Good Smoke’s Top 25 Cigars of 2014

Every December, families worldwide prepare for a joyous event. It’s the pinnacle of the holiday season, filling the soul with appreciation for the little things in life, and drives gift purchases to a frenzy. That’s right, I’m talking of course about the annual release of Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 cigars of the year.

This is not that list. This is a better list, my list. Here for your viewing pleasure, Good Smoke’s first ever Top 25 Cigars List: What I Smoked in 2014!

1. Romeo y Julieta 2013 Edicion Limitada (Cuban)

My lone Cuban of the year turned out to be the best cigar of 2014. Measuring in at 6 ⅜ inches and sporting a 52 ring gauge, this vitola, known as the Capuleto, has one of the most complex flavors of any cigar I’ve ever smoked. Full bodied, there are heavy notes of cedar, coffee, and a toasted nuttiness throughout. Unlike what you typically expect from a Cuban, there was very little by way of spice; just a balanced flavor that evolves throughout the stick. What specifically set the Romeo y Julieta apart, however, was the complete lack of bitterness. From the first light to the final puff, not a single harsh moment, just an incredibly smooth smoke.

2. Padron 1926 Serie No. 2 Maduro

Padron has been at or near the top of the cigar world for years, and in terms of cigars readily available in the United States there was no better smoke this year than the Padron 1926 Serie No. 2 Maduro. I can easily say that this Padron completely redefined my definition of a full-bodied flavor. Packed into a 5 ½ inch, 52 gauge belicoso is a blend of Nicaraguan tobacco aged at minimum 5-10 years. A hickory wood and spicy overtone carried throughout, and finished with a delicious rich coffee sensation. If you can brave the price (I paid $26) the Padron 1926 is an incredible smoking experience.

3. Alec Bradley Black Market Toro

I’m not going to lie, I am a huge fan of Alec Bradley cigars, and the Black Market Toro may have been the best one I have smoked to date. The toro stands an imposing 6 inches by 50 ring gauge, and features one of the most dynamic tobacco blends the company has ever produced. A dark Nicaraguan wrapper is paired with an Ecuadorian-grown Sumatra binder. The filler is a unique blend of Panamanian and Honduran ligero and viso tobaccos. Altogether, the cigar has an earthy creaminess and a tremendous spice profile.

4. Headley Grange Estupendo

One of Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 cigars back in 2012, I got my hands on this beauty this past summer. The cigar that was supposed to taste the way Led Zeppelin’s When the Levee Breaks drum intro sounds, I found the Headley Grange a percussively good smoke. At a length of 5 ½ inches and a 52 ring gauge, the Estupendo features a Nicaraguan filler blend bound tightly in Nicaraguan leaf. For the wrapper, we have a very tasty Ecuadorean leaf that lends a nice spice to an otherwise sweeter full-bodied flavor of nuts and coffee.

5. CAO La Traviata Evil Snowman

When I heard that CAO had come out with two Christmas-themed cigars for the holidays in 2013, it piqued my interests. When I found out that the blend was a beefed-up version of the La Traviata line, I knew it was a Christmas miracle! This was an enormous smoke, even by my standards, at 6 ½ inches and a 52 ring gauge. Wrapped in a maduro Connecticut broadleaf, the blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers is held in place with a Honduran binder. There is one word to describe this medium-bodied monster: peppery. The pepper continues throughout, and the smoke remains very smooth, almost savory on the palate, with hints of wood. It’s like smoking a pepper steak.

6. La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva Divino

I bet you were wondering when I’d get to a Garcia family cigar. The La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva, much like the Evil Snowman, is a bolder, more complex version of the Mi Amor. My Divino was 6 ¼ inches by a 52 ring gauge, and came in a shapely box press. The wrapper is a Cuban-seed Mexican Oscuro leaf, and both the binder and filler tobaccos hail from Nicaragua. There are so many flavor notes in this cigar it’s almost hard to keep track: earthy cocoa and spice jostle back and forth in a sweet vs. spicy battle. What got me most was the hint of mint that, while faint, never seemed to leave the cigar.

7. Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Robusto

My modus operandi has always been full-bodied, Nicaraguan smokes with long length and this ring gauges, so it’s no small feat that a mild-medium Dominican 5 inch, 52 gauge robusto finds itself this high on the list. It does help that the blend for the Reserva Real is from both the D.R. and Nicaragua, and the binder leaf also hails from my tobacco nation of choice. Holding it all together is a deliciously creamy Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut shade wrapper. As a mild cigar, I found the flavor profile subdued, but certainly not vacant. Light coffee, light a cafe con leche, gave the cigar a sweet earthy taste that blended very well with the fresh cedar overtone.

8. Rocky Patel The Edge Nicaraguan Torpedo

I have smoked every last one of The Edge cigars with the exception of the Lite, so when I found that Rocky Patel had made a Nicaraguan puro for the line, my heart was set aflutter. I like the Edge cigars because they are a no-frills smoke-it-’cause-you’ll-love-it line, and my 6 inch by 52 ring gauge torpedo was as straight forward tasty as I could have hoped for. The Nicaraguan Habano wrapper lent all the spice you would expect throughout the smoke, but what caught me off guard was the sweet black cherry notes. Each puff was a mouth-watering treat, and the Edge Nicaraguan definitely cemented itself in my mind as the best in the line.

9. CAO La Traviata Radiante Maduro

What can I say about my go-to cigar that I haven’t already? I have smoked more La Traviatas than I can count, and they consistently deliver each time. The Radiante is the toro size of the line, a 6 inch by 52 ring gauge stick of pure delight that keeps me coming back every time. A blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers are bound in a Cameroon leaf, and the whole thing is then enveloped in seductively dark Connecticut broadleaf wrapper. Cocoa, pepper, coffee and toasted nuts all make an appearance in a flavor profile that evolves inch by inch.

10. La Dueña Belicoso No. 2

While I trumpet the CAO La Traviata, the La Dueña Belicoso runs a close second when it comes to frequency of smoke. And really, what’s not to love? The belicoso tip focuses every last bit of sweet and spicy cocoa right to the center of your palate for 5 ½ delightful inches. Featuring a dark maduro wrapper, Connecticut broadleaf binder, and a Nicaraguan filler blend that also has some broadleaf blended in, the La Dueña No. 2 is as classically seductive as the silhouette on the ring band.

11. Antonio Padilla Pigtail Maduro

There will be a lot of names you’ll recognize on this list, but I’m going to guess Antonio Padilla isn’t one of them. The blender for Havana House Cigars in Middletown, NY, Padilla’s Pigtail Maduro immediately caught my eye during my first trip to the shop with it’s pigtail cap and dark, toothy wrapper. It was a Nicaraguan puro, medium-full bodied; a short and stout 5 inches by a 52 ring gauge. You expect some of these smaller production cigars to have quality control flaws, but the Pigtail Maduro burned evenly and had a very smooth flavor, virtually no harshness at all. I got heavy overtones of cocoa and leather, with hints of espresso. If you ever find yourself in Middletown, check out the shop.

12. CAO La Traviata Angry Santa

As mentioned with the Evil Snowman, the Angry Santa is a 6 inch, 52 gauge beefed-up version of the La Traviata line, but with leaves from higher primings for a bolder flavor. While still employing the Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, the broadleaf binder and blended Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers used in this blend really brought out the key flavor notes that I’ve come to love from the line. The spiciness, toasted nut and light citrus flavors were far more pronounced on the Angry Santa, especially after aging in the humidor for the better part of seven months.

13. El Baton Robusto Corojo

The torpedo earned a 93 rating as the #14 cigar in 2012, but I opted to go with the 5 inch, 54 gauge robusto. A Nicaraguan puro, the El Baton is handsomely adorned in a Corojo wrapper, which lends a hefty amount of peppery wood and leather notes to an extraordinarily full-bodied smoke. The blend carried with it some wonderful coffee upfront, and a sweetness not unlike a port wine was present throughout. If you like powerhouse cigars, the El Baton is definitely for you.

