This unique pack contains the cigars that have won the title of the Cigar Of The Year for each the last 5 years. Every year a large selection of cigars are tasted in blind sessions to select the best of the best. As all the cigars are tasted blind there are no preconceptions or bias from the panel about what should or shouldn't be good, so every cigar, in theory, has a chance of getting the coveted title.

One thing that is very surprising is that 4 out of the last 5 years, the winning cigar has come from outside Cuba! This quite possibly reflects the changing tastes of cigar smokers in general, but also gives a very good indication of the quality of the new world boys. Here then is is the magic list of winners.

Cigar Of The Year 2015 - My Father 'Le Bijou' 1922 Torpedo (Nicaragua)
++PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO VERY HIGH DEMAND WE HAVE SUBSTITUTED THE TORPEDO SIZE WITH THE GRAND ROBUSTO SIZE++

'The original My Father brand was created by Jaime Garcia to honor his father, Pepin. A year later, Pepin decided to honor his own father with an offshoot brand called My Father Le Bijou 1922. Unlike the originals, which wear an Ecuadoran cover leaf, Le Bijou 1922 cigars are darker and stronger. The blend is Nicaraguan from top to bottom, showcasing Cuban-seed wrappers that the Garcia family calls oscuro. Some will say that box-pressing a cigar is only an aesthetic decision. But when the Garcias took this hearty, complex blend, rolled it into a torpedo shape and then gave it a pressing, the result stood out for its ability to deliver complex notes clearly and harmoniously.

The date 1922 denotes the birth year of José Garcia, the father of Jose 'Pepin'� Garcia. Le Bijou means 'the jewel'� in French. And this cigar is emblematic of all the Garcia family has achieved. Pepin started as a roller in Cuba before emigrating to Miami and eventually opening up a tiny rolling gallery in Little Havana. Commercial and critical acclaim for his cigars allowed expansion into Nicaragua. Today, Pepin, Jaime and Janny Garcia lead My Father Cigars, and their factory in Estelí produces millions of cigars a year. Despite rapid growth, the family still takes great care in producing cigars of quality and distinction, which shows in this My Father Le Bijou 1922 Torpedo Box Pressed. It takes a profound understanding of cigar tobaccos to create a smoke that conveys uncanny impressions of dark chocolate-covered raisins, savory leather and a sweet-and-salty finish that resonates on the palate.

This cigar has an ideal combination of power and finesse to make it No. 1. It's the second Cigar of the Year for the Garcias.' - From Cigar Aficionado Magazine

Cigar Of The Year 2014 - Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado (Nicaragua)

'One look at the sharply pressed corners and carefully curved head and foot of the Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado tells you this is no ordinary cigar. The Nicaraguan smoke represents the pinnacle of achievement for Oliva Cigar Co. The Oliva Cigar story began in the late 1800s, when Melanio Oliva started growing cigar tobacco in Cuba. His heirs carried on the family tradition in the fields, but it was his grandson Gilberto Oliva Sr. who began making cigars.
As with so many cigar stories, Gilberto Oliva Sr. faced a difficult road. He left his native Cuba in 1964, and eventually started working for the Plasencia family in Honduras. In 1995 he and his son Gilberto Jr. created a cigar within Plasencia's factory called Gilberto Oliva. A year later, they set out to open a factory of their own, and shortened their brand name to Oliva.
Business was tough in those days, and Oliva struggled. Faced with dwindling reserves of cash, in a cost-cutting move they turned to Gilberto Sr's robust stocks of Nicaraguan tobacco, which changed the flavor profile of Oliva cigars at a time when the interest in Nicaraguan flavor was increasing.
Nicaraguan tobacco helped Oliva survive. The cigar that brought it to the attention of connoisseurs debuted in 2006: Oliva Serie V. Made by a small group of rollers and blended for strength and style, the Serie V line was an immediate hit. In 2012, to pay tribute to the first man in the family to grow cigar tobacco, Oliva added the Melanio version, which is distinguished from the original by its Sumatra-seed wrapper grown in Ecuador. The Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado has rich, big notes of leather framed by a range of coffee, caramel and woody intonations. It's a classic smoke.
Oliva's cigars have appeared on our Top 25 list nine times in a row. This is the first time the company has been named Cigar of the Year.' Courtesy Of Cigar Aficionado Magazine.

Cigar of the Year 2013 - Montecristo No.2 (Cuba)

'The undisputed king of torpedoes is the Montecristo No. 2. The stately smoke with the pointy tip is known the world over and ranks as one of the best-selling cigars in the Cuban cigar portfolio. And unlike some things that sell well, Monte 2s combine commercial success with critical acclaim. We have rated Montecristo No. 2s dozens of times in Cigar Aficionado blind tastings. The first time was more than 20 years ago, when we gave it a score of 94 points. This score of 96 is the highest rating we have ever bestowed on the cigar in a blind taste test.

