No one has ever said that setting out to review 50 cigars in the same number of days would be an easy job. Unlike wines, from which you can take several sips and go on to taste a hundred or more during a day, a cigar has to be smoked from beginning to end before it can be properly evaluated. How hard it draws in the beginning, how hot it becomes towards the end, changes in flavor from start to finish, and positive and negative aftertastes while one is smoking at any stage are all critical parts of the evaluation. One thus has a choice - of short term suffering in the name of work, or of evaluating during the process of enjoyment.

Regular readers of my columns know that self inflicted pain is not normally part of my agenda. The following evaluations are therefore based on the principle of having enjoyed one cigar daily for the last fifty days. My system was simple enough. I started by making two lists, one of 25 of the cigars I most enjoy, all of which are available locally, and a list of 25 others that I knew but was not on intimate terms with. Every day, I took one cigar to smoke.

Some of the cigars were smoked at home, others at neighborhood cafes, others in a park, yet others in prestigious restaurants. All in all, it was a most enjoyable exercise, not at all scientific because I made no attempt to do my tasting "blind".

In the evaluations that follow, prices in pounds sterling are those in London, in Dollars in the United States and in Francs in Switzerland. . Unless otherwise noted, most of these cigars come in boxes of 25. Keep in mind that: (a) cigars that come in tubes are generally more expensive; and (b) non Cuban cigars are generally less expensive in New York than in London, Geneva or Paris

For convenience in reading, I have clustered together the cigars of specific producers. For each cigar, the first name that appears is the name the company has given its cigar. If that name varies from the Cuban standard, the official name is given in parenthesis. To check the length and ring size of each cigar, see the box at the end of this review. As with my wine evaluations, in each category I have listed the cigars in the order of my preference, that is to say, the top rated cigar first. Although each of the cigars deserves a rating as "excellent", those I evaluated as truly extraordinary, are noted with an asterisk (*).

Cohiba, Cuba

* Siglo III (Corona Grande): With its rich smooth brown wrapper, this cigar is as beautiful to look at as it is to smoke. With chocolate, cedar wood and a hint of coffee in its flavors, this opulent cigar has as much finesse and class as one could hope for. 10.00 Sterling.

* Robustos: A remarkably rich and full bodied cigar with has earthy flavors of cocoa, nutmeg and spice 10.50 Sterling.

* Siglo I (Lonsdale): A small cigar packed with is flavors of dark chocolate, spices and even a hint of citrus fruits. Delicious and elegant. 6.00 Sterling

Siglo IV (Corona Gorda): Medium to full bodied, this cigar has an intriguing character of coffee, spices and leather. Truly lovely. 12.50 Sterling

Esplendidos (Churchill): Full bodied, with wood, cherries, berries and spices in its flavors. Many enjoy the very firm draw. 12.50 Sterling.

Corona Especiales (Panatela): Full bodied, firm, with an easy draw, and lots of spices, nuts and chocolate in its flavors. 11.50 Sterling.

Lanceros (Panatela): Difficult to draw but rich in coffee, nut and tobacco flavors. 13.50 Sterling.

Diplimaticos, Cuba

* Diplomaticos No. 5 (Figurado): Earthy, spicy, fruity and well A balanced, this is a cigar that borders on greatness. 4.50 Sterling

Hoyo de Monterrey, Cuba

* Double Corona: A well made, truly delicious cigar, with coffee caramel, leather and nice cedar wood. Among my personal favorites. 10.00 Sterling

* Epicure No 1 (Corona Gorda): Another excellent cigar, meant for those who like their smokes aggressive but well balanced and with lots of spiciness. 9.00 Sterling

Hoyo de Roi (Corona): Full bodied, well-balanced and rich, with lots of nutmeg, cedar wood and tobacco flavors. 7.50 Sterling

Romeo & Julieta, Cuba

* Churchill: Deep and rich, with lots of spice and coffee flavors and aromas, this may well be the best Cuban cigar ever made. 10.00 Sterling

Coronas: Lots of spice, an abundance of nutty flavors, a hint of leather and just the right amount of spiciness. œ6.80

Exhibicion No. 4 (Hermoso): Earthy, with leather, pepper and a marvellous overlay of spices. 6.00 Sterling

Excepcionales Cello (Corona Grande): Full bodied, with cedar, nutmeg and pepper. A very pleasant smoke. 4.50 Sterling

Punch, Cuba

Double Corona: Powerful, earthy, and complex, this superb cigar has flavors of leather, herbs and spices. 10.50 Sterling

Churchills: Full bodied, rich and smooth, with lots of leather, nutmeg, cinnamon and wood, this is another great cigar. 10.00 Sterling

Coronas: Spicy, with attractive notes of cedar and pine wood this is an extraordinarily pleasing cigar. 6.50 Sterling

Punch Punch (Corona Gorda): Medium bodied, earthy and spicy A generous smoke. 8.00 Sterling

La Flor De Cano, Cuba

* Short Churchill (Robusto): A truly great cigar, rich and full bodied, with flavors that are rich with spices, cocoa, coffee and cinnamon. 5.60 Sterling

