Cuba’s Stars

The island’s oldest and most venerable smokes have been superseded by the new kids on the block

Posted: Tuesday, July 10, 2007

By James Suckling

From the June 2007 issue of Cigar Aficionado.

Cuba has made many great cigars since I first wrote about the island’s “star cigars” in 1992. Sure, there have been some ups and downs in quality, and the worst period ever—from 1999 to 2001, when as many as one out of five cigars exported did not draw properly—has long passed. Now that those days are gone, a new age for quality Cuban cigars is here.

Today’s best Cuban cigars, in my opinion, are the most consumer-friendly ever. They have been created with the smoker in mind. They cater to the wants and needs we have as lovers of the leaf, and to the modern life we all aspire to.

Take, for example, the recently released Montecristo Petit Edmundo. If there has ever been a “now” cigar, it’s this one. It’s short, fat and flavorful. Measuring 52 ring gauge by 4 1/3 inches, it delivers the most in smoking pleasure in the shortest amount of time. The same is true for the Hoyo de Monterrey Petit Robusto, which is as short as the Edmundo but a tiny bit thinner at 50 ring gauge.

http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Features/CA_Feature_Basic_Template/0,2344,2002,00.html

Has anyone enjoyed these new “stars”?