It was about a year ago when I first started posting reviews on this blog, so it’s a good time to look back and remember the great cigars of 2006. But first a couple words about the reviews that have appeared here for the last year or so…

The reason why my reviews are straight narrative without a number or grade rating is that I have a really hard time committing to a number. I just can’t smoke a Punch Gran Puro and say, hmmm… you are an 89. Or maybe I can, but I know that in a week or two, under different conditions, I’m going to say about the same cigar, hmmm… you are an 85, or you are a 91. And more often than not, it isn’t because the cigar is inconsistent. It’s because I am inconsistent.

But that doesn’t mean that I don’t keep records for myself. I actually do assign a number to the cigars I rate, but I keep it private for the above stated reason. I also tend to rate cigars low for some reason, which might lead someone to the wrong conclusion. Only one cigar made it above a 90 this year, and that was a Bolivar Royal Corona from the Island That Dare Not Speak Its Name. (Which scored a 92, incidentally. Man, that’s a great cigar.) But I’ve kept this blog to cigars available in the United States, and I plan to keep it that way.

So in the spirit of “Auld Lang Syne” I have gone through the ratings in my cigar journal and with some difficulty I have narrowed down the top ten cigars of 2006. Again, I find this sort of thing capricious at best, but it’s New Year’s Eve, so what the hell. Here goes.

10. Camacho Corojo Monarca

9. Rocky Patel Sungrown Petite Corona

8. La Aurora Cien Años Corona

7. Torano 1916 Cameroon Robusto

6. Havana Soul El Mundo

5. Ashton Virgin Sungrown Belicoso

4. Punch Gran Puro Libertad

3. Sancti Spiritus Toro

2. Ashton Heritage Puro Sol Robusto

and finally, the Number One Cigar of 2006…

1. Padron 1964 Anniversary Imperial

I haven’t reviewed the Havana Soul yet, but you can be sure that at some point I will. (The rest in the list have been linked to the reviews.)

And now for a prediction: 2007. What will it be for the stogie fanatic? Where will the new year take us? I can see a glimmer on the horizon, a twinkling beacon that is calling out the name of Jose “Don Pepin” Garcia. I predict great things this year for Don Pepin. If the quality of his cigars can withstand his growing popularity, if quality isn’t sacrificed for quantity, I think some of the best cigars available in the U.S. will be coming from El Rey de los Habanos.

Happy New Year Everyone!!