14. Brick House Natural Torpedo

Once upon a time, Brick House cigars were a product of Cuba. Resurrected as Nicaraguan puros, the company that has roots going back almost 150 years has a flavor that can only come with time and practice. Brick House trademarked their wrapper, what they call a Havana Subido leaf, which has similar flavor notes to sun grown Habano wrappers. These cigars are medium bodied masterpieces, rich in lighter, refreshing flavors like cedar, tea, and toast. Packed into a tapered-tip 5 ½ inches by a 52 ring gauge, it’s a crowdpleaser that you can enjoy any time.

15. Alec Bradley It’s a Boy Toro

While this cigar holds a special place in my heart as it heralded in the birth of my son, Beny, it also is an Alec Bradley, and that means quality. At 6 inches and a 52 gauge, this toro is one of the bigger baby birth cigar sizes around (and trust me, I shopped them all). Featuring a blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers, a Honduran binder leaf, and a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, the It’s a Boy toro produces a mild-medium bodied smoke that pleases the palate with hints of coffee and leather. Better yet, the box is adorned with a picture frame; the perfect keepsake for your little aficionado.

16. Graycliff Professional Pirate Sumatra Torpedo

I’ll confess, when I first received the Graycliff Professional Pirate Sumatra Torpedo in a free 5-pack sampler from Thompson Cigar, I was unaware of the quality smoke in the package. I wasn’t very familiar with the Bahaman cigar company, nor the delicious blend of tobacco encased in 6 inch by 52 ring gauge frame. An Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper teams up with an Ecuadorian binder in an attempt to contain the flavor bursting from a blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran long fillers. Earthy notes of spice, nuts, and an almost caramel sweetness created a deliciously complex, but still medium-bodied flavor. At over $20 a stick, it’s not an everyday smoke, but it definitely deserves a place on this list.

17. Rocky Patel The Edge Corojo Toro

While I have liked virtually every Rocky Patel I have smoked to date, I’ll admit that I have been very selective with their wide array of lines. Sticking mostly to their Nicaraguan puros, or at least line that heavily favor my tobacco nation of choice, the Corojo made me step out of my comfort zone a little. It wasn’t the Honduran Corojo wrapper, which lent a superb amount of spice to the stick, nor the Nicaraguan binder, but the blend of Nicaraguan, Honduran, and what Patel has deemed a “secret” third long filler that made me a little hesitant. Wherever the third filler came from, it packed a punch, as the Edge Corojo is a full-bodied experience from foot to tip over 6 inches and a 52 gauge. Rich espresso, black pepper and warm cinnamon came across with authority, but still well balanced given the strength.

18. Cohiba Churchill Cameroon

It has been years since I tried the Dominican Cohibas, and it was a good reintroduction to the brand. The Cohiba “Red Dot” blend was rated 92 by Cigar Aficionado, and is probably the most interesting tobacco blend of any cigar on this list. It starts with a dark, oily Cameroon wrapper, an Indonesian Jember leaf for the binder, and a blend of Dominican-grown Cuban Piloto long filler. The list’s lone churchill, the Cohiba is 7 inches and a 49 ring gauge of sweet, aromatic smoke. Fresh nuts, caramel, and a creamy finish give this medium-bodied beauty a truly unique flavor to go with its one-of-a-kind blend.

19. Nestor Miranda 1989 Rosado Toro

After over a year of aging, I smoked my last 1989 in 2014. It had a cracked foot, the wrapper had developed an almost velvety softness to the touch, and while the flavor profile had intensified it had also become far smoother, barely a hint of bitters or harshness. The Rosado was a smooth mix of nuttiness, spice, and earthen tones that finished with a delicious coffee sensation, all wrapped in a 6 inch, 50 ring gauge package.

