That No. 1 for 2025 was the Padrón 60th Anniversary Perfecto, scoring 97 points.  Its backstory reads like a compressed history of modern premium cigar.

Every January in the cigar world, two forces collide. One is curation: lists, awards, “best of” roundups that crown winners and shape what people think they should smoke. The other is scarcity: limited releases, allocation games, and “blink and it’s gone” drops that shape what people can actually smoke. In 2026, that collision is getting louder—and more consequential.

The maple syrup echoes the cigar’s woody sweetness. Strawberries lift the aroma with a bright, slightly tangy perfume that keeps the palate awake.

Start with the cigar first. Give it a few minutes to establish its “dry” architecture—wood, toast, a little pepper through the nose.

Across its long history, the cigar has repeatedly reinvented itself without losing its essential premise: a slow technology of pleasure made from an ordinary plant, elevated by knowledge.