In the "Blog Highlights" series, we are taking a look back at the best cigar reviews & articles published on CigarInspector.com in 2009. Enjoy.

Oliva Serie G Maduro

We ran a contest back in June and some participants submitted their cigar reviews. One of the best ones was written by Charlia a.k.a. Labman and concerned a great cheapie, the Oliva Serie G Maduro.

Montecristo No. 4 Reserva

I had a chance to smoke a few very rare cigars in 2009, and the one I enjoyed the most is probably this Montecristo No. 4 Reserva. As it is extremely hard to find, I didn't include it in my top cigars list, otherwise it could have shifted the Trinidad Robusto T from the top spot.

Cain Habano

Cain is a marca released by Sam Leccia, supposed to be as strong as it can get. The Cain Habano, reviewed by Michael, is the blend that received better reviews across the blogosphere.

In the "Blog Highlights" series, we are taking a look back at the best cigar reviews & articles published on CigarInspector.com in 2009. Enjoy.

Cubao Lancero

So far, this is the only Cubao review that has been published here. Jason talks about the lancero size and thinks that it deserves the high praises this blend received from cigar blogs and publications.

La Gloria Cubana Serie R Maduro

Despite the ugly looks, La Gloria Cubana Serie R Maduro earns a good rating from Lee. Considering its relative cheapness ($5 a pop), this blend can be considered as a good budget cigar.

Panacea

In May, a lot of blogs started publishing raving reviews of Panacea cigars. CigarInspector.com was no exception and I reviewed the Panacea Red, which was a genuinely pleasing cigar.

In 2009, I spent my Christmas holidays in Madrid, Spain. Not only this is a very beautiful city, but it also has a couple of places that might interest cigar aficionados. Spain consumes more cigars than any other European country. This is why almost every tobacco shop (estanca) has a basic selection of Habanos (Partagas Serie D No. 4, Montecristo No. 4, Cohiba Robusto...) stored in decent conditions. However, some of the shops have a walk-in humidor. I visited two of the most famous cigar shops. Fortunately, they are located close to each other, next to the Bilbao metro station.

Cava Cardenal Cisneros (Google Maps >) has a huge walk-in humidor and a very complete selection of both Cuban and non-Cuban cigars. Jesus, the owner, speaks English and will happily show you what he's got. I purchased some Partagas Serie D No. 3 LE 2006 and the new Regional Edition from Ramon Allones. This is the shop that I truly recommend.

Out of curiosity, I went to the other shop, Cava de Magallanes (Google Maps >), located just a few hundred meters away. There's also a walk-in humidor (which seemed slightly over-humidified to me), nobody was able to speak English though (make sure you carry a pocket dictionary if you're on a visit, English-speaking people are rare birds). However, I was able to purchase a few of Vegas Robaina Maestros.

And if you want to smoke a puro straight away, there is a Vips (sort of cafe-shop-restaurant) on the plaza Glorieta de Queveda which has an indoors smoking area, quite comfortable.

We wish you a very happy new year 2010, full of success and achievements! Thank you for your continued support and keep on reading the blog, just like in 2009 we'll make sure to bring you quality cigar-related information this year.

Hello everyone, I hope you all are having a great Sunday. As usual on this day of the week, no long in-depth posts or reviews, just sharing the good stuff. You probably have seen videos and pictures of beautiful women smoking cigars. However, quite often these women do not know much about cigars, besides the fact that it helps them look sexier. A few days ago I stumbled upon a blog held by a woman who knows more than most men about our favorite hobby. It's called Smoking Hot Cigar Chick and is definitely worth a visit. You can watch one of her reviews, concerning the Oliva Serie V, below. Enjoy.

It's the middle of December and here comes the list of the best Cuban cigars of 2009. I had no problems selecting the #1, but the competition for positions 2-5 was quite tough.

1. Trinidad Robusto T. This is an example of how a Cuban cigar can live up to the expectations. What an amazing cigar!
2. H. Upmann Magnum 48 LE 2009. For the immediate pleasure and for its ageing potential, the limited edition from H. Upmann gets the #2 spot.
3. Ramon Allones Specially Selected. As consistent as last year, this robusto keeps a place in the top 5. Still a solid box purchase.
4. San Cristobal de la Habana Oficios. My discovery of the year - I fell in love with this vitola.
5. Partagas Shorts. Properly aged, this is one of the best petit coronas the Cuban terroir has to offer. Unbeatable price/quality ratio.

I decided not to include very limited releases as well as regional editions in the above list as these cigars are hard to get.

The disappointment of the year, you will probably agree with me, is the Montecristo Open.

I am curious to hear your experiences. What Cuban cigars did you enjoy in 2009?

A good friend of ours, Sboyajian, has been working on a website that would list cigar-friendly locations across the United States. The project has been released lately as a beta version and I find it good-looking and easy to use. So far, only around 70 locations are available but I'm pretty sure that with time this will become a valuable resource. Since the quality of the site depends on the users' activity, I am inviting you to add your favorite locations in your state.

Click here to be taken to the CigarFriendly.Us website

Today we bring you the list of the best smokes of 2009. They are not necessarily released in 2009, it's just the finest among the cigars we smoked this year. This list is a group project, based on opinions of several dozens of aficionados from different cigar forums and Twitter.

1. Tatuaje Noella Reserva. With its extremely rich flavor profile, this beauty from Pete Johnson tops our 2009 list.
2. Padron 1926. This great classic is the only blend that was among our top 5 cigars of 2008.
3. Padron 45. Another Padron, this 2009 release encountered a great success despite its high price.
4. La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial. Blended for Ashton by DPG, the Edicion Especial is clearly superior to the regular La Aroma de Cuba production.
5. DPG My Father. This cigar uses Don Pepin's own tobacco and seems to please a lot of aficionados this year.

Runners-up: El Triunfador, Ashton VSG, Padilla Miami.