The Icons of 500 years

Alright, to continue a theme, I wanted to talk about something other than which vitolas are worth saving and how sad it is that we are losing some.  I want to talk about which vitolas are the greatest of all time.  To date, thousands of threads have popped up in chat forums about how much the wrapper constitutes in the total flavor of the cigar.  We sure won't mess with that here.  But which vitolas take best advantage of the mechanics of cigar manufacturing and the physics of cigar function.  Simply stated, which vitola gives the best experience, the best combustion, the best taste.  Not sure anyone really cares about that.  My goal is to make a short list of the absolute best vitolas in the Habanos catalogue. 

1.) lets go with the roller's choice, the Robusto.  Everyone on the rolling side of the argument says that this  the best vitola.  It's a sporty model, and  features a large trunk into which all their luggage fits,  making for enormous blending capabilites and possibilities.

2.) Lonsdale - The havana 'cervantes' and "dalias", or what the men on the sales side of the argument say is the best vitola.   I agree with them to an extent.  I would ALWAYS rather have a 42 RG than a 50.  The draw through the cigar and the resulting burn are far superior in my eyes.  Havana Icon Enrique Mons has his opinion and he agrees with me.  He says he could smoke a Montecristo #1 all day and never tire of it.   I  would sure like to give it a try for a year or two at his expense to PROVE he was right.

3.) Laguito Nos.1 and 2  -  These vitolas were created rather late in the 500 year history of cigars, but they are without a doubt in the top 5 classic vitolas.  The look, the draw, the burn.  Far superior to their thicker counterparts.  The Cohiba Lancero....The Montecristo Especiales  Cigar icons.  No doubt.  This is where the statement in the introduction comes into play.  Are these extra delicious because there is such a balanced wrapper to filler ratio?  Don't know and don't care. Vitola rock stars.

4.) Corona Gorda - Most folks outside Cuba call this the TORO.  I like that name fine.  To me, this is a better vitola than the robusto.  Same luxury interior, room for all the amenities.  But with an extra length to make it worth your time.

5.) Mareva  -  I wanted to keep the mareva out of the top 5, but that would be impossible.  I think it is too simple, to ubiquitous.  But maybe that's what PUTS it in the top 5.  Every brand features one, some feature 2 or three.  It is a good RG for flavors and the perfect length to smoke when you want to smoke alot of different cigars, not be wasteful, and enjoy as many varied blends in a day of smoking as possible.  Great cigar quality for maybe the least money of the entire lineup.  You can get cheaper small cigars, but I think this is the perfect tobacco to price ratio.

6.)  The Minuto -  Here is the cigar of the 21st century.  No one seems to have time to smoke a cigar these days, if you believe what you read.  These are the perfect cigars.  Takes under an hour to burn, and in Havana, the minuto vitola is generally power-packed with flavor.  Kind of the opposite of what the novice smoker might expect.  This is where I GET my fix of Habanos flavor.  Cigars like the Montecristo #5 and the Partagas Short and the Bolivar Coronas Jr. are among the best available today.  Some of these vitolas de Salidas may actually be perlas, a close, but shorter cousin to the minuto.

7.)  Piramide - This is where it seems the churchill smoker is hanging out.  Churchill sales are down I would think, but piramide sales have a enduring and ready-made market.  The singular favorite Montecristo No.2 could carry this vitola on it's own,  but it gets excellent help from the Partagas Serie P No.2.  All of the blend possibilities of a 52 RG cigar with a head that can be cut to any diameter from 32 to 52 RG.  Easy to chomp, easy to blend smoothly.

8.)  Corona - How could history's most popular and seminal favorite vitola have fallen so far?  HSA has raised the cleaver on the corona and appears to have no second thoughts about getting rid of the corona forever.  I am only guessing, but alot of great coronas seem to be getting cut.  A few can still be found, the Romeo y Julieta, the RyJ Cedros Deluxe #2, and maybe one here or there.  But they really seem to have become nobody's favorite.  I like them.  But I don't buy them, so it's my fault.  Once thought to be the ultimate combination of length and girth, sales have dropped markedly over the decades.

9.)   Churchill - Also know in Habanos circles as the Julieta2, the Churchill has a lot of nerve trying to work it's way into the top 5, but in the top ten, it has to be included. This is truly a cigar stuck in a rut. The most iconic Cohiba, arguably, the Esplendido is the exception to this rule. Of course, I don't have any figures on this issue either, but when you cut the Punch Churchill, things look awful bad.  I think Saint Luis Rey's is gone. Prince of Wales.  Monarchas.  Churchille Deluxe.  Tainos.  Got to be sales figures.  A shame, but if people are not buying enough of them to suit you, what's to be done?

10.)  Double Perfecto - Haha, a wild card.  People are starting to put a premium on a good custom roll or a good factory Salamone.  I threw this in more because I thought the list was complete.  And to be honest, #3 was a double.  But people love these things.  I think they are just awful.


By the way, for those who have been living in space, there is a site where you can sort the Habanos catalogue by vitola and find all of the minutos made by all the companies, all the marevas, etc.  It could be helpful for someone hoping to find a cigar they like and certainly helpful in terms of the reviews on file
                                         
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