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CA's Top 25 of 2015

danielzreyesdanielzreyes Posts: 8,769 ✭✭✭✭✭
in General Discussion

My top three guesses for the #1 cigar of 2015 are ...

1. Padron

2. LFD

3. Davidoff


what do you think?

"It's plume, bro. Nothing to worry about. Got any Opus?" The suppose to be DZR
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Comments

  • GreetingsFromKrampusGreetingsFromKrampus Posts: 35 ✭✭
    1 Swisher Sweet
    2 White Owl
    3 Dutch Master
  • rsherman24rsherman24 Posts: 7,077 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Fuente
  • jarublajarubla Posts: 2,329 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I bet they choose a Cuban for 2015, what with the embargo easing.

    My .02
    “There’ll be two dates on your tombstone and all your friends will read ’em but all that’s gonna matter is that little dash between ’em.” -Kevin Welch
  • jgibvjgibv Posts: 9,244 ✭✭✭✭✭
    dude this list is a bunch of BS and you know it..... 
    i mean come on, rocky patel edge is **ONLY** at number 7??!!  jeesh, it should at least be top 5!  smh


    but idk, i guess CA can still redeem itself.....
    they can get some credibility back if they put the RP 20th anny or Gurkha maharaja in the top 5 :D:D

    (google that gurkha one for a good lol)






    * I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *

  • danielzreyesdanielzreyes Posts: 8,769 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I feel that my picks payed the most in adds this year other than Peppin who won a few years back ... Oliva, just won and ...... well let's face it. If RP won, the worlid will come to an end.
    "It's plume, bro. Nothing to worry about. Got any Opus?" The suppose to be DZR
  • PatrickbrickPatrickbrick Posts: 7,868 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Lol, yes I have to agree with you here.  Not only would hell freeze over, but the world would know for sure that the ratings are truly for sale.  I want to know how many "blind" taste testers they use.  Is it one person rating them or ten, then using a scale of averages.  Will we ever know.
    "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give".  Winston Churchill.
    MOW badge received.
  • jgibvjgibv Posts: 9,244 ✭✭✭✭✭
    CA's Senior Editor & tasting panel member responded to a similar question on another cigar site (https://www.reddit.com/r/cigars/comments/3wt19a/ama_david_savona_executive_editor_of_cigar/).....

    This was his response.

    We do in fact rate the cigar blind. A tasting coordinator is responsible for that: Normally, three cigars are blind-tasted by members of our tasting panel.
    They are given to the panel by our tasting coordinator who buys these cigars at retail, removes the bands, and places a generic numbered band on the cigar.
    When panel tasters rate the cigar, they do not know the identity of the smoke. Only the tasting coordinator knows.
    When tasters are finished, they turn in their completed tasting sheets to the tasting coordinator, who then inputs the scores on a grid.
    If the scores are far apart, a fourth taster is added. The final score is an aggregate average of the panel.

    Here is how our point system is broken down:
    15 Points given to appearance and structure. 25 Points given to Smoking Characteristics (rate of combustion, quality of combustion, quality of draw, texture of smoke).
    25 Points given to Flavor/Taste (identifying number of different flavors, clarity of flavors, body of flavors, harmony of flavors).
    35 Points given to Overall Impression (overall enjoyment of the cigar and how the whole experience came together in terms of flavor and balance.)
    Please note that every cigar starts out as a perfect 100 points. We rate by a process of subtraction. For example, we might take off 2 points for blemishes, 3 or 4 points for a draw that’s too tight or too loose, etc. etc. Afterward, the totals of each category are tallied up and that’s the score that each taster turns gives the tasting coordinator.



    * I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *

  • PatrickbrickPatrickbrick Posts: 7,868 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Thank you kind sir, good information.
    "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give".  Winston Churchill.
    MOW badge received.
  • danielzreyesdanielzreyes Posts: 8,769 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited December 2015
    Yeahhhhh suuuuuuuure.  I really doubt that they would give ANY points to Padron for appearance for they are UglyAF.
    "It's plume, bro. Nothing to worry about. Got any Opus?" The suppose to be DZR
  • EchambersEchambers Posts: 4,182 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I'll be the dissenting opinion here I guess. I do look forward to the top 25 and do read through all their lists each month. I don't agree with all of their ratings, to be sure, because I know that all reviews are subjective. It begins with their selection of reviewers--which I suspect favors those that like a certain profile of cigar. What they choose to review is also selective. This is where advertisements play a huge role. in what sticks get sent out. The RP is a great example. I'm sure they review the whole RP line with some regularity.

