CIGAR AFICIONADO'S 2023 YEAR IN REVIEW

AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT A YEAR'S WORTH OF CIGAR RATINGS

- THOMAS PAPPALARDO

Since 1992, every issue of CIGAR AFICIONADO has been packed with new ratings of cigars, suitable for all cigar lovers, whether you are a seasoned veteran looking to try something different or a newcomer in need of guidance on where to start. At the end of the year, you would be in possession of six issues of the magazine and 24 issues of our digital newsletter Cigar Insider.

Looking through it all, what does it mean? There's more to just smoking a cigar and pronouncing it good or bad. Whether it's something that has been around for decades or a brand that was just released, our reviews provide readers with a cross-section of the industry unlike any other. You can see what countries produce the highest-quality or most affordable smokes, which sizes and shapes score best and all manner of trends.

Remember, cigars are handmade products, made of materials grown on farms, and are at the mercy of Mother Nature, whose unpredictable moods affect each crop. Factories or tobacco suppliers may change, even if the name on the band does not. All of these can factor into a cigar's performance from year to year.

We rated 621 cigars in 2023, most of which came from what we call The Big Four: Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Cuba.

Since the onset of the pandemic, the handmade cigar industry has been in a period referred to as a "New Cigar Boom," with imports reaching levels not seen in decades. Both 2021 and 2022 exceeded 450 million cigars imported into the United States, with 2022 totaling 464 million. Some began to wonder if the growth had finally come to an end at the start of 2023 when the numbers for the first quarter showed an 8.8 percent decrease, according to data provided by the Cigar Association of America. But the latest numbers (through the end of September) showed the market not far below where it was at the same time in 2022. The growth may not be over just yet.