I consider myself to be a lucky man. There are many reasons why I say this, I have a beautiful and very intelligent wife, a wonderful, vibrant daughter who is only 5 but going on 15, and I do a job that I can't really call a job as I enjoy it so much that it doesn't feel like work. Added to this I get to smoke some (mostly) wonderful cigars which the suppliers and producers are always throwing in my direction. Life is bliss!

This year so far has been no exception, but with the added extra that I have had the pleasure of tasting some of these gorgeous cigars in some exotic locations around the globe. Famous cities like Miami, New York, Esteli in Nicaragua and last but not least Nottingham! The five cigars I have chosen for the top slots so far for this year are....

Drew Estate Undercrown Shade Robusto - Nicaragua

Not currently available in the UK, but due to be soon, these stunning cigars made their first appearance in the fall of 2015 in the States and have been a huge success. Quality wise, these are stunning. Medium bodied but rounded and silky smooth; it's almost like smoking velvet if that were possible.

Hoyo De Monterrey Double Corona - LIMITED AVAILABILITY - Cuba

For the last 9 years or so we have been carefully nurturing these wonderful cigars in our humidor, letting them age gracefully just waiting for the right moment. After sampling one of these a few weeks ago I can announce that that moment has finally arrived! You should by now be hearing a fanfare of trumpets and the fizz and pops of fireworks because these aged Hoyo's deserve a grand entrance! wonderfully soft honeyed cedar notes with a creamy, almost sweet spiciness on the finish. Fans of the Hoyo's will LOVE these!

Joya De Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco Doble Robusto - Nicaragua

On my excursion to Nicaragua, one of the cigar producers we visited was Joya De Nicaragua situated in the Cigar capital of Nicaragua, Esteli. Established in 1968, Joya has seen all of the tremendous changes that have taken place in Nicaragua over that time. Through years of dictatorship, revolution and even climatic events like hurricanes, that virtually destroyed Nicaragua, Joya has survived to be strong and resilient. Released in 2013 to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Joya, these are rapidly turning in to one of my best selling cigars.

Ramon Allones Specially Selected - Cuba

I hadn't tried these in a long time and must admit that I wasn't sure if I liked them at the time. I seem to remember finding them a bit bitter, and recall only smoking about half of one. Anyway, back in January this year, Cigar Aficionado reviewed and rated these as a 96 pointer, so I just had to try one again to make sure. What a revelation. Big and bold in style with some good heavy duty flavours in there. Not for the faint hearted and definitely one for the very experienced cigar smoker. If you enjoy Partagas cigars, you would probably enjoy this too!

Partagas E2 - Cuba

Smokers of the D4, the biggest selling Partagas, will know what to expect, but do you find that they just don't last long enough? Here is the solution, it's the E2! Using the same blend of tobacco as the D4, the E2 are what you might term as the 'long format' version of the D4. Big and robust with some amazing depth. Loads of deep coffee flavours with a nutty, spicy edge to it.