December means top cigars lists and, of course, our blog is no exception here. You will find below my list of the best Cuban cigars I had the pleasure to smoke in 2011. Some of them are new releases, some of them aren't, some of them are regular production, some are limited, but in all cases I enjoyed their consistency, flavors and ageing potential - they led me through 2011 which in all honesty wasn't the easiest year for me.

1. Partagas 8-9-8. This elegant lonsdale earns the #1 spot as it changed its status from 'discovery' to 'humidor staple'. Highly recommended.
2. Ramon Allones Specially Selected. Now, that's quite a comeback. I've been trying to find some hidden gems within the general production in 2011, but often find myself thinking that there's not much that can equal a good RASS. And, thankfully, the recent production has been rather consistent!
3. Hoyo de Monterrey Petit Robusto. I've been smoking a lot of these during cold months. I feel that they are on par with Monte Petit Edmundos that were crowned many times in my lists, but are more affordable and have a very pleasant sweet spot.
4. Montecristo No. 4 Reserva. I received a fiver of these as a gift in the beginning of the year and they have been absolutely perfect. Too bad they are expensive and hard to find.
5. H. Upmann Royal Robusto. If you read my review, you'll see that at the moment, although definitely not uninteresting, it really needs some time. I feel that the potential is high enough to get it an entry to the top list.

What makes these lists even better is your contribution. Please share your favorite Cuban smokes of the year in the comments below!

Our cigars price comparison tool, CigarStash.com, has been updated to include even more retailers, such as Stogie Boys (check out the contest we're currently running sponsored by them!), Neptune Cigar, BNB Tobacco or South Smoke Shop. With this tool, you can easily find the lowest price on most cigars. With just a few days before Christmas and the New Year, this may come in handy.

>> Check out CigarStash.com <<

Christmas and New Year holidays are approaching and it wouldn't have been right not to do a contest to celebrate this. This time it's a raffle and you will be able to score tickets by doing some easy tasks. Now, based on my experience, the first thing to mention in a contest post concerns prizes. I am pleased to announce that StogieBoys.com, an online cigar retailer founded by two entrepreneurs and cigar enthusiasts, decided to sponsor this contest. We've got five prizes: 2 x Colibri reload torch lighters, 2 x Gurkha Centurian samplers and, our main prize - a box of Oliva Serie G Toro (read our review of the Oliva Serie G Maduro). So how do you get tickets for the raffle? Easy, here are some actions that can help you earn tickets:

Leave a comment on this post: 1 ticket [required]

If you scroll down to the bottom of this post, you'll see a comment form. Just leave a comment (you can say thanks, wish everyone luck, etc.) on this post and you get one ticket. That's the only required action in the list. If you want to get more tickets, wait a little before commenting and read on (you'll need to include some additional info in your comment if you want extra tickets)!

E-mail subscriptions: 3 tickets

Subscribe to our newsletters and get 3 more tickets in the raffle. For Cigar Inspector's newsletter, head over to this page. For Stogie Boys' newsletter, go to their website, the form is in the top right corner. If you are already a subscriber to one of them, just subscribe to the other. If you are already subscribed to both, you automatically get those 3 tickets.

Facebook love: 2 tickets

You can get 2 more tickets if you show us some Facebook love. Just go to our Facebook pages and like / share our latest updates there. Here are the links: Stogie Boys' Facebook page, Cigar Inspector's Facebook page.

Twitter love: 2 tickets

In order to get two more tickets, all you have to do is tweet this (clicking on the link will automatically load the tweet for you) and follow our Twitter accounts: @CigarInspector and @StogieBoys. You're done.

Okay, so now it's time to finally leave that comment. If you subscribed to the newsletters, make sure you use the same e-mail (it won't be published, don't worry). If you gave us some Facebook love, mention it in the comment. And if you tweeted about the contest, include your Twitter username.

That's it! Of course, if there's something you don't understand, feel free to contact us. This contest is open to everyone in legal age to smoke as long as the cigars can be shipped to you. The winners will be announced in 10 days. Good luck!

Since becoming a writer, I have come to a keen realization. In short, I am blessed. Through networking, I have met some amazing and passionate cigar manufacturers. None more passionate, however, than Mr. Max Myers. Max serves as CEO of Achievement Cigar Company, and his personal passion and drive has created something quite special in the cigar industry.

