Alright, what the heck… Why not go ahead and see which habanos received the best of 2005 trophy in France? I mean, tobacco shops stock just about every Cuban cigar available and smokers smoke Cuban cigars almost exclusively here, so which ones do the Cuban cigar experts prefer? Here we go:

In second place, with four stars out of six is the Bolivar Royal Corona. This Robusto is described as rich and powerful. Herbal and woody on the nose, this cigar begins with a rather rustic initial burst that softens out with toasty and woody notes in the first third. The cigar will increase in power before the end, yet without losing any of its elegance, with pepper and cacao notes. Of course, being such a classic cigar, one that I enjoy thoroughly, the review is hard to argue. My only question is: Why only four stars out of six? Oh well… lets not spoil a good moment with too much analysis.

Then we have the winner, with four stars out of four is the Cohiba Robusto. Notes of wood, wet earth, pepper, and cacao fill the review descriptions. I have to agree. They spent the rest of the review, however, lamenting over the amazing degree of inconsistency exhibited by this brand, and Cuban cigars in general; an assertion I couldn’t refute, and a fact that any aficionado must keep in mind when deciding to buy a box. Still, no doubt, the Cohiba Robusto is a great cigar indeed.

Inspect the thick wrapper on this bad boy, and you’ll get a good idea of what lies ahead. The smoking experience of the Partagas serie P No.2 starts here. Look at the veins and the oily copper colored toothy surface of this cigar and you know it’s going to be a winner, a go to Habano for sure. Unless you get the occasional fluke stick, this cigar will certainly not disappoint, delivering a very rich, satisfying smoke every time.

The pre-light aromas on this one are dark, earthy and chocolaty with a classic Cuban peppery nose. Every time I smoke one of these I just can’t wait to taste the delicious wrapper; the peppery spice is oh so good right from the start.

An easy light later, I find the smoke emanating from the foot so aromatic and pleasant. Aromas of earth and leather dominate for sure. Ahhh… I think, this is what an Habano is all about.

The smoke is definitely dense, but perhaps not as dense as it could be. No matter, the initial burst of pepper with leather and light grassy notes is yummy. An inch or so later the smoke gains a more roasted character and the pepper recedes a bit, but the leather is still present. Past the half way mark, the body of this cigar is solidly dark leather and earth with espresso and pepper. This character remains through to the end, with the pepper picking up a bit before the end.

The ash on these is great. The burn may require some coaxing from time to time but it is otherwise good. It smokes generally cool, unless you solicit it repeatedly toward the end, which you my end up doing because of the great smoke it yields. Now, this piramid has a tendency to tunnel in the last inch or so. I would resist the urge to correct the tunneling to avoid a bitter finish; don’t sweat it, just let it die with dignity and enjoy a wonderful medium long finish of earth and leather.

I enjoy these smokes thoroughly, and recommend them whole heartedly.

“Mill on the Hill” is the meaning of the Gaelic word that gives this aromatic single malt its name, since the distillery sits beside the mill on the banks of Allt a Choire, a tributary of the great river Livet, in Scotland. Far from being a powerhouse scotch whisky the Tamnavulin 12 Year is rather mild and refreshing on the palate.

Let yourself be seduced by the bright amber color and the mellow herbal notes with peat, heather, and hay on the nose. On the palate the single malt is lightly spicy to me; some cinnamon and nutmeg come to mind, with citrus zest and other floral notes. I like the “roundness” on this whisky, which reminds me of an old and mature Bordeaux wine; the result of the twelve year maturation.

I pair this one with a light smoke, one not too dark or earthy, and not a powerhouse for sure. Pairing it with a Don Diego or a Belmore Torpedito, the latter available in Europe, has been very nice indeed.

Now the third and final installment of my exploration into the European attitude for non-Cuban cigars: France’s Best Cigars of 2005 (part III): Honduras. I must say that I have personally enjoyed this little research, originally spurred by a general observation of an important lack of non-Cuban cigars in even the best European tobacconist shops.

So, having explored France’s Best from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua (aka: other territories) here are the winners of the 2005 trophies from Honduras:

The runner up, receiving four stars out of six, is the Flor de Copan Linea Puros Robusto (Tubo). Not to be confused with the regular Flor de Copan line, the Linea Puros is a definite effort at achieving a more robust blend for richer, fuller-bodied cigars. This cigar is described as having a rustic appearance that gives an impression of strength. They describe the smoke as clean, sweet and chocolaty, with a light initial spiciness that recedes soon afterwards. Not a strong cigar, in their opinion, its only flaw seems to be a rather strong sour character when drawn upon too eagerly. This puro promises to be a cigar both sweet in aroma and medium-bodied by virtue of its dense smoke.

Now for the winner, with five stars out of six, we have the Flor De Selva Robusto, a cigar whose only weakness came in the form of a relatively fragile wrapper that tears easily when removing the band. The smoke was described as cool with woody notes at first, gaining in complexity in the second half with caramel notes and ending with more peppery and toasty notes, with no trace of bitterness from start to finish.

Not bad at all, plus at just over five euros a stick, it makes me want to run out the door and grab a few myself.

And there you have it, all the non-Cuban winners of 2005; some quite puzzling choices in some cases, in others, well… just not the ones that would come to mind to U.S. aficionados. At any rate, France’s best of 2005 Non-Cuban cigars certainly have been eye opening to me.