

Aganorsa Leaf released a third size in their Supreme Leaf line this year, a corona gorda. Supreme leaf is a limited production cigar from Aganorsa leaf and usually hard to find. The corona gorda uses the same blend as the previous releases.

“Demand for Supreme Leaf continues to grow.” says Terence Reilly, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We heard a lot of requests for the next size to be under a 50 ring gauge so we listened and decided on a 6×46, a vitola that just so happens to be my personal favorite as well.”

Like previous releases, Supreme Leaf comes in boxes of 10. Production for the Aganorsa Leaf Supreme Leaf Corona Gorda is limited to 2000 boxes, which is an increase of 2020’s Toro at 1500 boxes, and the original Robusto at 500 boxes. The cigar shipped in February 2021 and sells for $10.50.

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Protocol Bass Reeves Maduro

Protocol Cigars brought the third cigar in their Lawmen series to the PCA 2021 trade show – Bass Reeves. Protocol Bass Reeves follows 2019’s Sir Robert Peel and 2020’s Elliot Ness. Like the cigars in the Lawmen series before it, Protocol Bass Reeves, comes in both natural and maduro versions. The Lawmen Series is a more classic and traditional approach for Protocol Cigars than their typical colorful and flashy designs. The Lawmen Series is an homage to the men and women of law enforcement.

Bass Reeves was one of history’s first Black Deputy U.S. Marshals. During his career in law enforcement in Arkansas and the Oklahoma Territory, Reeves made over 3,000 arrests. He was sworn in as a U.S. Deputy Marshal in 1875. Bass Reeves was also the inspiration for The Lone Ranger and Protocol has incorporated come of that into the design of the packaging. The white horse and silver coin are there because the Lone Ranger’s horse was named silver.

Protocol Bass Reeves comes in only once size, a 6 x 52 box-pressed toro. It comes in boxes of 10 that sell for $119.50. The cigar is rolled at A.J. Fernandez‘s San Lotano Factory in Ocotal, Nicaragua. The blend for the Natural uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, and the Maduro uses a Nicaraguan Dark Habano wrapper. Both have Nicaraguan binder and fillers.

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All Saints St. Francis

All Saints Cigars added their second regular production line to their portfolio at the TPE trade show in 2021. This is the first cigar made by the company to be named after a saint. It is named after Francis of Assisi known for founding the Franciscan Orders, a group of three different Catholic orders, which includes the Order of Friars Minor, who are known as Franciscans. He is also the patron saint of animals and ecology and one of the patron saints of Italy.

The line comes in four sizes: Robusto (5 1/2 x 50) – $9.70, Toro (6 1/2 x 52) – $10.35, Huge (6 x 60) – $10.90, and Churchill (7 x 48) – $11.40. The blend uses an Ecuadorian oscuro wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and fillers from Nicaragua. Like their first line, Dedicación, it is rolled at Rocky Patel’s TAVICUSA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Illusione Jeremy Pivens Collection PIV Robusto

The Illusione Jeremy Pivens Collection PIV Robusto PIV Robusto hit the shelves late in 2021. It is a collaboration between Illusione Cigars and actor Jeremy Piven. It comes in one size, a 5 x 52 robusto. The blend is a Nicaraguan puro including corojo 2012, a new varietal of tobacco from Aganorsa Leaf. The cigar is rolled at Aganorsa Leaf’s Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. (TABSA) factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Each cigar has an MSRP of $14.95 and comes in boxes of 10. There are expected to be more releases under the Jeremy Pivens Collection.

Tatuaje T110 Reserva

The original Tatuaje T110 was one of the company’s most saught after cigars. The blend us based on an unreleased cigar that Pete Johnson created in 2006 called “Thermonuclear.” That blend was said to use entirely ligero tobacco. The T110 first came out in 2009 as an an exclusive for R. Field Wine Co. in Hawaii. The T was short for Thermonuclear and the 110 refers to the 110mm length of the cigar. This final version of the blend did not use entirely ligero, and is comprrised of ligero and high priming visos. Only 390 boxes of 25 of the original cigar existed. 200 of those were packed traditionally and 190 were wet-packed to keep the humidity in the bundle.