Achievement Cigar Company, ACC for short, is sectioned into three distinct brands. The three brands are comprised of Don Cervantes, Propio, and La Vina. The bad news is that only Don Cervantes is available in the United States for purchase, unless you are willing to purchase 200 or more sticks. Max states the following:

“If someone is a large scale buyer (200 sticks at a time) we have a way to serve them personally. If they are buying by the stick in the US, we are only selling Don Cervantes at this time, and they would need to buy from a retail store, as we committed to leave this brand for tobacconists. We chose to protect their territory from online sales as well as a regional exclusivity with other retailers.”

He also goes on saying:

“As for purchasing, we serve a network of VIP casino's, rich VIP clients, some members only clubs, and some retail stores. Retail stores are our smallest business.”

Click here to read the full article...

It's Christmas time, and I thought it would be a good idea to repost this article about cigars one can't really go wrong with when choosing a gift. Enjoy.

About once a week, I receive an e-mail from somebody who wants to offer cigars to one of his/her friends and does not really know how to proceed. The question is always the same: "what cigars should I offer to my smoking buddy?". I would reply with 2-3 suggestions that were first to come to mind, but realized that they often depended on my mood and on my recent experiences. So, not only in order to save time but mostly to provide a longer list of recommended smokes, I decided to write this blog post. Many thanks to brothers from Cigar Asylum for helping me out.

Below you will find a list of smokes that most of cigar smokers will like to receive as a gift, whatever their smoking experience. I tried to select cigars that are more or less available across the country, fall within a reasonable budget (with a couple of exceptions, of course) and are suitable for every kind of smoker (i.e. no powerhouses). I think that this list might be useful not only to non smokers, but also to beginners who have smoking friends with longer experience. As for me, from now on I will only have to paste a link when replying :)

Oliva

Oliva Serie G [review / compare prices] and Oliva Serie O [review / compare prices] are very good smokes for less experienced smokers. More seasoned smokers would probably prefer the Oliva Serie V [review / compare prices], one of my all-time favorite cigars.

Padron

The X000 line is probably one of the best price/quality ratios available on the market. My personal favorite is Padron 2000 [review / compare prices]. If you are willing to spend more money on your gift, you can have a look at 1926 / 1964 series. I'm fairly sure that EVERY cigar smoker will appreciate getting a box of Padron 1926 [review / compare prices]. However, please note that this is the most expensive cigar in this list.

Don Pepin Garcia

Don Pepin Garcia is a legend in the cigar business and while some of the blends are quite pricey and may be difficult to find, the Cuban Classic [review / compare prices] is widely available and is not too hard on the pocket. Many smokers enjoy its flavors with a touch of sweetness.

Arturo Fuente

Almost anything from Fuente is quality, however our choice here goes to the Hemingway line. Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story [review / compare prices] is an excellent smoke, but you can also check out Work of Art and Best Seller lines.

CAO

CAO is another well-known brand that makes quality sticks. It appears that the two blends which will suit everybody's palate are CAO Gold - including CAO Gold Vintage [review / compare prices] - and CAO La Traviata, a great budget stick. The latter one is pretty tough to find, so if you see it at your local Brick & Mortar store, don't think twice.

Ashton

Another major brand in our selection is Ashton. Ashton VSG [review / compare prices] is the second most expensive cigar in this list, but it's definitely a great gift.

Brickhouse

Elected as the Best Bargain Cigar of 2009 by Cigar Aficionado, the Brickhouse line [review / compare prices] is actually good. A decent budget alternative.

Cubao

Both natural and maduro versions of the Cubao [review / compare prices] deserve the good press and high ratings they earned. The price is also acceptable.

Avo

Avo cigars are usually very reliable in terms of construction and provide an enjoyable though slightly one-dimensional flavor. The typical example is the Avo Domaine [review / compare prices] which scores very high in the looks and construction departments.

This list should give you enough choice for your gift. Feel free to bookmark it for future use & share it with your friends. We hope that you found it useful.

PS And, of course, feel free to add your suggestions below. Your feedback is, as always, appreciated.