Since kicking off the Dojo year-end list in 2012, we’ve slowly evolved the criteria for the winning cigars every few years. The initial list was dubbed the Joe Six-Pack list, featuring a low price cap and exclusively (at least in theory) regular-production releases. Later lists saw the gradual increase in price cap, as well as the additions of dedicated lists for Limited Edition and Exceptional cigars.
But the twenty twenty-three list marks the biggest changes to date, moving to a Top 20 overall list (and retaining the Exceptional Awards category). We felt that the lines between limited, limited-edition, small-batch, and regular-production cigar categories have continued to blur. For example, Brand A may label a line as ‘limited,’ even though they produce more cigars annually than Brand B’s regular-production line. Another issue is when line extensions arrive that are otherwise worthy of the list, but since we catered our list to new lines for the given year, such cigars would generally go unrecognized. Finally, the two lists (Top 10 and Top 5 Limited) left room to wonder which list contained the better overall cigar.
For these reasons, we have opened the list up for an overall Top 20. Sure, this may lead to occasions where certain picks are trickier to obtain, but with a larger overall list, there should still be plenty to choose from when sampling our picks for 2023’s best cigars.
COTY 2023 Awards Schedule
| Date | Reveal | |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1.24 | #20 | |
| #19 | ||
| 1.2.24 | #18 | |
| #17 | ||
| 1.3.24 | #16 | |
| #15 | ||
| 1.4.24 | #14 | |
| #13 | 1.5.24 | #12 |
| #11 | ||
| 1.8.24 | #10 | |
| #9 | ||
| 1.9.24 | #8 | |
| #7 | ||
| 1.10.24 | #6 | |
| #5 | ||
| 1.11.24 | #4 | |
| #3 | 1.12.24 | #2 |
| #1 | ||
Following the final reveal on Jan. 12th, 2024, we will go over the full list (as well as the Exceptional Awards announcements) with added commentary on a special edition of Smoke Night LIVE.
Top 20 COTY List
- Sold in the USA
- Released in 2023
To assemble this list, each member of the Cigar Dojo staff (a panel of five for 2023), including contributing reviewers, builds their own personal ranking of the top 20 cigars of 2023 (using the guidelines listed above). Cigars are then given points, with the no. 1 cigar receiving 20 points, the no. 2 cigar receiving 19 points, etc. Cigars that do not receive at least two votes are then discarded, ensuring that an outlier cannot enter the list simply because it receives 20 points from a single vote. After the points are tallied, the top cigars are then tweaked by Cigar Dojo’s founding members, Eric and Jordan Guttormson, ensuring all picks are consistent with the culture Cigar Dojo has worked to cultivate since 2012.
COTY 2023 Exceptional Awards Schedule
| Date | Reveal | |
|---|---|---|
| 1.12.24 | Under the Radar | Rosewood 1923 |
| Value | Intemperance Volstead VO 1920 | |
| Luxury | Davidoff Aniversario No. 1 LE 2023 | |
| Person | Steve Saka | |
| Brand | Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust | |
All five Exceptional Awards will be announced during our Smoke Night LIVE reveal show, taking place on Jan. 12th, 2024 at 9pm Eastern.
Exceptional Awards List
- Sold in the USA
- Released/Occurred in 2023
The Exceptional Awards list is unique, highlighting a wide range of cigar styles, including our picks for the top-ranked “value cigar,” “under-the-radar cigar,” and more. Because of this, each award contains slightly different guidelines, with each category collectively meeting the two guidelines listed above. Additionally:
- Under the Radar: top cigar that we feel is somewhat unnoticed by the average enthusiast.
- Value: the best cigar priced in the $8.99-and-under range.
- Brand: Cigar Dojo staff members vote on the cigar brand that they felt saw the biggest gains, made influential changes, and generally captured the attention of the cigar world throughout 2023.
- TBA: this award category has not yet been announced.
- TBA: this award category has not yet been announced.
COTY Plaques
All 25 Cigar of the Year winners are given a plaque, showing off the cigar along with a few stats to give a quick impression of each blend. The guidelines behind these stats are as follows:
- Country: the country where the cigar is rolled
- Body: our subjective conclusion of the cigar’s body on a scale of 1–5
- Price: the median price (MSRP) across a cigar’s entire line is evaluated and averaged to the nearest dollar. Median prices that fall between $0 and $8 are considered affordable (one price symbol); prices ranging from $9 to $14 are considered average (two price symbols); prices $15 and above are considered expensive (three price symbols).
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