Cigar Aficionado is a magazine for the man who enjoys life’s great pleasures: fine dining and entertaining, the finest wines and spirits, world travel and the arts. At the heart of every issue is the cigar: what to smoke, where to smoke, and how to enjoy a great smoke.

highlights

The Story of the Mob

out of the humidor

Cigar Aficionado

good life guide

The $150,000 Dragon Cutter

Toyota GR Supra

Mustique, West Indies

Montblanc StarWalker Blue Planet

Infrared Grills

Porsche Design Customized Chronograph

Snowshoeing

Sean Connery 1930–2020

THE NUMBER WAR CUBANS VS. ITALIANS • The battle over New York’s $100 million numbers racket

Legends of the MOB • 13 Men who built the American Mafia

Albert Anastasia 1902-1957

Rosario “Russell” Bufalino 1903-1994

Al Capone 1899-1947

Frank Costello 1891-1973

Sam Giancana 1908-1975

Vincent Gigante 1928-2005

Enoch Johnson 1883-1968

John Gotti 1940-2002

The Five Families

Meyer Lansky 1902-1983

Charles Luciano 1897-1962

Giuseppe Masseria 1886-1931

Dutch Schultz 1902-1935

Benjamin Siegel 1906-1947

A New Shot at Godfather III • Trying to strengthen the weak link in the Godfather trilogy

Bootleg Booze • When Prohibition rendered alcohol illegal in the United States, bootleggers, foreign producers and the Mob kept Americans in good spirits

Tiger The Designer • One of the greatest golfers ever is now designing golf courses, and his first public course in the United States just opened in August

Getting There And Staying There

Catching the Tiger • Want to play a course designed by Tiger Woods? The list is growing.

STRAIGHT FROM THE BARREL • A profusion of spirits are being bottled at cask strength. Is it proof positive that stronger can mean tastier?

BIRTH OF A BOURBON

Betting Big on Vegas • As Las Vegas adjusts to Covid-19 restrictions, Derek Stevens is betting $1 billion on a luxurious new casino

cigars

churchills • Ernesto Perez-Carrillo named the La Historia E-III after his son, Ernie the Third. It scored an impressive 93 points. According to Perez-Carrillo, the cigar didn’t reach full potential until he changed the blend from a full leaf of seco tobacco, which was muting the taste, to half a leaf. And we’re glad he did. Also scoring 93 points was the Romeo y Julieta Churchill, Cuba’s most iconic cigar of that size. These samples came from a 10-count box of tubos and are a fine example of the quintessential Cuban smoking experience in both balance and character. Another Romeo, made in Nicaragua by A. J. Fernandez for Altadis U.S.A., scored 91 points. This Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua is new, launched this year, and is a stronger interpretation of the original Reserva Real, which is considerably mild.

figurados • A former Cigar of the Year proves itself to be an overachiever once again. At an astounding 95 points, not only did the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Eye of the Shark get the issue’s highest score, it’s also one of the few regular-production cigars to reach “classic” status without any extra age. The Shark is a beautiful smoke with a partial box-pressing that only adds to its intrigue. We call it “delicious” in the tasting note, but that’s an understatement. It has polish and detail, delivering both subtle and intense flavors that keep the palate stimulated the entire time. n Two cigars scored 93 points. The Matilde Quadrata Torpedo is made by Jochy Blanco in the Dominican Republic for José Seijas, while the Ramon Allones Allones No. 2 was the last of Cuba’s 2019 Edición Limitadas to come to market.

grandes • As grandes edge out the smaller, more conventional sizes in...