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It's been a really busy year for us here at Klaro, and I mean that in the best way imaginable. Seriously. We love what we do, and we do what we love.
Not only did we launch some kick-ass new products like the 30 Cal Smoke Can Humidor, but we upgraded some existing products so that they can perform even better. Take the glass Cylindor Humidor for instance, which we recently modified so that our patented hygrometer can provide more accurate and easy-to-read humidity and temp readings than ever before.
Tech upgrades to our Klaro Valet Smart Humidor Hygrometer and the Klaro app also emerged this year, making stogie storage monitoring smarter and more intuitive. Tracking the contents of your humidor, while following daily, weekly, and monthly stats from any device makes cigar storage safer and more interactive than at any other point in history. If you haven't upgraded to a Klaro Valet yet you definitely should, because it really will revolutionize the way in which you store and maintain your cigars.
2024 also kept us equally busy on the cigar side of operations, with the last Vegas-based PCA Trade Show securing us a slew of exceptional new stogie offerings. While there were some big brand buys to be had, the vast majority of these new blends were unique boutique offerings and limited-run smokes.
Back in Japan, one cigar review after another emerged, which per usual, all of which sat within the range of 4.0/5 stars or higher. Again, we do things a little differently here at Klaro, and instead of suggesting that you smoke cigars that are mediocre or even sub-par, reviews remain oriented around blends that really rock.
This leads to today's topic: The inaugural annual release of the "Dynamite Dozen" from Klaro. This twelve stick bundle includes the Top 12 Highest Rated Cigars of 2024, which contains blends from both familiar legacy names and boutique brands alike. But despite their differences, each one of these smokes have one thing in common: They are the highest-rated, readily available cigars that I smoked and reviewed this year, all of which provided their own unique pleasures and perks. Let's get to it, and see what kicked the most ash this year, shall we?
[Buy Top 12 Best Cigars of 2024]
Crux Limitada
[Buy 5-Pack]
Receiving a 4.7/5 star review is no easy feat, yet this extremely balanced, smooth smoking offering from Crux Cigars really stole the show in 2024. While it may be labeled as limited, this smoke is produced in ample amounts and in various vitolas. So if you can't find the rare "Short Salomone" that we stock, chances are a different shape can be sourced with a little bit of research.
Regardless of which vitola you select the blend remains the same. This means you get an ultra-exclusive Engañoso wrapper leaf from Nicaragua, followed by a USA-born Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and a combo of Dominican and Nicaraguan long-fillers. The result is a medium-powered smoke that is distinguished and completely in control, and rolling in flavors of spiced cola, salted mixed nuts, dry-rubbed BBQ, leather, and hardwood tannins.
La Aurora 1903 Cameroon
[Buy 5-Pack]
Cameroon-wrapped cigars may be a bit of an obscurity nowadays, but some cigar manufacturers are still doing them, and certain blends are better than others. Take the 4.6/5 star rated 1903 Cameroon from La Aurora for instance, which utilizes a Cameroon-seed wrapper that is grown down in Ecuador. Thanks to the addition of Dominican and Nicaraguan filler leaves, and a Sumatran binder that is of the Ecuadorian kind, this "Time Capsule" blend boasts a kaleidoscope of flavors and aromatics. We're talking citrusy and pithy tropical fruits, black walnuts, tons of toast, tea leaves by the bushel, sweet soil, and vanilla wafers all in one serving here folks.
Meticulously bunched, blended, and rolled up just right, this is a slow-burning beauty of a cigar specimen. The ash is white as can be, and with boatloads of smoke from a damn good draw, this portion of the review was knocked out of the park with a near-perfect score. Flawless in almost every measurable assessment, this cigar feeds you light and bright tastes and aromatics, while gradually increasing in strength and depth. Flavorful to the point of being labeled "ideal" even prior to first light, there was not a section of this cigar that I did not enjoy immensely.
Esteban Carreras Unforsaken
[Buy 5-Pack]
Aged not once, but twice in 18-year-old rum casks, and meticulously rolled before being sleeved in cedar, Unforsaken takes Sumatran cigar blending in an intriguing direction. Not only are the binder and filler leaves aged in former rum casks but the entire cigar itself gets placed back in the barrel for aging once rolled. But wait, there's another kicker: Each barrel's interior is modified to keep the cigar from tasting and smelling too boozy.
