Meerapfel Cigar Richard Double Robusto

Meerapfel Cigar

• Country of Origin: Undisclosed
• Factory: Undisclosed
• Wrapper: Cameroon
• Binder: Undisclosed
• Filler: Undisclosed
• Length: 5 3/4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Robusto Extra
• MSRP: $86 (Box of 10, $860)
• Release Date: October 2022
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Original Score: 91

While some may be unfamiliar with Meerapfel, there is a pretty decent chance that many of those same people have smoked tobacco grown by the company.

The Meerapfel family has been in the tobacco business for more than 140 years—growing and selling leaves tobaccos from Cuba, Indonesia and Germany—and is known for being the preeminent grower of Cameroon tobaccos in Africa. Those tobaccos are used in the blends made by some of the cigar industry’s biggest names, a list that includes Arturo Fuente, Altadis U.S.A. and General Cigar Co.

While the Meerapfels have released their own cigars before, the family’s eponymous brand debuted in late 2022 with the Richard, a line named for the late Richard Meerapfel, who was heralded by some as saving Cameroon wrapper from extinction in the early 1990s. He is also the father of Jeremiah, Joshua and Melissa Meerafpel, who run the family’s various cigar companies today.

First, let’s get the obvious out of the way. As has been the case since this website was founded, the price of a cigar is not factored into our reviews nor this Top 25 list. We evaluate each and every cigar the same, regardless of price, blend, strength, size, availability, origin or packaging. For 2023, this was the best new cigar we reviewed.

Reviewers praised the blend’s amazing balance, rich flavors and impeccable construction. Scores are often close for the top spot, but this year’s contest is a great example of how one aspect can make a major impact. For this year’s list, the difference between first and second places was decided by construction. The Meerapfel featured perfect construction across six cigars, while the Davidoff lost a point on two different cigars.

This is the second year in a row that the Meerapfel Cigar Double Richard has topped one of our lists, as it took the top spot on halfwheel’s 2022 Packaging Awards. While the other vitolas are shipped in wide, wooden cigar boxes, the Double Robusto vitola is shipped inside an extremely large, ornately designed porcelain ashtray that is then packed inside of a wooden box. The bands have dozens of openings cut out of them to allow more of the vintage Cameroon wrapper to shine through as well as create an intricate design. In addition, the ribbon used to hold the cigars in place has “MEERAPFEL” in raised letters on it rather than having them simply printed on.

While its packaging was impressive, this list is solely about how the tobacco performs, and this was a rare occurrence when a cigar’s overall flavor profile, balance, construction, and packaging all coalesce into a product that is bigger than the sum of its parts. The Meerapfel Cigar Richard Double Robusto is substantial in every way. — Brooks Whittington.