What Is the Cigar Aficionado Top 25? The Annual List Explained
The Cigar Aficionado Top 25 is the most watched annual list in cigars. Learn how it works, what earns a spot, and why it matters to smokers and the industry.
The short answer
The Top 25 is published annually, typically in late fall — often November or December — and covers cigars reviewed throughout that calendar year.
Every November or December, the cigar world shifts its attention to one announcement: the Cigar Aficionado Top 25. It's the most anticipated list in the industry — a countdown of the year's best cigars as evaluated by the magazine's expert tasting panel, culminating in the number-one pick: the Cigar of the Year. Here's everything you need to know about how the list works and what it means.
What the Top 25 is
The Cigar Aficionado Top 25 is an annual ranking of the 25 best cigars reviewed and scored by the magazine's tasting panel during the preceding year. It's been published since 2004 and has become the most recognized year-end recognition in the premium cigar world.
The list is ordered from 25 down to 1, with the top-ranked cigar named Cigar of the Year. Think of it as the Academy Awards of the cigar world — highly anticipated, closely watched, and capable of changing the fortunes of the cigars it features.
How cigars qualify for consideration
Not just any cigar can end up on the Top 25. The path to the list starts months earlier in the year. Throughout the calendar year, Cigar Aficionado's panel conducts blind tastings of newly released and recently released cigars. Bands are removed and replaced with coded labels so tasters don't know what they're smoking.
The key qualifying threshold: a cigar must earn at least a 91 in a blind tasting to enter consideration for the Top 25. This immediately narrows the pool significantly — most cigars reviewed during the year will not reach that score.
The re-tasting process
Qualifying cigars don't simply rank themselves by their initial score. The top performers go through additional rounds of blind smoking — a tournament-like re-tasting phase where cigars are smoked again and compared against each other. This tests whether the original high score was repeatable and consistent.
Consistency matters here. A cigar that earned a 93 in January but smokes inconsistently across multiple samples is less likely to rank as highly as one that earned 92 consistently across multiple sessions and tasters.
The availability check
Before the final list is set, Cigar Aficionado checks each candidate for current availability. A cigar that performed brilliantly but has since sold out at retail, been discontinued, or is only available through a single difficult-to-access channel is removed from the final ranking.
This step keeps the list practical. The Top 25 isn't a historical archive of great cigars — it's meant to be a guide to cigars you can actually find and smoke right now.
How the list is revealed
Cigar Aficionado doesn't drop the full list at once. Instead, they count down from 25 to 1 over a period of days or weeks, often revealing a few positions each day. This format has turned the announcement into a genuine community event — enthusiasts, retailers, and manufacturers follow along daily as the list builds toward the number-one reveal.
The Cigar of the Year is always saved for last, making the final announcement the most anticipated moment of the cigar calendar.
What the list means for retailers and manufacturers
Landing on the Top 25 has immediate and dramatic commercial effects. Retailers who carry a listed cigar see a rapid spike in demand. A cigar that earns the number-one spot can sell out at distributors within days of the announcement. Manufacturers often cannot quickly scale production to meet the surge, which means getting your hands on the Cigar of the Year immediately after the reveal — rather than months later — typically takes quick action.
For manufacturers, a Top 25 placement is a major marketing asset. The ranking appears in advertising, on packaging, and in retail materials for years afterward. A Cigar of the Year designation can define a brand's identity for a generation.
What it means for you as a smoker
If you're building your palate or looking for reliable guidance on what to smoke, the Top 25 is a useful yearly benchmark. The list reflects cigars that performed at or near the top of the industry's most rigorous evaluation process.
That said, the list has limitations. It represents one publication's panel and methodology. Halfwheel, Cigar Coop, Cigar Journal, and Cigar Snob all publish their own year-end top lists, and the results often differ. A cigar that tops one list may not appear on another — which is a feature of a rich and varied industry, not a flaw in the system.
Use the Top 25 as a starting point. Check the tasting notes for each listed cigar to see which profiles match what you enjoy. Our cigar library shows published ratings and tasting notes so you can explore the context behind the scores. If you're new to cigars and the Top 25 names sound unfamiliar, start with our best cigars for beginners guide first.
When you do smoke a Top 25 cigar — or any highly rated cigar — log your own notes in the Casa DNC app. The critics' number is one data point. Your experience is the one that decides whether it belongs in your regular rotation.
The Top 25 is an event worth following. Just remember: your personal top one is the cigar you reach for most often, regardless of what the list says.
Frequently asked questions
- How often is the Cigar Aficionado Top 25 published?
- The Top 25 is published annually, typically in late fall — often November or December — and covers cigars reviewed throughout that calendar year.
- What score does a cigar need to make the Top 25?
- Cigars must earn at least a 91 in blind tastings during the year to be considered for the Top 25. Only the top-performing cigars from that eligible pool make the final list.
- Is the number-one cigar the same as the Cigar of the Year?
- Yes. The cigar ranked first on the Top 25 list is the Cigar of the Year — the highest-scoring, most consistently performing cigar across that year's blind-tasting sessions.
- How does Cigar Aficionado pick which cigars make the Top 25 vs. others with similar scores?
- After initial scoring, top-rated cigars go through additional re-tasting rounds. Availability is also checked — cigars no longer on the market are removed. The 25 that perform most consistently across all sessions and remain available make the list.
- Where can I find past Top 25 lists?
- Cigar Aficionado publishes past Top 25 lists on cigaraficionado.com. The lists going back to the 2004 inaugural year are part of their archive.
Keep reading
What Makes a Cigar Highly Rated: Construction, Flavor, Consistency
Why do some cigars score 95 points while others land at 88? Here's what cigar critics actually evaluate — construction, flavor complexity, draw, and more.
Best 94-Plus Rated Cigars: What That Score Really Means
A 94+ score from Cigar Aficionado means outstanding quality. Here's what that rating signals, how it's earned, and which 94-plus cigars are worth trying.
Cigar of the Year Winners: Every Number 1 Since 2004
The complete verified list of Cigar Aficionado Cigar of the Year winners from 2004 to 2024. Real scores, real cigars — the most celebrated picks in the hobby.