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Last post 4 weeks ago by 325AIR. 22 replies replies.
CA 2023 Cigars of the Year
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LeeBot Offline
#1 Posted: Fri, Mar 29 2024, 5:18 PM EST
Joined: 07-08-2020
Posts: 2,018
Alec Bradley's Prensado came in at #8. Cohiba (cc) was #16. Does that mean the AB is twice as good?

Rocky Patel's ALR Second Edition (nh) was #4. Does that mean it's 4 times better than the Cohiba?

Enquiring minds want to know.



Also interesting all the brands and cigars that are not on the list.


https://www.cigaraficionado.com/top25/2023
Huzza3045 Offline
#2 Posted: Fri, Mar 29 2024, 5:41 PM EST
Joined: 11-07-2022
Posts: 560
Happy to trade my AB prensados for CCs.

What was number 10? Pirates Gold?
KingoftheCove Offline
#3 Posted: Fri, Mar 29 2024, 5:41 PM EST
Joined: 10-08-2011
Posts: 7,641
Ooooph……..there are some real turds on there…
6 or 7 great cigars as well…
Don’t know about the rest, and probably don’t need to know….
JGRAZ Offline
#4 Posted: Fri, Mar 29 2024, 5:48 PM EST
Joined: 10-31-2022
Posts: 752
Alec and Rocky just have more money that is all.
KingoftheCove Offline
#5 Posted: Fri, Mar 29 2024, 6:28 PM EST
Joined: 10-08-2011
Posts: 7,641
The Prensado actually won once………10-12 years ago?
Very average cigar…..but……haven’t had one in many many years………..maybe they’re great now!
I mean, they must be…..
JGRAZ Offline
#6 Posted: Fri, Mar 29 2024, 7:29 PM EST
Joined: 10-31-2022
Posts: 752
KingoftheCove wrote:
The Prensado actually won once………10-12 years ago?
Very average cigar…..but……haven’t had one in many many years………..maybe they’re great now!
I mean, they must be…..


They're not
Average at best, the Prensado Lost Art is better though.
Palama Offline
#7 Posted: Fri, Mar 29 2024, 8:00 PM EST
Joined: 02-05-2013
Posts: 23,719
LeeBot wrote:
Alec Bradley's Prensado came in at #8. Cohiba (cc) was #16. Does that mean the AB is twice as good?

Rocky Patel's ALR Second Edition (nh) was #4. Does that mean it's 4 times better than the Cohiba?

Enquiring minds want to know.



Also interesting all the brands and cigarshttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MaBsBtzD1ug that are not on the list.


https://www.cigaraficionado.com/top25/2023


Did the AB Prensado come in so high because it had a stupid name? Think
Sunoverbeach Offline
#8 Posted: Fri, Mar 29 2024, 8:20 PM EST
Joined: 08-11-2017
Posts: 14,671
Alan Rubin might take it personally that you think is sons' names are stupid
Palama Offline
#9 Posted: Fri, Mar 29 2024, 8:58 PM EST
Joined: 02-05-2013
Posts: 23,719
Sunoverbeach wrote:
Alan Rubin might take it personally that you think is sons' names are stupid


What’s he gonna do to punish me? Send me boxes of his crapalistic cigars? Laugh
Jakethesnake86 Offline
#10 Posted: Fri, Mar 29 2024, 9:46 PM EST
Joined: 12-29-2020
Posts: 4,180
Anyone smoke the new 8&11?? I see it made the list and reminded me that I was gonna try those?
jeebling Online
#11 Posted: Fri, Mar 29 2024, 10:00 PM EST
Joined: 08-04-2015
Posts: 1,229
Jake, I’ve tried the #8 AB Prensado. I quite liked it but I see that the AB brand isn’t popular around these here parts. I think I sent you one natural and one Maduro. I haven’t tried the #11 RyJ I think it is an actual CC and not just Cuban seed. It’s like a hundred bucks+ per stick. I’d love to try a couple of those but I can’t afford them even if I had access to them.
jeebling Online
#12 Posted: Fri, Mar 29 2024, 10:03 PM EST
Joined: 08-04-2015
Posts: 1,229
LeeBot wrote:
Alec Bradley's Prensado came in at #8. Cohiba (cc) was #16. Does that mean the AB is twice as good?

Rocky Patel's ALR Second Edition (nh) was #4. Does that mean it's 4 times better than the Cohiba?

Enquiring minds want to know.



Also interesting all the brands and cigars that are not on the list.


https://www.cigaraficionado.com/top25/2023


I finally caught a bid on a fiver of the RP 60s. I’ve got them in storage and they’re going to stay there while I continue to smoke through the cheap fivers of never-hads that I’ve got stockpiled.
Tiver Offline
#13 Posted: Fri, Mar 29 2024, 10:26 PM EST
Joined: 08-22-2019
Posts: 337
jeebling wrote:
.......the AB brand isn’t popular around these here parts. .....



