This Dominican Stogie Has Been Named ‘Cigar Of The Year’
Cigar Aficionado magazine reveals the very best cigars of 2023.
Cigar Aficionado has tapped the Fuente Fuente OpusX Reserva d’Chateau as its Cigar of the Year—and revealed its top 25 cigars of 2023.
For its annual Top 25 list, the stogie-obsessed publication chooses the highest-scoring cigars of the year, typically 91 points and higher, and subjects them to rigorous tests by the magazine’s tasting panel. The cigars are repurchased at retail, stripped of their identifying bands and blind-tested through multiple rounds. Only the smokes that consistently performed on the highest level remained.
The magazine’s editors expounded upon their top pick here:
When the OpusX was released, it was a strong cigar in a mostly mild market. Today, it has a lot more competition in the full-bodied segment, yet OpusX remains relevant—and coveted. It’s leathery and assertively spicy without being harsh. Every puff is inlaid with an opulent sweetness of baking spices, nutmeg and vanilla.
The balance of power and elegance is astounding and precisely why it’s our Cigar of the Year. Because the ring gauge of the Reserva d’Chateau is somewhat slim, the wrapper plays a major role in the smoking experience. Ultimately, the story of OpusX was about a wrapper that was thought to be unfeasible. In the end, Fuente proved everyone wrong and created a stunning, all-Dominican cigar that’s much more than the sum of its parts. A detailed video on this cigar is available here.
Cigar Aficionado’s Top 10 Cigars of 2023 are:
No. 1 – Fuente Fuente OpusX Reserva d’Chateau, Dominican Republic, $19.15
No. 2 – Padrón Serie 1926 No. 48 Maduro, Nicaragua, $22.90
No. 3 – Oliva Serie V Melanio Toro, Nicaragua, $15.75
No. 4 – Rocky Patel A.L.R. Second Edition Toro, Nicaragua, $16.25
No. 5 – E.P. Carrillo Allegiance Confidant, Nicaragua, $13.10
No. 6 – Partagás Serie P No. 2, Cuba, £38.50
No. 7 – Blackened Cigars “M81” By Drew Estate Corona, Nicaragua, $9.15
No. 8 – Alec Bradley Prensado Torpedo, Honduras, $14.15
No. 9 – La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Belicoso, Nicaragua, $9.25
No. 10 – El Pulpo Belicoso Grande, Nicaragua, $17.00
For more details on each cigar, including the tasting notes, scores, and a video of Cigar Aficionado editors tasting their Top 25 cigars, tap here.