Diademas (Churchill): Earthy and full-bodied with lots of leather and sweet spice flavors. 10.00 Sterling

Bolivar, Cuba

* Bolivar Royal Coronas (Robusto): A truly great cigar. Earthy, with flavors of leather, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate this powerful but smooth cigar leaves the flavor of nuts lingering in the mouth. 6.50 Sterling

Belicoso Finos (Figurado): Powerful, full-bodied and with a high level of spiciness, this is a delicious smoke together with good Vintage Port. 8.50 Sterling

Coronas Extra (Corona Gorda): Nice spiciness, plenty of wood and a good earthy feeling make this a smooth, attractive smoke. 7.70 Sterling

Montecristo, Cuba and Dominican

Especiales No. 2 (Panatela), Cuba: Medium bodied and with flavors of nutmeg, citrus fruits and spices this marvellous, smooth smoke maintains its character until it is completely burned down. 7.50 Sterling

No. 4 (Petit Corona), Cuba: Full bodied, perfumed and delicious, with well balanced flavors of herbs, spices and wood, 5.75 Sterling

No. 1 (Lonsdale), Cuba: Medium bodied, smooth and well balanced with hints of flowers and cedar wood. A very pleasing smoke. 9.00 Sterling

No. 2 (Figurado), Dominican Republic: Mild, with nice flavors of spice and nuts, this is an easy to smoke well-balanced cigar. $9.00

No. 3 (Corona), Dominican Republic: With lots of nuts and a few herbs and spices in its flavors, this is a well made medium-bodied cigar. $4.50

Especiales (Lanceros), Cuba: Smooth and well built, with lots of pepper and with just the right amount of cedar wood. 9.25 Sterling

Davidoff, Dominican Republic and Honduras

Double R (Double Corona), Dominican Republic: With a powerful character of spices, cedar wood and coffee, this remarkably smooth Prominente sized cigar has flavors that linger long on the palate. $16.50

No. 4000 (Cervante), Dominican Republic: Solid but easy to draw, this lovely size cigar has elegant coffee and nut flavors and aromas. $7.75

Special R (Robusto), Dominican Republic: Really nice spices and lots of wood, make this an extremely pleasing cigar. $8.50

No 2. Grand Cru (Corona), Dominican Republic: Medium bodied, with nice nutmeg and cinnamon flavors and lots of nuts in the flavors and aromas. $9.00

No 3. Grand Cru (Petit Corona), Dominican Republic: Even though this smooth, easy to draw cigar has some nice spice and wood flavors it feels just a bit immature to attain real greatness. $6.85

Zino Mouton Cadet No. 6 (Robusto), Honduras: Creamy smooth, with mild spices and an elegant character. Over all, a delightful smoke. $6.00

Special T (Figurado), Dominican Republic: With its soft spicy flavors and creamy character, this is an attractive medium-bodied cigar. $10.50

Zino Mouton Cadet No. 5 (Petit Corona), Honduras: A mild cigar with a comfortably easy, the cigar has nice spices and cedar flavors. $5.00

No. 2000 (Petit Corona), Dominican Republic: With nice, mild flavors that includes nuts and spices, this medium bodied cigar has a creamy texture. $6.75

No. 5000 Cello (Corona Gorda), Dominican Republic: Light, and with wood and herbs in its flavors, this is an especially smooth smoke. $9.55

H. Upmann, Cuba and Dominican Republic

Conoisseur No. 1 (Corona), Cuba: Many who like the Corona size find this their favorite. Lots of nut, coffee and tobacco flavors and a firm but comfortable draw. 6.00 Sterling

Coronas Major (Corona), Dominican Republic: Medium bodied and earthy, with plenty of nuts and sweet spices. $3.50

Partagas, Cuba and Dominican Republic

* Lusitanias (Double Corona), Cuba: Full bodied and remarkably rich,with cedar wood, leather and cinnamon, this is a truly great cigar. 10.00 Sterling

Petit Cornas Especialle (Petit Corona), Cuba: Light and smooth with lots of sweet spice flavors. 5.50 Sterling

Partagas de Partagas No. 1 (Corona), Dominican Republic: A bit dry, but mild with nice flavors of pepper and herbs. Pleasant if not great. $2.50

8-9-8 (Lonsdale), Cuba: Full bodied, rich, with a comfortable draw, and with plenty of nuts and wood. 6.50 Sterling

Coronas, Cuba: Spicy, herbal and woody, with plenty of flavors and a good draw. 6.80 Sterling

Dunhill, Dominican Republic

Peravias (Double Corona): With a perfect draw from beginning to end and good nutty and sice flavors, this is a most enjoyable cigar. 6.45 Sterling

Romanas (Robusto): Those who like their cigars not to complex, spicy and with an almost burned aroma will find this much to their taste. $4.50

Peterson, Dominican Republic

Toro (Corona Gorda): Medium bodied, with earthy flavors and comfortale draw. Overall, a pleasing smoke. $7.00

© Daniel Rogov