The result is a cigar flavor profile that is both big and bold, and brimming with oak tannins, rum raisin ice cream, and milk tea, all served with a side of spice-infused blackcurrant jam on toast. Aromas of rum, and the tropical fruitiness and caramelized sugars that come with it are most notable in the final third especially, making this one of the best barrel-aged cigars we stock at Klaro.
Artesano del Tobacco El Pulpo
[Buy 5-Pack]
As the only Mexican San Andrés maduro wrapped cigar on this list, El Pulpo by Artesano del Tobacco earns a place for itself in the "Dynamite Dozen" based purely on appearance, performance, and mocha-like smoking pleasure. Strong, intriguing, and just as multitalented as the animal in which it represents, this maduro is made for those who prefer full on every level.
As dark as the ink emitted by the octopus itself, this blend floods the palate with horchata cinnamon milk spiced tea tastes, and black forest cake studded with cherries and coated in cream frosting. A bittersweet cacao nib bite, subtle cedar shaving notes, and an extremely long finish all made this one of my favorite dark, full-bodied cigars I smoked in 2024.
Plasencia Alma del Fuego
[Buy 5-Pack]
A Nicaraguan puro by pedigree, but packing an unprecedented majority share of tobacco from the volcanic island of Ometepe, Alma del Fuego resides somewhere between strong and smooth. An eruption of citrus, Thai curry spice, umami-like leather, and volcanic soil strikes the senses while maintaining a balance that is served in near-perfect quantities.
The blend also builds an ash with the very best of them, looks badass with its rough leather wrapper and bright red triple bands (yes, we award points for "Backstory & Branding"), and is near perfect when it comes to smoke production, combustion, and draw. Bonus points were awarded for the fact that the cigar comes with a closed foot, and for the fact that the cigar box it comes in doubles as an ashtray once emptied and flipped over.
Jake Wyatt Appendix II
[Buy 5-Pack]
Shifting away from dark and strong for a second, but keeping things creative in regard to blending and visual appeal, comes Appendix II from Jake Wyatt Cigar Co. Mild-medium in strength, but more medium in flavor and body, this unique-looking premium cigar blend sports a khaki-colored Connecticut Shade wrapper from Ecuador, and one of the best ashes you will see all year.
Not only was the burn and combustion on every one of these cigars I incinerated spectacular, but the smoke it sent forth felt and tasted lively, bordering on blissful. Cedar and mixed citrus, with almond milk, vanilla bean, baking spices, and those cinnamon and sugar-coated graham cracker flavors we cherish all earned this blend major points. Rich enough to be labeled as "complex," and clean to the point of being considered "pristine," this blend checked all of the boxes and a few bonus ones.
AJ Fernandez New World Dorado
[Buy 5-Pack]
Outside of a sprinkling of leaf within the filler blend being pulled from a couple of AJ's other fields, the entirety of this box-pressed premium cigar blend comes straight out of one farm plot: The AJ Fernandez Dorado farm in Estelí, Nicaragua. That means the sun-grown habano wrapper, along with the Criollo '98 binder, and a fat bunch of the long-filler inside are exposed to the exact same climate, weather changes, watering routines, soil quality, and so forth on a daily basis.
This results in a cigar that gets sweeter by the second, and gradually more mellow as it goes. At least, at first. As oak tannins and toasted marshmallows make you wish you were camping, along comes a drizzle of honey and that coveted graham cracker taste we encountered in a few other cigars on this list. Fortified with fertile flavors of farm and field, the peppery, grassy, full-on finish to the New World Dorado does not leave you on a bland note. It's a strong but smooth finish that feels perfectly tailored for those who enjoy bolder smokes.
My Father Cigars Don Pepin Garcia Original
[Buy 5-Pack]
The lancero, or panetela vitola always makes me think of something you might see Captain James T. Hook or Cruella Deville smoking. But don't let this long and skinny vitola fool you into thinking it's a cartoon pushover, because it's far more of a beast than one might expect.