Recent production Monte 2s (those we smoked were from April 2013) are extraordinary, teeming with rich but not overwhelming flavors of leather, such sweet spices as cinnamon and nutmeg and the cigar's trademark tangy wood note. They have enough flavor and power to satisfy those who smoke cigars on a regular basis without overwhelming those who puff less frequently.

The Montecristo No. 2 is anything but new. The cigar is one of the original sizes of the Montecristo brand, which was created in Cuba by Alonso Menendez in 1935 and became the best-known of all the cigars rolled at Menendez, Garcia y Cia., the biggest cigar company in pre-Castro Cuba.

The Count of Monte Cristo, the 1844 work of French novelist Alexandre Dumas that culminates in a dramatic sword fight, is believed to have inspired the name. Today, the Montecristo box features swords crossed in a triangular pattern, and the band has a majestic fleur-de-lis, a symbol of the French monarchy, in its center. While Montecristo No. 2s smoke beautifully in their youth, they also make superb aging cigars for those with the patience. We have smoked Montecristos that have been stored for 10 to 50 years in a humidor, and they only get better over time. The Montecristo No. 2 is a classic, and Cigar Aficionado's best cigar of 2013.' Courtesy Of Cigar Aficionado Magazine

Cigar Of The Year 2012 - Flor De Las Antillas Toro (Nicaragua)

'The story of Cigar Aficionado's 2012 Cigar of the Year begins in Cuba, the island home of Jose 'Pepin'� Garcia, his son Jaime and daughter, Janny. Pepin began rolling cigars at the age of 11 in his hometown of Baez. He rose to prominence in Cuba as a talented cigarmaker, but yearned for freedom and opportunity. One by one the Garcias left, eventually making their way to Miami where they began producing cigars.

Their beginnings were humble: the factory was tiny, with all of a dozen rollers, and they didn't own the entire operation. But they had their first taste of glory with the Tatuaje brand, which they made for Pete Johnson. It brought critical acclaim as well as increasing demand, which led the family to venture out on its own, eventually constructing the massive and gorgeous My Father Cigars S.A. factory in Esteli, Nicaragua.

Today, Pepin focuses his energies on growing tobacco in Nicaragua, trying various seed varieties. Jaime is the company's master blender. They released the Flor de Las Antillas brand in May 2012, using a variety of Nicaraguan tobaccos, their trademark double binder and a wrapper leaf grown in the open sunlight. They named the brand for Cuba, the largest of the Antilles Islands, which are called Antillas in their native Spanish.

The standout of the four-size brand is the Toro, which has a gentle, rounded box press and a beautiful and evenly colored wrapper. The smokes are delicious from the first puff, with notes of nutmeg, white pepper and just enough strength without being overpowering. They are hard to put down. They are classics, 96-point smokes on our 100-point scale.

The Garcias have worked long and hard since coming to the United States, coming a long way in a very short time. Their cigars have made numerous appearances on Cigar Aficionado's Top 25 list, but this is the first time they have won Cigar of the Year.' Courtesy Of Cigar Aficionado Magazine

Cigar Of The Year 2011 - Alec Bradley Prensado Robusto (Honduras)

(Please note that the Churhill size won the award - but the Robusto is equally as good!)

'Alan Rubin has come a long way in 16 years. He first joined the cigar business in 1996, selling a cigar brand designed for sale at golf courses. It didn't succeed. Rubin had left the family fastener business for something he enjoyed: selling cigars. He named his young company after his two sons, Alec and Bradley, but struggled to find his way. Deep in debt, he realized he had to be in premium cigar stores. He gained a measure of popularity by selling cigars in bundles.

Trying to find an edge in an industry that was going through difficult times, he showed signs of innovation early with the release of a cigar with a triangular shape, a first for the cigar business. In 2007 he finally hit his stride with the creation of Alec Bradley Tempus, a heavy-bodied cigar that brought his best ratings to date as well as industry buzz.

Two years later, he created a blend called Alec Bradley Prensado. Rubin had smoked a very dark wrapper leaf grown in a region of southern Honduras called Trojes and decided to build a cigar brand around it, using Central American tobacco exclusively. And what a cigar he made. The brand hit the market in 2009 and was acclaimed from the very beginning. In a vertical brand tasting in Cigar Insider of the five original sizes, each scored 91 points or more and earned our accolade of Humidor Selection.

The Alec Bradley Prensado Churchill, made at the superb Raices Cubanas factory in Danlí, Honduras, is as gorgeous a cigar as you'll ever see, with a picture-perfect head and a stunning wrapper. But it is the flavor that makes it a classic smoke. The Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos come together to create leather, chocolate and spice notes, and a long, lush finish.' Courtesy Of Cigar Aficionado Magazine