The T110 finally made a comeback in April of 2021 more the 11 years after the release of the original. In this run, 1,000 boxes were made and the cigar itself was the same size. In addition to that re-release, two other versions came out later in the year, a Reserva and a Capa Especial with altered wrappers. The Reserva version uses Connecticut broadleaf wrapper. With these variations of the blend, 2,400 boxes of each were made. Each cigar has an MSRP of $10.00.

CAO Arcana Mortal Coil

Early in 2021, General Cigar announced a new line in the CAO brand: The Arcana Series. The first to come out was the CAO Arcana Mortal Coil. The idea behind the Arcana series is to showcase secrets and traditional of old tobacco techniques passed down for generations. Mortal Coil is blended with Andullo tobacco, one of the oldest tobacco fermentation methods in the Dominican Republic. Instead of using a traditional pilon to ferment the tobacco, Andullo tobacco is wrapped in palm tree pods called “yaguas” and are then compressed with a rope. The old-world process takes two years to complete, much longer than a current method. The final product is rough and leathery. There have been a few other cigars to use Andullo tobacco over the years, most notably, Ventura Project 805, La Aurora ADN Dominicano, H. Upmann Hispaniola by Jose Mendez, and the VegaFina Fortaleza 2 Andullo.

The blend uses a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Connecticut Shade binder, and a fillers including Honduran Jamastran, Nicaraguan Esteli, Dominican Piloto Cubano, and Dominican Andullo. The CAO Arcana Mortal Coil comes in only one size, a 6 1/8 x 50 toro that sells for $10.99. They come in 20 count boxes and only 5,000 were made. It is rolled at STG Estelí.

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Aganorsa Leaf JFR Lunatic Habano JR 50th

One of the first special release cigars announced for JR Cigar’s 50th Anniversary was the Aganorsa Leaf JFR Lunatic JR 50th. The Lunatic line is recognizable for large ring gauge cigars and one of the strongest brands in the Aganorsa portfolio. However, this new version comes in a more refined, 6 x 46 vitola with shaggy foot.

Aganorsa Leaf JFR Lunatic JR 50th is rolled at TABSA (Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A.), Aganorsa Leaf’s factory. The blend uses an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and filler grown at Aganorsa’s own farms in Nicaragua. The cigar also features a shaggy foot, meaning is has exposed sections of binder and filler. The cigar is sold in 10-count boxes and in just one size, a 6 x 46 corona gorda. Only 250 boxes were produced and each cigar has a retail price of $9.00 per cigar.

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Crowned Heads Mil Días Magicós Edición Limitada 2021

Crowned Heads released their third limited edition version of their highly rated Mil Días line; Mil Días Magicos EL 2021. The Magicos follows 2020’s Mareva and the Escogidos launched earlier in 2021.

The Mil Dias Magicos EL 2021 uses the same blend as the regular production line but puts it into a new 4 1/2″ x 52 short robusto vitola. Production is limited to 3,500 boxes of 12.

“We saw a lot of success in launching both the Mareva and Escogidos as limited edition cigars under the Mil Días brand.The Magicos marks the third installment for this Mil Días limited extension format, and we feel like the upcoming colder weather is the perfect time for this more compact vitola.”

Crowned Heads co-founder/owner, Jon Huber

The blend for Mil Días uses an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and filler tobaccos from
Nicaragua, Peru, and Costa Rica. Mil Días Magicos Edicion Limitada 2021 will sell for $10.50 per cigar and ships in November. It is rolled at Tabacalera Pichardo in Esteli, Nicaragua, under the supervision of Don Eradio Pichardo.

