Top 25 Cigars! What about Rum?

[KINGSTON]

Cigar Aficionado just released it's Annual Top 25 Best Cigars of 2007. Are their any publications that do this with Rum? Are their any Magazines that even cover Rum in great length?

Ed, Have you ever thought about releasing a Bi-Monthly Magazine? I know every one who has had a chance to read your books have really enjoyed them.

Live listed the Top 10 from Cigar Aficionado

1. Padron 1926 (Nicaragua)
2. Fuente Fuente Opus X (Dominican)
3. Monticristo (Habana)
4. Oliva Serie V (Nicaragua)
5. Ashton VSG (Dominican)
6. Cohiba Maduro 5 (Habana)
7. Illusione Cg:4 (Honduras)
8. Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Maduro (Honduras)
9. CAO Vision (Dominican)
10. Dunhill Signed Range (Nicaragua)

[RumBarPhilly]

If there was a rum publication, I would own 3-4 subscriptions myself.

Who wants to start one??

[Hank Koestner]

The only cigars off that list I have not tried are 2, 9 and 10. I do wish there was a publication devoted strictly to rum and anything associated with rum.

[KINGSTON]

(Hank)
2. Classic cigar. Full bodied earthy and hints of leather.
9. Top notch Medium bodied meaty smoke with a well aged character.
10. Medium bodied cigar with a stout Earthy finish.
All Three are worth checking out!

Somebody could even do a E Magazine, sort of like Cigar Insider from CA. I would love to see that!

[Edward Hamilton]

I'd like to publish something about rum in a magazine form, but it is a real paradox as the most current and accurate information is published online. I do see a subscription magazine as an addendum to this site in the future. I don't really want to waste more trees for paper, and fuel to deliver more of those trees across the country when this medium is so much faster and costs everyone less to boot.

[Lew Barrett]

Of the Cubans, I'm a fan of the Monty 2, but then, who isn't. That, and the Punch Punch are two of Cuba's most reliable models in my experience. The Siglo IV's another favorite of mine but they can be inconsistent, as can many of the larger sizes in many Cuban brandings, so I've become a corona gorda/grande and robusto fan over the years. I've been non plussed by more double coronas than any other size over the last ten years or so. But when they are good, oh man!
Another sometimes spectacular Cuban than can nonetheless disappoint is Rafael Gonzales' Lonsdale, but a good one is terrific.

I am liking the Saint Luis Rey Corona Especial as a daily affordable smoke just now. I agree about the Olivas; great smoke.

I like sweeter rum with cigars, possibly because I like strong cigars. You all know of course that Davidoff didn't recommend smoking and drinking together, suggesting that each pleasure should be taken in turn. His advice is heeded more in the breech than the keeping, but not infrequently I prefer to smoke a good cigar without anything but a glass of water standing by, and vice versa on the rum side. Sometimes, not

[Count Silvio]

Originally Posted by RumBarPhilly

If there was a rum publication, I would own 3-4 subscriptions myself.

Who wants to start one??

Yeah I'm game.

[Matusalem]

I'd love to see is someone make a list of the best 25 rums and wake up a week later and still feel confident those were thee 25 best with absolutely no substitution or second guesses. As long as I've been into whisky, I've tried a couple of times but came to my own conclusion that there's simply too much latitude and human nature involved for me to define "best" for any period longer than "right now" with any sense of certainty. Poor or not to my liking, good, very good, excellent etc. are about as far as I go with ratings. At most I can say what I prefer and sometimes even get creative enough to explain why I prefer a certain item over another.

Cigar Aficionado is a victim of it's own success IMHO. 8%-10% cigar related content, high vs. low ratings of cigars often mysteriously coinciding with amount of ads paid for and displayed in the magazine itself... a forum that often spends time defending itself against Don Quixotes (sp?) who continuously question the integrity and agenda of the magazine and forum itself (rightfully so in some instances, IMHO).

A publication would be great. I don't know Edward that well at all but I have a hard time envisioning him leading something that follows in the steps of a cA. Money is nice but it isn't everything.

JMHO

[Lew Barrett]

I agree with you. I stopped reading CA years ago. It's not that I've got anything against them (quite the contrary), it's as much a question of how far my interests (and seemingly theirs) can go discussing cigars. CA is a lifestyle magazine so in the end it becomes as much about motorcycles, wrist watches, and whatever the editors believe defines the good life with cigars being the central consumer item they report on. If I want a motorcycle magazine, I'll buy Bike or Cycle World. Magazines with overview articles about high end cars, polo mallets and cigar personalities become tedious for me and I'd think, for those who publish them. The central topic is....um....limited. There's nothing wrong with any of this, but a forum like this provides that plus inter-activity, and, like most good focused sites, community. You can't get that in a magazine and it's what keeps one coming back.

I'd see a rum periodical as much as a newsletter as a magazine. Relatively high subscription costs would offset a limited but direct focus on the topic and support a limited advertising policy. If it gets too big you're going to have lawn croquet articles. That's the nature of the beast.

Obviously I don't know Ed at all either, but if there was to be such a thing, I'm sure he'd be the guy to lead the charge. One could actually do this as an online magazine; there are precedents, if that was a thought.

ymmv, imho, etc.

[Matusalem]

Sorry gents. I guess I came off as a doomsday-ist.:eek:

I use to be receptive to cA back in the day as they say...(which it became known as cA for its growing lack of emphasis on cigars and all about Aficionadoism). I guess I had a funny flash of Ed doing things quite a bit differently (like not defending the integrity of Martinique's Agricole industry for fear of upsetting a molasses farmer or someone else contributing a few bucks to promote a product or technique he wouldn't inflict upon any true friends etc.).

Aside from becoming pessimistic at the sound of Marvin Shanken's printing-press, I think Ed had it right in that unless you're publication is more about the non-dynamic aspects and limited to some degree in scope, much of what comes to print these days is slightly dated - to so dated it's no longer relevant.