The Big Smoke Returns To Las Vegas—Tickets On Sale Now

January/February 2025
In this issue

Four-Time Super Bowl Champion Rob Gronkowski • January/February 2025

Rob Gronkowski personified toughness throughout his storied NFL career. Despite the laundry list of injuries he compiled during his playing days, the six-foot-four powerhouse never let pain diminish his performance on the gridiron, or his unrelenting enthusiasm off the field. We caught up with "Gronk" to discuss his hard-fought journey to NFL greatness, his post-football career and the role cigars play in his life. Plus, the Cigar Aficionado editors reveal the Top 25 Cigars of the Year, as well as the best bang-for-your-buck smokes of 2024. We also look at some of England's best, and unknown, golf courses, discover the prestige of Peter Luger's in Las Vegas and take a look back at Big Smoke Las Vegas. Plus, Kix Brooks shares his favorite cigar and we review a 2015 Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 in Connoisseur's Corner alongside more than 70 expert cigar reviews. 

Features

Tough Enough

Tough Enough

Rob Gronkowski is in pain. The four-time Super Bowl champ, a bruising tight end who once mowed down opponents with ease and charmed fans with his enthusiasm and energy, is not …

Best Cigars of 2024

Best Cigars of 2024

All information can be prejudicial. Everything from the price of a cigar to the brand to its country of origin will inevitably produce expectations, negative or positive, that …

Lost Links: England’s Secret Golf Coast

Lost Links: England’s Secret Golf Coast

The eternal Bucket List question for golf travelers is: Scotland or Ireland? Both are chock full of fantastic courses and worthy of pilgrimage, but they are also geographically …

Peter Luger Comes To Vegas

Peter Luger Comes To Vegas

Whenever a notable New York restaurant opens a location in Las Vegas, the first question that comes to mind is nearly universal: Is it as good as the original? The answer is …

Cigars

Big Smoke Las Vegas Returns to the Paris Hotel and Casino

Big Smoke Las Vegas Returns to the Paris Hotel and Casino

3,000 cigar lovers descended upon Sin City for a Parisian-style getaway that included a two-day celebration of premium smokes and fine spirits with the industry’s biggest names.

My Favorite Cigar

My Favorite Cigar

“I grew up in a freaking cloud of smoke,” says Kix Brooks, who enjoyed cigars with his father.

Connoisseur’s Corner: Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 (2015)

Connoisseur’s Corner: Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 (2015)

The world of Cuban robustos is surprisingly small, and one of the very best is the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2.

Ratings from this Issue

95
points

El Rey del Mundo Choix Supreme

Issue Date: February 1, 2025
El Rey del Mundo Choix Supreme
95
points

Cohiba Pirámides Extra

Issue Date: February 1, 2025
Cohiba Pirámides Extra
94
points

La Aroma de Cuba Robusto

Issue Date: February 1, 2025
La Aroma de Cuba Robusto
94
points

Rocky Patel Number 6 Sixty

Issue Date: February 1, 2025
Rocky Patel Number 6 Sixty

Up Front

It’s Top 25 Time

It’s Top 25 Time

The new year means a new batch of Top 25 cigars, and in this issue we’re proud to present the 2024 Top 25 as well as the 2024 Cigar of the Year. It’s quite the collection of …

The Good Life

Protetta Ashtrays

Protetta Ashtrays

When you’re smoking, ashtrays serve two functions: they catch ash and hold burning cigars. Protetta, the New York City designer of elegant catch-all trays, realized that its …

Breitling 140th Anniversary Perpetual Calendars

Breitling 140th Anniversary Perpetual Calendars

The precision chronograph specialist Breitling is celebrating the anniversary of its 1884 founding with watches that needn’t be reset for date until the year 2100. Among the …

2025 Infiniti QX80

2025 Infiniti QX80

As it enters its 35th year in the luxury market, Infiniti is a brand in search of a path to stand out from competitors like Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and BMW. The 2025 Infiniti QX80 …

The Ascot

The Ascot

Depending on the era—and how you look at it—the ascot can be either the snootiest, most uptight piece of menswear around or the coolest, most insouciant way to dress up your neck. …

Eden Rock Hotel, St. Barths

Eden Rock Hotel, St. Barths

Even by Caribbean standards, St. Barths is an amazingly cigar-friendly destination. By global standards, it’s one of the top luxury vacation spots on earth, home to high-end …

Nick & Nora Glasses

Nick & Nora Glasses

Fans of the 1934 Dashiell Hammett mystery novel The Thin Man and the six movies named for it may be forgiven for wondering how the urbane sleuthing couple of Nick and Nora …

The Big Super Bowl Sandwich

The Big Super Bowl Sandwich

Super Bowl Sunday is America’s unofficial holiday and like any holiday, certain traditions are peculiar to it: grown men tackling each other, overproduced commercials vying for …

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