20. Rocky Patel Nicaraguan Reserve Maduro Toro Grande

Also known as the Sixty, a reference to the 60 ring gauge and 6 inches of Nicaraguan goodness Rocky Patel produced in the Reserve line, this cigar was one of the few letdowns in 2014. Not that the cigar was bad in any way, far from it, but I had a completely different expectation of the flavor and body. Given its girth and dark maduro wrapper, I assumed I was in for a much fuller-bodied smoke, but my Reserve performed far closer to the medium range. The flavors were light and toasty, almost floral if I had to put it to a true description, but otherwise the stick was very well constructed, burned cool, and was an exceedingly smooth smoke.

21. Francisco Padilla Tres Aces

I have been smoking Francisco Padilla’s hand-rolled cigars for the better part of half a decade now, and in case you were wondering he is the brother of Antonio, the roller from Middletown. The Tres Aces is a near exact replica of the Pigtail Maduro from Havana House, but to put it simply, Antonio’s was better. More leather and earth tones overwhelmed the coffee and cocoa, and construction flaws caused the stick to burn unevenly. In the end the Tres Aces was a grittier version of the Pigtail, and I likely would have enjoyed it more had it not been compared against the superior blend.

22. Tatuaje Havana VI Artistas

I’m going to get slaughtered for not having this higher, and I could certainly make a case on flavor alone, but I remember being a little disappointed when I had this particular Tatuaje. It has the quintessential Tatuaje leather, combined with a light toastiness that makes the cigar both complex and accessible. The Artistas is a torpedo, standing at 6 ⅛ inches by a 52 ring gauge, and that tapered tip delivered all the flavor to the palate with pinpoint precision. My gripe was with the construction: there was too little filler which made the cigar burn quick and hot. It didn’t affect the flavor profile all that much, my problem was more in the fact that I finished a cigar of that size in about 35 minutes.

23. Francisco Padilla Connecticut Toro

The Padilla family gets their third mention, and the Connecticut toro was a deliciously light-bodied experience. A creamy Connecticut wrapper enveloped a tasty blend of Dominican medium filler, which gave a sweet flavor not entirely unlike French Toast. At 6 inches and a 50 ring gauge, it is a perfect afternoon smoke.

24. Victor Sinclair Connecticut Yankee Robusto

I’ve had some experience with Victor Sinclairs before, and overall my opinions have been positive. The Connecticut Yankee Robusto was no different, proving to be a well-balanced mild-to-medium bodied smoke. Measuring at 5 ½ inches by a 50 ring gauge, the Connecticut Yankee derives its name from the Havana seed Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Bound together with a Honduran leaf, the blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers provided a cedary wood flavor mixed with an almost cinnamon spice.

25. Dolce Vita Box-Pressed Dual Wrapper Short Torpedo

The lone infused cigar on the list, the Dolce Vita Box-Pressed Dual Wrapper Short Torpedo is quite the mouthful to name, but proved to be a rather short smoke. At 4 ½ inches, this is understandable. The first thing you’ll notice about this cigar is that it’s a true torpedo, tapered at both ends, with a 54 gauge at its widest point. The dual wrapper refers to the barbershop pole-style wrapper, which is a blend of both Connecticut Shade and Broadleaf. The binder leaf and long fillers all hail from the Dominican Republic, and the cigar is infused with coffee. While this cigar proved to me that I may have grown out of my infused faze, the Dolce Vitas nonetheless proved to be a good introductory cigar for several friends and family throughout 2014.

 

Thank you all for reading this year. I’ve been both very grateful and incredibly lucky to have the support and kindness of all of you. In no small part, this blog has helped contribute to some professional writing opportunities that I hope will continue in 2015 and beyond. Stay tuned for more stories after the New Year, including installing a front door, converting my cousins into Brothers of the Leaf, and of course, the arrival of little Benigno. Happy Holidays!

