Name: Chateau Kefraya Comte de M 2020 Type: Red Wine Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah Year: 2020 Country: Lebanon Region: Bekaa Valley Date Consumed: January 2, 2025
One of the best Lebanese wines one can have.
Chateau Kefraya’s Comte de M 2020 is a full-bodied wine with playful tannins, and it comes with notes of black fruits, plum, tobacco, oak, and leather.
The most impressive Comte de M vintage I’ve had is probably 2008, which I’ve paired with a Macanudo cigar back in 2021, but this young 2020 vintage that I’ve tried recently was also quite impressive. (If I had another bottle, however, I’d definitely age it a few years. It’s a wine that deserves to be matured.)
Naturally, the Comte de M is a wine that would pair nicely with red meat, strong cheeses, and charcuterie. But I prefer to add some smokiness to the whole experience and pair it with mild or medium-bodied cigars rather than food. It is how I roll…
Here’s a strong and aromatic robusto that has a 60-minute smoke time. It’s a masterfully constructed box-pressed cigar that has a firm draw and burns slowly. It’s good-looking, too. I liked pairing it with Islay whiskies. But it also goes well with espresso.
At number nine, we have a small Cuban cigar that is enjoyable behind the wheels. It would also be nice to pair it with a cappuccino while listening to the birds singing in the trees on a sunny summer morning. If it were up to me, I’d label the Partagas Petit Coronas Especiales as a “breakfast cigar.”
This is the cigar I smoked at Chateau Pape Clement, so I will always remember it because it’s attached to amazing memories. (My wife and I spent a night at Chateau Pape Clement when we were in Bordeaux. It’s a beautiful place, and their wine is unforgettable.) I smoked the Sin Compromiso after dinner and paired it with espresso and water.
Not the best first impression, but this double toro did grow on me eventually. It’s a big, practical cigar, and it deserves its number six spot on my list. It’s an excellent choice for a “casual smoke.”
Sometimes, I think that Arturo Fuente’s great name in the cigar industry has ruined Arturo Fuente’s cigars a little. I often expect a little more from their cigars than what I eventually get. Now, the Chateau Fuente King T Natural is an amazing cigar, and that’s why I placed it at number five. But I felt there was something missing when I was smoking it, and I don’t know what it is.
Big cigar, great construction, majestic burn, generous smoke, beautiful ash, and bold notes. Smoking the CAO Flathead V660 Carb was one of my big cigar moments of 2024.
This one is definitely the longest cigar I smoked in 2024. It was released by one of my favorite cigar lounges in Lebanon, and I just had to try it. It was a great experience.
A strong, full-bodied, good-looking, toro-sized cigar. All my preferences in one amazing smoke. This year, the Nicaraguan Liga Privada H99 Toro takes the number one spot.
If you enjoy reading my cigar posts, you may also enjoy my book about cigars. Check it out here.
Name: Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Espressivo Country: Nicaragua Shape: Box-Pressed Size: (5 inches x 50) Strength: Medium to Full
The Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Espressivo burned evenly and, for its size, produced a generous amount of smoke. It had a firm draw, and it lasted for about 60 minutes.
I paired the first third with espresso and sparkling water, the second third with a glass of Laphroaig Quarter Cask, and the final third with a glass of Port Charlotte 10. All pairings were successful.
It’s a nice cigar to have in one’s smoking repertoire.
Bored Absurdist 