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Aging Room Rare Collection

For the first time in over a year and a half, Aging Room released a new cigar in 2021. The Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Rare Collection is a collaboration with Rafael Nodal and AJ Fernandez. The cigars are rolled at AJ’s factory in Nicaragua and uses specially selected rare tobaccos.

This is not just an updated cigar; this is the first in what will be several Rare Collection projects. The Rare Collection series is intended to offer small runs based on the availability of rare and superbly well-aged tobaccos. With the Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Rare Collection, we are offering adult consumers a complex, medium-full bodied, Nicaraguan blend containing some of the rarest and most well-aged tobaccos of any cigar we’ve released to date.

Rafael Nodal Head of Product Capability for Tabacalera USA.

The Aging Room by Rafael Nodal Rare Collection uses all Nicaraguan tobacco and features a pig-tail cap. It comes in boxes of 10 and comes in three different sizes: Festivo (52 x 4 1/2) MSRP: $15.00, Scherzo (55 x 5 1/2) MSRP: $15.50, and Vivase (60 x 6) MSRP: $15.95. The cigar will ship August 28, 2021.

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German Engineered Cigars NN01

In 2020, German Engineered Cigars announced a new line of cigars, NN. Prior to the formation of German Engineered Cigar, the company RVGN (which is now under the German Engineered Cigars umbrella) sold the Rauchvergnügen, which you may recognize. We reviewed that cigar in 2019 and gave it a 91. German Engineered Cigars NN01 is the first cigar released under the German Engineered Cigars brand and the NN line, with more expected in the coming months and years.

NN is an engineering term short for “non nominandum“ or “not named.” German Engineered Cigars describes NN as “a very reduced cigar concept and a logical continuation on this path.” Being German engineers, the brand is build on two pillars: manufacturing quality and sensory experience. This new brand only focuses on these essentials. NN is a no-frills brand with no lavish pictures, complex boxes, or distracting story. Only 5,000 NN01 cigars were made so this is a quite limited run. They come in boxes of 25 and are rolled at rolled at Tabacalera William Ventura in the Dominican Republic. German Engineered Cigars NN01 and comes in one size, a Churchill 7“ x 48 which the company says gives it the ideal balance of length and diameter for this blend. It is a medium-bodied cigar and blend info is undisclosed, also intended to keep from distraction. NN01 sells for $8.90 per cigar.

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Saga Short Tales Tomo VII – Tales of the Land: Navarrete

In 2021, De Los Reyes announced the seventh cigar in the Saga Short Stories series: Saga Short Tales Tomo VII – Tales of the Land: Navarrete. Like the others in the line, it comes in only one size, this time a 5 x 52 box-pressed robusto. The blend uses a Nicaraguan habano wrapper, Dominican San Vicente binder and criollo 98, HVA and piloto cubano fillers. The cigars come in boxes that look like books that contain 10 cigars. Each cigar has an MSRP of $9.30. The Saga Short Tales Tomo VII debuted at PCA 2021.

The name comes from the town of Navarette, also known as Bisonó in the Dominican Republic 15 miles northwest of Santiago de los Caballeros. Navarette is the location of the field where the Reyes family harvested their first crop of piloto cubano tobacco.

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RoMa Craft Neanderthal C3

The RoMa Craft Neanderthal C3 was released this year as part of the companys El Catador de Los Petite Gordos sampler. This pack was only available to attendees of the company’s event, WeaselFest The event was held outside its Austin, Texas headquarters that was originally supposed to celebrate the company’s 10th anniversary in 2020, but had to move due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was finally held May 29, 2021 and included these samplers.

The blend for the Neanderthal C3 is the same as the others in the line using a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, Connecticut broadleaf binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Pennsylvania. It measures 4 1/2 x 50. 100 boxes of 15 cigars were sold at Habana House North, an Austin retailer the night before the event, and the cigar is expected to be sold in this way again in 2022.

The rest of the blend is undisclosed. Only 10 sellers in the country got the CRAFT 2020 with each one having 150 boxes.

Note that the cigar pictured is of the HN size.