Now that Top 25 season is over, it is time to step back and examine all the different ratings.  By reviewing all the different Top year lists, this should give you a good idea of what cigars are being universally lauded.  These Top lists are really interesting in that very few cigars are actually named to several different lists.

The ones that are named to several lists are really something special.  So for this week’s Top 5, I’ve decided to put together five cigars that have been named to several different lists, indicating universal acclaim.  As always, a very limited sampler is available right here.

I’d love to say this a new take on Connecticut, but in fact, it is not.  It is a traditional take on Connecticut, just done at the highest level.  The Sobremeesa Brulee is an interesting project from Steve Saka, as it is a very traditional, smooth and mellow smoke, something Steve is not known for.

The Brulee is rolled using Nicaraguan tobaccos from three different growing regions, giving it a tremendous amount of complexity.  It’s Mexican San Andres binder adds in touches of dark coffee and slight chocolate notes.  Its golden wrapper is a Connecticut seed that offers a little sweetness and a smooth and creamy finish.

It is unusual for me to find a sequel release that is as good as the original, much less better.  However, when you are dealing with Nick Melillo, all bets are off.  While I am a big fan of the original Highclere Castle, this new, stronger version has become a personal favorite of mine.

While the cigar still uses the same Brazilian Mata fina binder, it is now cloaked in a stunning reddish Ecuadorian Habano wrapper for a touch of rich spice.  This cigar really showcases the blending talents of Nick, while also highlighting the amazing tobaccos from AJ Fernandez.

Willy left El Titan de Bronze to accept the post as the lead blender for Drew Estate, but on one condition.  He had to make a certain amount of his blends at the factory in Miami.  That is where the Herrera Esteli Miami was born.  This cigar is a love letter to the factory that he called home and to a city that has been rich with cigar culture and history for more than a century.

The newer version of the Herrera Esteli Miami cigar is hand-rolled at the El Titan de Bronze factory using a blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican long-filler tobaccos.  Following a sultry Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, it is then cloaked in an exquisite Habano Rosado leaf, also from Ecuador.  Notes of spice and sweetness combined for a complex and top-notch cigar.

If only I had been able to smoke this cigar earlier, it might have had a place on our Top 25 of the year.  The Rocky Patel Aged, Limited and Rare 2^nd Edition is one of the best cigars Rocky has released in some time, maybe ever.  Its blend, construction, and packaging are on point.

While the words aged and limited are thrown around very often these days, it is actually true when describing this cigar.  Not only are the tobaccos aged prior to being rolled, but the rolled product is also then aged for an additional two years, making it incredibly smooth and really showcasing the nuanced flavors.

The OneOff brand was originally created in the early 2000s by a man named Andrea Molinari, an Italian who ran a high-end cigar lounge in Milan.  It was a very popular boutique brand for a few years before being bought and sold a few more times and eventually being forgotten, until now.  Dion bought the OneOff brand in 2017 and intended to bring it back to life, which he now has done.

The OneOff is now being brought back to Nicaragua, albeit from a new factory.  Tabacos Valle de Jalapa, the masterminds behind Warped and Casa Fernandez.  Dion blended the cigar himself using tobaccos from Aganorsa, so you know it is of the utmost quality.