 

Your’s truly,

W.S. Cruzgriffith

Ten Brand New Cigars Perfect for the Holidays

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, at least until you realize that you haven’t a clue what to get that special someone in your life. Well, worry not, I’ve got you covered. 2014 has seen a litany of spectacular cigar lines, and so to make things easy, I’ve chosen 10 top-flight vitolas that will help you stuff stockings, help Santa stay secret, and make your holiday gifts light up, both literally and figuratively!

10. CAO Gold Nasty Nutcracker & MX2 Rabid Reindeer

– The only truly holiday-themed smokes on the list, the Nasty Nutcracker and Rabid Reindeer build on the success of CAO’s 2013 Christmas releases, the Angry Santa and Evil Snowman. While 2013 featured modified blends of the La Traviata line, the Nasty Nutcracker is a variation of the Gold line and the Rabid Reindeer is from the MX2 Family.

The Nasty Nutcracker measures in at 6 1/2 inches and has a 52 ring gauge packed full of a spiced up blend of Nicaraguan filler and binder leaf, blanketed in an Ecuadorean Connecticut wrapper. The Reindeer is the same size, and gets its Rabid nature from Honduran and Nicaraguan ligero tobaccos added to the MX2’s already extravagant blend of Nicaraguan, Honduran, Dominican and Peruvian fillers, bound and wrapped in Brazilian and Connecticut broadleaf, respectively. The Nutcracker is a mild-medium crowd pleaser, while the MX2 brings a bit more body. Grab one of each and smoke the flavors of the holiday season.

MSRP: $8.00

9. Tatuaje Pudgy Monsters Wolf

– There isn’t a corner of the internet having to do with cigars that hasn’t made mention of Tatuaje’s maniacal monster blends. While certainly more a Halloween feel with the horror-movie themed line, I like to think of it as smoking the Nightmare Before Christmas.

The Wolf is my favorite of the bunch. A torpedo, the Wolf is 5 1/2 inches of howlingly good tobacco rolled into a 52 ring gauge. The Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper encapsulates a delicious blend of Nicaraguan filler tobacco, bound in a Nicaraguan wrapper. It’s a medium body that doesn’t skimp on the flavor, which makes it arguably the most accessible smoke in the line. Get Pudgy the right way this winter and taste the Wolf.

MSRP: $9.50

8. Herrera Esteli Norteño Lonsdale

– Drew Estate finally made it to the big time with their #8 finish in Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 of 2013 list. I think the Herrera Esteli line will be making another appearance with the Norteño blend.

I’ve found I really like lonsdales, and the 6 1/2 inch by 44 ring gauge design gives impressive length without the restrictive girth. An impressive blend of Nicaraguan filler by master Willy Herrera are expertly swathed in a Honduran binder and a Mexican San Andres Maduro leaf. All the cigars in the Norteño line come box pressed, adding the looks to go with the personality and making it an attractive gift option.

MSRP: $11.00

7. San Cristobal Revelation Triumph

– The lone Churchill on the list, the San Cristobal Triumph is a force to be reckoned with. Ashton cigars continues to branch out of the Dominican Republic with great success, and the San Cristobal line is the latest example.

At 7 inches and a 50 ring gauge, the Triumph certainly isn’t a slouch. The Nicaraguan filler is bound seamlessly with Nicaraguan leaf, and is enveloped in an Ecuadorean Sumatra wrapper. This box-pressed beauty will definitely make you triumphant in any gift giving scenario this holiday season.

MSRP: $8.50

6. AJ Fernandez New World Almirante

– AJ Fernandez and company are building a brave New World of cigars, one that believes you can get great flavor without paying even greater sums of money. The father-son team of Abdel and Ismael Fernandez created a Nicaraguan purr that is sure to please the palate without breaking the bank.

A Nicaraguan oscuro wrapper shrouds a Jalapan binder, and a blend of lager fillers from three different growing regions in the country. The Almirante is a 5 inch by 55 ring gauge belicoso that promises to be the New World order of cigars everywhere. This is the best value cigar on the list.

