What are YOUR cigars of the year?

[stickman]

For the same reasons I enjoy top wine lists, I enjoy reading top cigar lists. Here's what stood out to me this past year (I smoked a minimum of two sticks of everything that made the top list).

Cohiba Behike 52: while it almost feels like cheating to give the #1 spot to a stick that costs 2 to 3 times as much as any other stick on the list, I can't imagine not naming this the best for me. So complex and smooth, voluptuous yet sleek, utterly sexy, like Sophia Loren in a corset (especially since she left the hat on!).
Cohiba Siglo VI: starts out understated and subtle but crescendos to a magnificent hay, honey and spiced banana bread coming into the last third. So alluring! In many ways, this is exactly what a cigar ought to be IMHO, showing well even when rather young.
Liga Privada Dirty Rat: not the most elegant name, but this corona packs in so much complexity - sweet spices, cinnamon, dark chocolate. Some variance in quality; the lightest wrappers have been the best.
Cohiba Maduro 5 Genios: in some ways the best of both worlds - the reserved elegance of a Cohiba with the rich, autumnal flavors and aromas of a great maduro. These were all '08 codes.
My Father LE 2011: at 6.5 x 52, a majestic stick that never fails to combine pepper, spice, cream, and dry wheat cereal with consistently flawless construction.
Fuente Añejo No.77 "Shark": this stick displays an amazing agility and "lightness" to its rich, sweet, raisin and coffee notes. So far, I actually prefer this to the young Opus Xs in my humidor.
Montecristo Grand Edmundo: this always delivers such savory, sophisticated aromas and flavors; if it more consistently delivered a care-free burn, I would rank it even higher.
H. Upmann Magnum 46: this is fairly bold and spicy, but a hint of citrus keeps it clean and mouth-watering. I'm a bit sentimental about this stick, as it was the first Cuban I tried that really captured my imagination.
Padron 45th Anniversary Natural: the maduro is actually too powerful IMHO, but I love the savory, leathery, earthiness of this stick. Not wildly complex, but the construction is absolutely second-to-none.
Tatuaje L'Esprit de Verite 2009: also shy on complexity, but the "iron fist in a velvet glove" analogy is appropriate, and it shows every sign of having legs to improve with age. Much better than the 2008 version IMHO.

A few honorable mentions:
My Father El Hijo: a late arrival, I've only smoked one, so I don't think it's fair to put it on my official list, but if the subsequent sticks show anywhere near as well, it will surely be on my top-10 list next year. Like a MF Robusto, but less peppery on the start, and denser, more flavorful throughout, which is saying a lot IMO.
Opus X Lost City Toro: the absolutely scrumptious raisin/cherry and cooking spices of the first stick I smoked would likely put this in my top 5, but subsequent sticks have not performed nearly as well. Always a 1st-rate burn.
Tatuaje Federal 90th 109 Rosado: thanks to the godfather for getting me in touch with this - very elegant, cool burn with a subtle floral character. Perhaps the most 'Cuban' non-CC I've ever had.
Man o' War Puro Authentico: lots of character to this great little corona that, through repeated discounts, gets my nod for best QPR of the year at ~$4.

[youngcollectorsf]

I have to give it to the Trinidad Reyes as my cigar of the year. I had a box from Germany that was absolutely 94-95 points everytime. Such a rich and pleasant cigar. The BHK 54 ('10) and Trinidad Robusto T ('09) are close seconds. I recommend get your hands on any Trinidad from '09. You won't be disappointed. Get ones with dark wrappers.

[stickman]

... I recommend get your hands on any Trinidad from '09. You won't be disappointed. Get ones with dark wrappers.

I've got some '09 Robusto Ts; Reyes were on my target list. They just moved up that list a bit. Thanks for the recommendation.

[bourbon]

Stickman, I tend to love Saint Luis Rey, Ramon Allones, Vegas Robaina, El Rey Del Mundo, Partagas, and Punch...and if I had to choose a second string of cigars it would be the Le Hoyo series from Hoyo De Monterrey and possibly San Cristobal de la Habana...it would be hard for me to pick out specific cigars because I generally enjoy the flavor from specific brands overall. It depends on my mood. That said...what is my ultimate cigar these days? Probably a well aged (5 years plus) Vegas Robaina Don Allejandro (Double Corona)--my mouth waters just thinking about it!

[broken580]

acco depending on what the tobacco is being used for. Today, wrapper is aged up to a year, binder slightly more and filler anything from one to five years.

[stickman]

I'm afraid my 'best of list' this year would very closely resemble my list from last year. To my palate, not many cigars can compete at the level of Behikes, Siglo VIs, and Maduro 5s - I love them almost equally, depending on what I'm looking for at the moment. I see no need to simply repeat myself, so this year I'm simply going to offer a list of 'must tries,' the sole stipulation being that they can't have been on last year's list. That being given...

If you haven't tried a Liga Privada #9 Robusto with at least a year of age on it, you're missing out! Rich but detailed; great, classic flavors, but some real individuality - I just love these things! If I have a high-end, go-to cigar, this is it! Less readily available, but also fantastic is Liga's UF-4 - bold and powerful, but layers of flavors deserve serious attention.

In a smaller size, the L'Atelier 52 is a definite must-try. Featuring a very subtle, intriguing sweetness - almost stevia-like - backed up by an exotic smoked-meat/bacon impression... this is like the Cote-Rotie of the cigar world, and I can't get enough of it! 'Love it! (Its wrapper is a new hybrid, whose parents are Criollo and Pelo de Oro - truly something new!)

Larger, but milder, I'm a devout fan of the Casa Magna Domus Magnus, often sporting an exotic fruit flavor early in the cigar... and speaking of exotic fruit, the Quesada España (the short robusto, being my favorite) never fails to get my attention with a peach/apricot note that is just intoxicating!

I'm not a big Connecticut-shade lover, but the EP Carillo New Wave CT has real depth and character that makes a hot summer evening a little cooler. Similarly, when I'm seeking elegance, nothing seems to fit the bill better than the Hoyo de Monterey Epicure #2 - so delicate and refreshing! Also elegant and sophisticated in its uniquely Cuban way, but with more spine and focus, the Trinidad Coloniales is a first-rate, any-time-of-day Corona that I look forward to watching evolve in the next few years. And while I'm considering sticks from our favorite forbidden island, my first introduction to the H. Upmann #2 won me over immediately with its autumnal, savory character and understated wheat and tea notes. Similarly, I finally got to find out why so many people so highly praise the Ramon Allones Specially Selected Robusto - very impressive, even at such a young age.

I've also been a fan of Oliva's recent Serie V, vintage-dated Toros, utilizing a San Andres Mexican wrapper, but their latest creation, sporting an Ecuadorian-grown Sumatra wrapper, the Oliva Melanio (the Figurado and the Robusto being especially good in different ways). Finally, I'm not sure if they'll ever be made again, but Tatuaje's box of Mini-Monsters has been a pure pleasure, especially the Mini-Mum and Baby Face to my palate.

I'd love to hear what sticks stand out in your memory from this past year. For my part, it certainly seemed like a great year for new sticks. What do you think?