    Having said that I can't think of a cigar they have scored above 90 that I really didn't like.  This doesn't mean that I agree that their 96 point Flor de Antilas is better than the 94 rated Don Carlos No 2 or even the 90 rated Illusione Rothchild.  But, when the 96 rating came out I did move it to the top of my "to try" list.
    -- "There's something that doesn't make sense. Let's go poke it with a stick."
  • rsherman24rsherman24 Posts: 7,077 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I enjoy reading their rankings and reviews each month as well, and look forward to the top 25.  They are still a business trying to sell advertisements, so many of the rankings I take with a grain of salt.  I know this is a subjective hobby, but do you honestly think 3 experienced blind testers would rank an RP cigar 7th?  I wish they would include more of the boutique blends like Tat, Caldwell, Crowned heads, etc.
  • peter4jcpeter4jc Posts: 16,186 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I'll bet Pete Johnson, Jon Huber, and Caldwell know the hoops you'd have to jump through and are unwilling to play the game.
    "I could've had a Mi Querida!"   Nick Bardis
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,917 ✭
    You know they're going to put another RP up there....
  • rsherman24rsherman24 Posts: 7,077 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Fuente and Padron in the top 5.  Choices are slimming down
  • EchambersEchambers Posts: 4,182 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I think we will see a crowned head in the top three.  

    Cuban in the no.1 spot. 
    -- "There's something that doesn't make sense. Let's go poke it with a stick."
  • avengethisavengethis Posts: 5,689 ✭✭✭✭✭
    RASS in the no 2 spot but the CAO Flathead is no 3?  Hmmm that seems odd or have I just missed how good these are?
    Team O'Donnell FTW!

    "I've got a great cigar collection - it's actually not a collection, because that would imply I wasn't going to smoke ever last one of 'em." - Ron White
  • rsherman24rsherman24 Posts: 7,077 ✭✭✭✭✭
    And a 6 x 60.  I tried one, but didn't remember it as anything special
  • avengethisavengethis Posts: 5,689 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The special part is the $$$ they poured into the magazine.
    Team O'Donnell FTW!

    "I've got a great cigar collection - it's actually not a collection, because that would imply I wasn't going to smoke ever last one of 'em." - Ron White
  • danielzreyesdanielzreyes Posts: 8,769 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Still banking on a LFD or Davidoff
    "It's plume, bro. Nothing to worry about. Got any Opus?" The suppose to be DZR
  • jgibvjgibv Posts: 9,244 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Guys, an anonymous source gave me the inside scoop on the #1 spot.....


    ***SPOILER ALERT***
    ca15.png 675.3K

    * I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *

  • danielzreyesdanielzreyes Posts: 8,769 ✭✭✭✭✭
    DE is already at #10, put0
    "It's plume, bro. Nothing to worry about. Got any Opus?" The suppose to be DZR
  • jliujliu Posts: 7,735 ✭✭✭✭
    the CAO flathead is the best cigar I have had so far.  I bought alot of boxes of them.  you all should buy some 
  • jgibvjgibv Posts: 9,244 ✭✭✭✭✭
    jliu said:
    the CAO flathead is the best cigar I have had so far.  I bought alot of boxes of them.  you all should buy some 
    I thought you only smoked Gurkhas. 

    * I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *

  • danielzreyesdanielzreyes Posts: 8,769 ✭✭✭✭✭
    jliu said:
    the CAO flathead is the best cigar I have had so far.  I bought alot of boxes of them.  you all should buy some 
    hipster
    "It's plume, bro. Nothing to worry about. Got any Opus?" The suppose to be DZR
  • jgibvjgibv Posts: 9,244 ✭✭✭✭✭
    avengethis said:
    RASS in the no 2 spot but the CAO Flathead is no 3?  Hmmm that seems odd or have I just missed how good these are?
    I like the Flathead in the robusto size (never had the gordo).....bought a box, let it sit for a year, definitely improved compared to ROTT. 

    Decent smoke for the price, no doubt about that....
    Top 10? Maybe....
    But #3 of the year? Probably not. 


    * I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *

  • danielzreyesdanielzreyes Posts: 8,769 ✭✭✭✭✭
    jgibv said:
    avengethis said:
    RASS in the no 2 spot but the CAO Flathead is no 3?  Hmmm that seems odd or have I just missed how good these are?
    I like the Flathead in the robusto size (never had the gordo).....bought a box, let it sit for a year, definitely improved compared to ROTT. 

    Decent smoke for the price, no doubt about that....
    Top 10? Maybe....
    But #3 of the year? Probably not. 

    hipsterito
    "It's plume, bro. Nothing to worry about. Got any Opus?" The suppose to be DZR
  • SleevePlzSleevePlz Posts: 6,249 ✭✭✭✭
    danielzreyes said:
    Still banking on a LFD or Davidoff

    My money is on La Nox taking the top spot. 
    LLA - Lancero Lovers of America
  • avengethisavengethis Posts: 5,689 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Davidoff Nicaragua
    Team O'Donnell FTW!

    "I've got a great cigar collection - it's actually not a collection, because that would imply I wasn't going to smoke ever last one of 'em." - Ron White
  • Usaf06Usaf06 Posts: 11,199 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I loved the La Nox
    "I drink a great deal. I sleep a little, and I smoke cigar after cigar. That is why I am in two-hundred-percent form."
    -- Winston Churchill

    "LET'S GO FRANCIS"     Peter

  • rsherman24rsherman24 Posts: 7,077 ✭✭✭✭✭
    jliu said:
    the CAO flathead is the best cigar I have had so far.  I bought alot of boxes of them.  you all should buy some 
    Damn.  I bought you some for Christmas.  Spoiled
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