MSRP: $6.00

5. My Father Connecticut Robusto

– What do you get the cigar smoker who has everything? How about something that, up until this year, hadn’t existed. My Father Cigars specializes in medium-full to full-bodied smokes, so the introduction of a Connecticut blend had been both a radical change of pace for the company, and one of the most highly-anticipated releases of 2014.

The new line features an Ecuadorean Connecticut wrapper, and Nicaraguan-grown Crorjo binder, and a blend of Nicaraguan Habano-Criollo filler. This creates a very aromatic, mild-bodied smoking experience. I like the Robusto size for this line because, at 5 1/4 inches and a 52 ring gauge, it is the perfect everyday smoke.

MSRP: $7.30

4. Romeo y Julieta 1875 Bully

– Romeo and Juliet is considered to be one of literature’s great love affairs, and the 1875 line released by Romeo y Julieta this year will leave you feeling just as impassioned. While the 1875 insignia has been prominently displayed on many of the company’s other lines, the smooth mild-medium bodied smoke will definitely distinguish itself from the pack.

The Bully, a short and stout 5 inches by 50 ring gauge, features a delicious blend of  aged Dominican and Olor filler tobacco. It is then bound in Dominican leaf. What easily sets the 1875 apart is the Indonesian Sumatra shade wrapper, a vintage 2010 stock that has been aging for nearly half a decade. The result is an approachable smoke that pairs Christmas Day flavor with Black Friday pricing.

MSRP: $6.25

3. Jericho Hill Willy Lee

– There was perhaps no more highly-anticipated release this year than Crowned Heads’ Jericho Hill line. After having great success with the Four Kicks and Headley Grange blends, Jericho Hill–which derives its name and the names of the different vitolas from the Johnny Cash album At Folson Prison–is a powerhouse line of full-bodied goodness.

A dark, toothy Mexican San Andres wrapper houses a binder of Nicaraguan leaf and a bold blend of Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. Currently, the line offers four sizes, but at 6 inches and a 54 ring gauge, it’s the Willy Lee that I like the most. It is entirely possible the Jericho Hill could walk away with Cigar Aficionado’s top rank, so if you want a gift that is guaranteed to impress, grab a copy of Cash’s Cocaine Blues and pair it with a fantastic cigar.

MSRP: $9.75

2. Alec Bradley Family Blend The Lineage Toro

– The holidays are all about family, something Alec Bradley doesn’t need to be reminded of. He loved his sons so much he named his cigar company after them, and now as they turn 18, the legal age to consume tobacco, he has put out a line specifically for them. And so, Alec Bradley’s Family Blend: The Lineage was born.

The greatest success Alec Bradley cigars has enjoyed has been with Honduran wrappers from the Trojes region. The Lineage line once again employs these tasty wrapper leaves, paired with a Nicaraguan binder as well. The toro is a 6 inch by 53 ring gauge stick of Honduran and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos, and is capped off with an attractive pigtail. The Lineage is a perfect gift for any family member.

MSRP: $8.00

1. La Antiguedad Toro

– Two years ago, My Father Cigars produced the Flor de las Antillas to the tune of Cigar Aficionado’s #1 cigar of 2012. It was a medium body, expertly blended line that earned some of the highest accolades for a cigar to date. La Antiguedad is being hailed as a fuller bodied version of that champion smoke, something very exciting if you are a fan of the leaf.

The complexity of this blend cannot be understated. We begin with an Ecuadorean Habano wrapper that the Garcia family describes as a, “rosado oscuro leaf.” La Antiguedad employs a twin binder, one Criollo and one Corojo leaf, both hailing from Nicaragua, and the filler is an all-Nicaraguan blend from three different growing regions. The toro, a stately 5 5/8 inch and 55 ring gauge, is box-pressed for an experience that is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate. This is the nicest gift you will ever light on fire, I promise you that.

MSRP: $8.50

An American Sun Grown Thanksgiving

The turkey is on the table with trimmings all around, and the first real inklings of winter are starting to grace across the slightly-frosted windows. It’s Thanksgiving Day, a time dedicated to grateful reflection on the year that soon will be coming to a close. Thanksgiving ushers in the holiday season, calls families together from miles around, and is one of the quintessentially perfect excuses to light up a fine cigar.

