Top 25 Cigars 2023
In 2023, we reviewed 197 new cigars. These are the best 25 cigars of that group.
At the top of this year’s list are two cigars that separated themselves not only from the rest of the cigars on the list but also from previous lists. The second-place cigar for 2023 would have finished as the top cigar on most of our previous Top 25 lists. We can say that because this list is produced by rating cigars, not simply ranking them subjectively from 1-25.
Each year’s Top 25 is different, not just in the cigars that are on it but also in the themes of the list. This year’s list is more expensive than most other years and has fewer cigar factories represented. More than half of the 25 cigars on this come from just six factories. While many of the companies listed here are familiar, there are still some surprises, including two cigars from a company that has never made halfwheel’s Top 25 before.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this list, cigars must meet the following qualifications:
- The blend must first ship to stores in either 2022 or 2023
- The cigar must get a regular review (redux reviews are not eligible) during 2023
Our Process
Determining the 25 cigars that make this list is based on a hybrid evaluation process that includes both one person smoking three cigars—offering some window into consistency—and three other people each smoking one cigar, giving additional viewpoints.
That starts with a review, typically published between Tuesday-Sunday. Each of our three full-time reviewers—Brooks Whittington, Charlie Minato and Patrick Lagreid—is assigned cigars to smoke for review throughout the years. Those reviews are produced by a single person smoking three of the same cigar. While the reviewer knows the cigar they are smoking, they do not know the score they are giving the cigar until the review is ready to be published. If that score is 91 points or higher and the cigar is new, then the cigar is considered eligible for this list.
The next step involves sending three other people—the two other reviewers as well as Brian Burt, a former halfwheel review writer—each one of those same cigars, meaning that six cigars in total were smoked for every cigar in consideration for the Top 25 list. Those three people score the cigars using the same system, one where they do not know the score of the cigar. (For more information about how we score cigars, click here.)
This list is the results of four people smoking a combined nearly 700 cigars to try to determine halfwheel’s highest-rated new cigars of 2023. None of the four people on this panel knew what the rankings looked like until the final cigars were scored in early January.
We do not modify the rankings by removing cigars because of their price, availability, size, etc. There are no restrictions on a company having multiple cigars on this list, which is why some companies have multiple cigars on this list. Perhaps most relevant for this year’s list, we do not factor price into ratings.
