For years, “Cigar of the Year” has usually meant an editorial panel assigning numerical scores and publishing a ranked list. John Burton founded CigarOfTheYear.com to create a different model — one built around head-to-head competition, documented performance and a championship that a cigar must earn round by round.
Following the completion of the 2026 Cigar of the Year and Value Cigar of the Year competitions, Burton discusses the development of Ashology™, the importance of transparent results and the upcoming Connecticut Cigar Bracket Challenge.
Why did you create CigarOfTheYear.com?
John Burton: I have spent years working directly with cigar retailers, manufacturers and customers. I kept coming back to one question: Why isn't there a true championship for cigars?
John Burton: Traditional publications evaluate cigars and produce annual lists. Those lists have a place in the industry, but they are still lists created by a relatively small editorial group. I wanted to build something where a cigar had to compete, advance and continue performing against increasingly strong opponents. CigarOfTheYear.com was created to answer that question through an actual tournament.
What makes a tournament different from a traditional ranked list?
John Burton: A traditional list can place one cigar first and another cigar second without the two ever being evaluated directly against each other.
John Burton: A tournament creates a much clearer test. Each cigar must first perform within its group. It then has to survive the elimination rounds — the Top 16, Grand 8, Final Smokeout and Championship. A cigar cannot rely on one impressive tasting. It must demonstrate construction, burn, draw, flavor, balance, finish and consistency throughout the competition. Every round matters.
A champion should not simply be announced. The complete path to the championship should be visible.
How was the 2026 Cigar of the Year determined?
John Burton: We reviewed 103 cigars for the premium competition. Thirty-two were selected for the official field and divided into eight groups.
John Burton: The Padrón 60th Anniversary Perfecto completed group play undefeated and continued winning throughout the elimination rounds. It ultimately defeated the Fuente Fuente OpusX Angel's Share in the championship and finished with a perfect 7-0 tournament record. That complete championship run is why the Padrón 60th Anniversary Perfecto became the official 2026 Cigar of the Year.
Why create a separate Value Cigar of the Year competition?
John Burton: Price changes the buying decision for most cigar smokers. A cigar can offer an outstanding experience without costing twenty, thirty or seventy dollars.
John Burton: The Value Cigar of the Year competition gave cigars priced at an MSRP of $9 or less for the entered vitola their own championship field. These cigars competed under the same head-to-head structure, but value and accessibility were central to the purpose of the tournament. The Cohiba Rubicon Box-Pressed Robusto completed an undefeated 7-0 run and earned the 2026 Value Cigar of the Year championship. Read the championship record on ValueCigarOfTheYear.com.
What is Ashology™?
John Burton: Ashology™ is the study of cigars. It provides the evaluation framework behind our competitions and educational programs.
John Burton: We examine the entire smoking experience: construction, draw, burn, flavor development, balance, finish and consistency. The purpose is not to create an inflated number that looks impressive. The purpose is to document how the cigar actually performs from beginning to end.
John Burton: Ashologist.com is where we are building the educational side of that framework. CigarOfTheYear.com is where performance is tested through competition.
Are you trying to replace traditional cigar publications?
John Burton: We are building a different system.
John Burton: Traditional publications generally use editorial panels and numerical rankings. Our model uses structured competition, documented advancement and complete matchup histories. Cigar smokers can see who each cigar faced, which cigar advanced and how the eventual champion reached the final. We believe transparency makes the championship more interesting and gives the result greater meaning.
What did you learn from the first competition?
John Burton: The biggest lesson was that the tournament format works. People understand brackets. They understand that a champion must survive every round. When someone sees that Padrón finished 7-0, they immediately understand that it did not receive the championship because of one isolated score.
John Burton: We also learned that the competition creates stories throughout the field. The champion matters, but so do the runner-up, third-place finisher, Final Smokeout finalist and Grand 8 honorees. Every advancement becomes an achievement that manufacturers, retailers and cigar smokers can follow.
What is the Connecticut Cigar Bracket Challenge?
John Burton: The Connecticut challenge takes the bracket concept directly into participating cigar stores and places the decision in the hands of individual cigar smokers.
John Burton: There will be no centralized judge deciding which cigar wins each matchup. Participating customers will smoke the competing cigars and vote for the one they believe delivered the better experience.
John Burton: Those votes will be combined across participating locations. The cigar receiving the most verified votes advances to the next round until Connecticut crowns its consumer-selected champion. Follow the program on CigarBracket.com.
The Connecticut champion will be selected by participating cigar smokers — not by a private editorial panel.
Why is consumer voting important?
John Burton: Cigar enjoyment is personal. Different smokers respond to different strengths, wrappers, flavor profiles and smoking experiences.
John Burton: Instead of telling consumers what they are supposed to prefer, the Connecticut challenge will document what participating cigar smokers actually choose when two cigars compete directly. One person does not decide the outcome. One store does not decide the outcome. The combined votes determine which cigar advances.
How will you make the results credible?
John Burton: The rules, matchups and advancement process will be published. Participating votes will be recorded through the program, and results will be documented after each round.
John Burton: Manufacturer participation or sponsorship cannot determine which cigar wins. Commercial involvement may help support the program, participating stores and prizes, but the consumers' verified votes determine advancement. If a cigar becomes the Connecticut champion, people will be able to see the path it took to get there.
Why involve cigar retailers?
John Burton: Cigar stores are where the industry becomes personal. Retailers introduce customers to new products, explain the differences between blends and create communities around cigars.
John Burton: The challenge gives stores an ongoing event instead of a one-night promotion. It encourages customers to return for new matchups, complete palate tests, follow their brackets and support their store's team. It also gives participating retailers recognition as official Cigar Bracket Challenge locations.
What value does the program offer manufacturers?
John Burton: Manufacturers receive something more useful than a single opinion. They receive real participation, direct consumer comparisons and structured feedback from people smoking their cigars.
John Burton: The program can show which cigar consumers preferred, whether they would purchase it again and how they responded to characteristics such as construction, flavor, strength and overall enjoyment. That information becomes increasingly meaningful as the number of stores, participants and completed tests grows.
What is the long-term vision?
John Burton: Connecticut is the proving ground. The long-term objective is a national cigar bracket involving retailers, manufacturers and cigar smokers across the country.
John Burton: I want cigar companies to compete for the championship and consumers to follow the tournament the way they follow other major brackets. I want participating retailers to become recognized Cigar of the Year locations within their communities. Most importantly, I want the winning cigar to earn its title through competition.
What would you say to people seeing CigarOfTheYear.com for the first time?
John Burton: Look at the complete competition. Review the field, groups, matchup histories, advancement rounds and final results. You do not have to accept a championship simply because we announced it. The path is published so people can examine how the winner got there.
John Burton: This is only the beginning. We completed the first official competitions, established the Ashology™ framework and identified our 2026 champions. The next step is placing the bracket in front of actual cigar smokers and letting their votes determine what happens. That is how we intend to build a championship that the entire cigar industry can follow.