Full in strength, body, and flavor for the majority of its 7½" length, and cloaked in a finger-licking good Corojo '99 Oscuro wrapper from Nicaragua, this slender cigar strikes a chord that few other blends can strum: Pizza.
Funky, heavily aged sharp cheeses, the tangy taste of stewed Roma tomatoes and savory garden herbs, dark, sweet balsamic notes, raw pizza dough, and a slightly spicy salinity that reminded me of the meaty umami note found in a cut of coppa charcuterie all make this blend sing.
Drew Estate 20 Acre Farm
[Buy 5-Pack]
Featuring Cuban-seed tobacco strains from Florida and Nicaragua in the filler, an outer blend bill that includes a Connecticut Shade wrapper out of Ecuador, and a binder boasting Habano '99 credentials from down in Honduras, 20 Acre Farm already looks like a winner before being torched.
As a milky, honeycomb-filled Connecticut Shade cigar flavor profile emerges, out comes honey graham cracker, followed by citrus zest, cinnamon, cedar, and a light toffee undertone. An adult-oriented orange creamsicle at its very core, this blend comes to a close with the taste of candied chestnuts, citrus peel, and warm cups of unpasteurized whole milk.
CAO Pilón Añejo
[Buy 5-Pack]
Due to this cigar being subjected to an additional two years of aging post-production, only 5,000 boxes of the CAO Pilón Añejo are released per run. Fortunately, it's also available annually, and since we have never had an issue restocking it, we opted to add this option to our inaugural "Dynamite Dozen" anyway. As for the additional two years of aging this cigar receives, I cannot imagine this Sumatran-wrapped, habano-bound, and ligero-filled smoke without some extra maturing.
Smooth Sumatran chai tea spice and sweet molasses form a permanent foothold early on, followed by a chewy granola bar dunked in malted milk, loads of lively leatheriness, and the lingering taste of candied dates. Despite being super strong smelling, the smoke itself is medium in mouthfeel, as is strength, with flavor outpacing both by a good bit with its bold progression. Bonus points were awarded for physical appeal and for the quality of the wrapper, which was easily one of the oiliest specimens I encountered all year.
EP Carrillo Encore
[Buy 5-Pack]
With its extensive aging, impeccable box-pressing, appealing Nicaraguan puro tobacco bill, and signature EP Carrillo's attention to detail, Encore seems like it would be one of those sticks everyone tried when it first launched. Yet here we are talking about the same old blend once again and for all the right reasons. Why? Because portions of this cigar have been aged in handmade "tercio" palm boxes.
Toasted almonds and cashew halves, dried oak, and a lingering tingle of tanginess combine to create a mellow first third that can be best described as languid. Although a doughy almond cookie taste remains the underlying cigar flavor profile for much of the stick, it's that dry oaky finish that pulls the pin on the tannin time bomb. Bittersweet and tart at times, a candied ginger and orange peel aftertaste spread silently behind the scenes, pairing perfectly with that medium-plus strength, cereal grain-like retrohale. Wait long enough, and those toasty "tercio" tannin tastes will start to shine in parting puffs, forming an organic closing taste unlike anything else out there.
Lovely Elegante X2
[Buy 5-Pack]
Like a milk café latte on a lazy afternoon, the last of 2024's "Dynamite Dozen" opens its doors with a creamy, refined start that leaves you wanting more almost immediately. Toasted wood staves, faint hazelnut notes, and a light doughy sugar cookie taste all earn five stars for starters.
Instead of strength, this blend turns toward flavor and fluid combustion dynamics to achieve its goal. Smoke is abundant and creamier than piña colada happy hour down at the local watering hole. Pinches of nutmeg from the foot and barrel mingle about, and with them comes a roasted vanilla bean note. Café latte in aroma only, the first half is a lightly layered, mild-medium experience with a trickle of dried cherries and slightly darker spice. But the deeper you go, the more you will realize that this cigar is like a layer cake. Light and easily consumable, but with a caramel center that is bolder than the external layers, you find that the deeper you dig the fuller and rounder this cigar flavor profile becomes.