Traditionally, we are taught that the Thanksgiving holiday has its roots in the communal breaking of bread between the British Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans shortly after the colonists’ first harvest in 1621. While Squanto, a Patuxet Native, taught the newcomers how to fish for eel and domesticate corn, the Plymouth colonists were tended to during their first New World winter by the Wampanoag, and their leader, Massasoit. The celebration lasted three days, occurring sometime between September 21 and November 11.

While popular history recognizes this seminal moment in the Americas as the first Thanksgiving, there is evidence to suggest that such events were commonplace throughout the colonial era, and even before. Autumnal harvest festivals were regular annual events amongst the Natives, and Spanish colonists in the 16th Century were holding similar days of thanksgiving. These celebrations were typically carried on as Sabbath services as early as 1607 in Virginia, and Jamestown colony held an organized Thanksgiving in 1610.

There is some controversy surrounding the Plymouth Thanksgiving, specifically concerning the colonists’ interaction with the natives. Roughly three years before the arrival of the Mayflower, a plague-like epidemic swept coastal New England and demolished the native population. Roughly 90-96% of all native peoples living in the region perished, the total population reducing from 30,000 to less than 300. The idea that, in the wake of such a violent outbreak, nearly 1/3 of the remaining natives would attend a meal with British subjects that they knew to be the source of these new diseases is sketchy at best.

Still, as the great filmmaker John Ford said in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” Thanksgiving traditions continued through the Revolutionary War, with George Washington proclaiming a Thanksgiving in honor of the victory at Saratoga, in December 1777. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving as a national holiday to be celebrated on the final Thursday of November, which it has been ever since.

For Thanksgiving 2013 we decided to go to Pam and John’s for the holiday. Coming from a Cuban family, I was used to dishes of yucca, tamales, and pork. I remembered one year when we forgot to bring a bird of any kind to the family potluck. Pam made no such mistakes, and a pork dish was likely the only food not prepared for the evening. Piles of mashed potatoes, stuffing, cream cauliflower, brussel sprouts, green bean casserole, curry pumpkin soup, buffalo chicken dip, and a turkey nearly the size of my torso adorned every visible surface as we enjoyed, as Arlo Guthrie would say, “a Thanksgiving dinner that couldn’t be beat.” In honor of this wonderfully American holiday, I chose for my Thanksgiving smoke an Alec Bradley American Sun Grown Torpedo.

Don’t let the name fool you, while the Alec Bradley American Sun Grown line features images of Revolution-era fife and drum corps, this cigar is a Nicaraguan puro. Measuring in at 6 1/8 inches and sporting a 52 ring gauge, the torpedo is an elegant package for a blend of fillers hailing from Esteli and Condega. The American Sun Grown is both bound and wrapped in leaves from Jalapa, the wrapper being, as the name suggests, a sun-grown habano. Dark, oily, and firmly packed, I was eager to give thanks with every puff.

Upon the first light, I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed. One of Alec Bradley’s fullest-bodied lines, the American Sun Grown is possibly the spiciest cigar I have ever smoked. While the spice holds throughout thanks to the habano wrapper, the blend gives a complex evolution of sweeter tones. Cocoa and nuttiness swim through the smoke, which when blended with the spice gave me the impression of a dark chocolate with chili sensation. While full-bodied, the cigar didn’t overwhelm the palate, making it a singularly enjoyable way to follow up our meal.

We followed up our cigars with a bakery’s worth of assorted pies. As we sat and enjoyed our dessert, I reflected on all the good that had come from the year. Meagan graduated from college and began her graduate studies in education. Dana and I celebrated five years together, our first wedding anniversary, and the purchase of our first home. As the evening came to a close over the last few bites of pie, I was grateful; Grateful for close family, new beginnings, and of course, Good Smoke.

Your’s Truly

W.S. Cruzgriffith