It has yet to be asked...what was your top cigar of 2008...and why?

I have way too many, but only a few really stand out (this excludes the Ybor Herf/Skerf for me). Last May, a friend of a friend was generous enough to replace the AF Cuban Belicosos, for one it would not stay lit, and two, he could see the great sense of distaste on my face, with a 1994 SLB Bolivar Belicosos Finos....I had the distinct pleasure of burning it on August 15 amongst friends, which was more to me....The Boli flavor was so much more elegant than any younger BBF I have ever smoked....
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Hmm...very tough question... I found a lot of new ones that I love... and most of them were CCs... but the best one was probably the '01 Monte Especial... there is just something so damn good about that cigar! If they ever hit special again I am going to grab about 6-10 boxes lol....:-)
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I just remembered a second one in particular....
Last Mother's Day, whilst my father was laid up in a hospital room fighting cancer, a really good friend help me forget that for a few hours...involving two of my favorite things...Baseball and Cigars. The St. Paul Saints were in town playing and a friend with season tickets gives me a call...meet me at the stadium before the game...I did, after of course I cleared it with my Mom. The cigar was a Los Statos DeLuxe Delirios...it was, at that time, the best cigar I had smoked of 2008. Pete, I want to thank you for helping me forget the worry and fill the day with a GREAT GREAT distraction...you have no idea what it really meant too me...
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So many great cigars, and so many good cigars that were great because of the company they were smoked in!

If we are talking strictly cigars, two stand out in my mind above all others in 2008.

2 Don Candido 502s (one from Dave and one from Mike)

and

Partagas Dunhill Seleccion 777 from Allan.
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hmmm...tough one...but i would say the Oliva V line....why?
well i have only smoked i think around ten this year. but the flavors and consistancy never changed....thats why....great smoke, almost flawless in my mind...
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Ramon Allones Gran Robusto Benelux RE 07 and the Casa Fuente Churchill. I could smoke that last one thanks to Conch.
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new cigars--- TAT black and Pepin My Father
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the oliva v comes to my mind first.

Ive only had a few white labels from pete, which have been very good, but im sure hes had great cigars in 08. Pepin has had really good stuff as well. Man there were so many good cigars in 08, cruzador dante, the v maduro, my father, cuvee rouge.

Ive heard good stuff about the 08 mag 50 from hupmann as far as habanos are concerned.
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Don Pepin Garcia Serie JJ Maduro
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Got a Monte Petit Edmundo for my birthday, and it really capped off a great day with great company. It was my first CC, and probably tops the list.

Others, regardless of occasion that made the list:
Tatuaje Unicos -- loved these every time I lit one up, and I am almost ready for another box
601 Black Torpedo -- A new favorite.
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Good question... and a lot stick out... interestingly non of which came from my humi...

I vividly remember standing in a circle with Jack, Allan B and George BS-ing and passing a 1492 around. This was the most rich one I had ever tasted so I'm going to call it my favorite cigar of 08.

It didn't suck
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I would really have a hard time getting down to one. Two NCs come to mind:

Oliva V Maduro that I had with Andre and Steve - The very good stick was put in a different class by the company of two great BOTLs.
Padilla 1932 Sig corona gorda - on a gorgeous fall afternoon on a deck looking over the Intracoastal Waterway. Gave a friend his first CC that day and we had a great time enjoying them together.
Monte #2 that was gifted to me. Was so good it send me jumping off the dark side cliff.
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00 Partagas de Partagas thanks to a great BOTL
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I had SO many cigars in '08 that I really enjoyed it's hard to name just one. Just to name a few though . . .

El Centurion robusto
'06 Opus X Perfection X
Monte #2 (aged but I can't remember what year)
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On the NC side, I was quite smitten with EO's Cubao... I would expect to see them in CA's top 25 for the year...
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I liked the 08 monte 4's i've had, they are my favorite go to cigar and what ive smoked the most of
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I would have to say the oliva series "o" that I recently discovered,great value,I find oliva smokes to be on par with padron as far as quality..
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toss up between the 70's Partagas Presidente, had some samples thanks to N2Adventure and GTS, and the Dunhill I shared with Jayhemingway
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I only started smoking cigars last March so my experience is rather limited. I don't know if I have a favorite right now but I do know what I smoked more of than any other brand and that was the Taboo Twist Robusto.

Great flavor, solid construction, fair price.
What's not to like?
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2008 was a fun year for me and cigars. Last January, after smoking a couple of cigars at a work function, I was surfing around on the internet and came across Club Stogie. A couple of humidors, a few hundred cigars and another cigar board later, I can say that I've had a fun year. The two cigars that stand out the most to me this year were:

2007 Bolivar Petit Corona - This was a gift from a generous brother on this board, and this was the first cuban cigar that blew me away. I just remember sitting outside on my back patio saying WOW!

Tatuaje Black - I enjoyed this cigar with a group of friends around a camp fire one evening last summer. The setting and company were perfect, and this cigar was the perfect accompaniment to that setting. This cigar lived up to the hype that I had for it and blew me away.
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