I may be wrong, but I think the biggest dig against AB as well as RP is the ridiculous number of labels/brands they have. Not by deduction (I haven't smoked all 4000 labels), but rather induction, it seems illogical to believe the vast majority wouldn't just be generic blends upon which sales rely on the brand. So not so much that they can't make a few decent cigars, more so that they have a whole lot of generic also-rans. Conclusion: Why bother?

And sure, the conclusion draws off a little bit of attitude.
jeebling Online
#14 Posted: Fri, Mar 29 2024, 10:37 PM EST
Joined: 08-04-2015
Posts: 1,229
Tiver, to your point, I’ve learned a lesson in the past few months and the forums have solidified it for me. That is, some brands like Padron can be trusted and some brands like RP and AB will put their name on chit and therefore, even if they put out a few good blends, I’m taking a chance at getting chit when I spend my money on them. So, why bother indeed. I happen to have purchased a lot of the blends from RP and AB so I’m slogging through some chit in the way of fivers. I would smoke Prensado and Tempus from AB but I probably wouldn’t smoke any of the RPs I’ve tried so far. The RP Decade was surprisingly a decent smoke. But your point is well taken. 100%
Jakethesnake86 Offline
#15 Posted: Fri, Mar 29 2024, 10:42 PM EST
Joined: 12-29-2020
Posts: 4,180
My fault jeebs meant the Padilla 8&11 cigar it’s called the 8&11 after the streets in Miami I believe. Used to be a good smoke back in the day I’ve been told

I personally like Alec Bradley smokes over rocky. I do like the royale by rocky. But not the vintage royale. Just a beater smoke but I like it.

Most recent ab I liked was the superstition
jeebling Online
#16 Posted: Fri, Mar 29 2024, 10:45 PM EST
Joined: 08-04-2015
Posts: 1,229
😆 I was looking at the wrong thing haha. Ok, got it now.

I’m the 785th most prolific poster in the forum. This calls for Celebration!
JGRAZ Offline
#17 Posted: Sat, Mar 30 2024, 2:59 AM EST
Joined: 10-31-2022
Posts: 752
I like a lot of AB as well, definitely wouldn't call them bad at all. Just don't like the Prensado. Lost Art, Magic Toast, Double Broadleaf, Kinsugi, Black Market........all good smokes
Abrignac Offline
#18 Posted: Sat, Mar 30 2024, 6:26 AM EST
Joined: 02-24-2012
Posts: 17,306
The with AB cigars is that they seem to burn very irregularly. They tend to tunnel very badly or simply explode. Th e year the Prensado won cigar of the year it had a horrible reputation for being plugged.

With RP absent a few lines you never know what blend you’ll get month to next. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people post that the fiver they bought in say August tastes nothing like the one they bought in July.

But, I also realize that those $2 a cigar bundles are hard for some to pass on.
325AIR Offline
#19 Posted: Sat, Mar 30 2024, 11:07 AM EST
Joined: 05-10-2023
Posts: 305
I've gone through three El Pulpo Belicoso Grandes (#10 on the list) so far and was not impressed. They were not at all bad. They were good, in fact - but not complex and absolutely not deserving of a top 10 spot. One of my favorites from 2023 was the La Aroma De Cuba Mi Amor belicoso. They merit the #9 spot, if not higher. At #25 is the West Tampa Red toro. That is a very good cigar. I recommend that one. I will continue to buy boxes of those until they become too popular and their quality begins to suffer.
JGRAZ Offline
#20 Posted: Sat, Mar 30 2024, 1:08 PM EST
Joined: 10-31-2022
Posts: 752
325AIR wrote:
I've gone through three El Pulpo Belicoso Grandes (#10 on the list) so far and was not impressed. They were not at all bad. They were good, in fact - but not complex and absolutely not deserving of a top 10 spot. One of my favorites from 2023 was the La Aroma De Cuba Mi Amor belicoso. They merit the #9 spot, if not higher. At #25 is the West Tampa Red toro. That is a very good cigar. I recommend that one. I will continue to buy boxes of those until they become too popular and their quality begins to suffer.


If you like those Tampas might want to check out tenski. There is a discord sale on boxes and they are a great price
ZRX1200 Offline
#21 Posted: Sat, Mar 30 2024, 1:12 PM EST
Joined: 07-08-2007
Posts: 60,626
When Montecristo #2 was named COTY they were excellent and I sent a couple to Trish.

That’s how you get adopted.
325AIR Offline
#22 Posted: Sat, Mar 30 2024, 1:57 PM EST
Joined: 05-10-2023
Posts: 305
Thanks for the tip, JGRAZ
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