2026 Post-PCA Testing Committee Results
Shelf Space Is Earned, Not Given.
Following the 2026 PCA Trade Show, the Industrial Cigar Co. Testing Committee conducted one of our most comprehensive product evaluations to date. Over the course of four formal tasting sessions, our committee evaluated more than 100 premium cigars representing established manufacturers, emerging boutique brands, and new product introductions from across the industry.
Our objective was never simply to determine which cigars we personally enjoyed. Every cigar was evaluated through the lens of the ICC customer experience and our merchandising philosophy — flavor profile, complexity, balance, construction, burn quality, draw, finish, value relative to MSRP, and overall customer fit.
Two Questions, Asked of Every Cigar.
These are intentionally different questions. A cigar may be enjoyable yet fail to offer enough differentiation from our current assortment. Likewise, one exceptional cigar can often justify taking a closer look at an entire brand.
Like the Cigar
Is this a cigar we genuinely enjoyed smoking? A straightforward, unfiltered evaluation of the smoking experience itself — flavor, construction, and overall enjoyment, independent of brand reputation.
Bring in the Brand
Does this cigar — or line — provide enough value to warrant adding the manufacturer to the Industrial Cigars portfolio? A test of differentiation, customer fit, and whether it strengthens the humidor.
“We don’t buy cigars because they’re new. We buy cigars because they earn a place in our humidor.”
Six Brands Set the Standard This Cycle.
Several manufacturers distinguished themselves through consistency across multiple blends — generating high approval ratings while demonstrating flavor, balance, complexity, and customer appeal session after session.
Notorious Cigars
Founded by Conor McGregorBuilt at the MJ Frías factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic, Notorious launched with its flagship Habano-wrapped blend and has since expanded into a full range spanning mild to full-bodied with the addition of Crème de la Crème and Unapologetic. The original sits on a 4-year-aged Ecuadorian Habano 2000 wrapper over a San Andrés binder; Unapologetic moves into U.S.-grown Connecticut Broadleaf for a darker, more muscular smoke; Crème de la Crème leans into Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade for a creamier, more restrained profile. Together the three blends now cover the full strength spectrum under one banner.
Maceda
Tabanero Cigars · Yanko MacedaMaceda is the premium line from Tabanero Cigars, the Ybor City, Tampa boutique founded by Cuban-born Yanko Maceda. Tabanero built its reputation hand-rolling cigars in the historic cigar capital before moving production to Tabacalera Pages de Nicaragua to scale without losing quality. The Maceda Connecticut blend pairs a U.S.A. Connecticut Shade wrapper with an Ecuadorian binder and Nicaraguan filler for a smooth, honey-and-cream forward profile that reviewers have repeatedly called some of the best construction in its class.
Warped
Founded by Kyle GellisLaunched in 2009 by Kyle Gellis, Warped is built without a generational legacy — instead relying on Cuban-inspired blending technique and partnerships with top-tier factories including El Titan de Bronze in Miami and Aganorsa Leaf in Nicaragua. The brand's "be exclusively different" mantra shows up across its portfolio of GR88, La Colmena, Don Reynaldo, and Corto. The Corto, a box-pressed 4.5" x 46, was designed as a morning smoke meant to pair with espresso — full-bodied, with chocolate, nut, and caramel notes that hold up against coffee's bitterness.
Ara’o
Founded by Three Childhood FriendsAra’o is one of the newest brands in this report, launching operations in January 2025. The name is taken from the plow used to begin the tobacco journey, a nod to the founders’ roots in Pinar del Río, Cuba. All production runs through Tabacos de Oriente, the Plasencia-owned factory in Honduras, across four distinct lines — Yugo, Narigón, Cebú, and Terrón — spanning light to full strength. Terrón, the brand’s boldest expression, uses a Habano Maduro wrapper and binder from Jamastrán, Honduras for a full-bodied profile of dark earth, espresso, and cocoa.
Empatía
Empatía Luxury CigarsEmpatía Luxury Cigars builds its portfolio around aged-reserve tobacco, releasing each line as a distinct "Serie" rather than a single core blend. The Esmeralda series is an aged robusto from the 2019 reserve, finished with a leather wrap and copper accent; Zafiro draws from the 2018 Gran Reserva for an intense profile carrying notes of wood and fruit; Rubí pushes into fuller body and denser smoke for smokers seeking more intensity. Across the range, Empatía leans on careful tobacco curing for a soft, refined texture that the committee found consistently approachable.
Meerapfel
Meerapfel Family BlendMeerapfel represents one of the cigar industry's longest-running family tobacco operations, with the Meerapfel name historically tied to wrapper sourcing and cultivation as much as finished cigars. The Family Blend showcased at this year's evaluation drew directly on that legacy — built to demonstrate the kind of tobacco selection expertise that comes from generations spent in the leaf business rather than the finished-product side of the industry.
The Standouts Across All Four Sessions.
These cigars consistently demonstrated excellent construction, engaging flavor development, and broad committee approval.
- Connor McGregorNotorious
- UnapologeticNotorious
- ConnecticutMaceda
- MomentumMaceda
- TerrónAra’o
- CortoWarped
- Family Blend #1Meerapfel
One Strong Cigar Can Justify a Closer Look.
These manufacturers produced one or more cigars worthy of continued evaluation and potential placement within the ICC portfolio.
Crowned Heads
Founded 2011 · Nashville, TNCrowned Heads has built a national reputation as one of the most consistent boutique houses of the past decade, with an expansive portfolio spanning Las Calaveras, Le Patron, and Mil Dias. The committee saw enough merit in select releases to warrant continued evaluation alongside our existing assortment.
Cossio
Boutique Cigar MakerA newer name in the boutique conversation, Cossio produced enough quality across the tasting sessions for the committee to flag select SKUs for future consideration as the brand continues to develop its footprint.
Brands That Showed Both Sides of the Coin.
Bariay, Davidoff, and EGM each showed flashes of promise but also inconsistencies in construction, flavor profile, value, or overall customer fit. Additional evaluation may be warranted for select SKUs from each.
Bariay
Mixed PerformanceShowed flashes of promise across the session but lacked the consistency in construction needed for a committee-wide recommendation.
Davidoff
Established Heritage BrandA legacy name with a deep catalog; this cycle's evaluated SKUs did not differentiate clearly enough from ICC's current Davidoff offerings to warrant expansion at this time.
EGM
Mixed PerformanceInconsistent results across sessions — some blends performed well, others fell short on value relative to retail pricing.
Common Reasons a Cigar Didn’t Make the Cut.
Several brands failed to generate sufficient committee support to justify further consideration during this buying cycle. Common observations included:
- Lack of complexity
- Poor construction consistency
- Excessive bitterness
- Medicinal flavors
- Limited differentiation from the existing humidor
- Pricing that exceeded perceived value
Positive Surprises & Unexpected Disappointments
Maceda & Arao Outperformed Expectations
Multiple Maceda blends performed exceptionally across sessions, demonstrating surprising depth throughout the portfolio. Ara’o's Terrón emerged as one of the strongest cigars tested overall, with Narigón and Cebú also performing well in later sessions. Warped continued to deliver complexity and balance across a broad range of palates, and Empatía proved balanced and highly approachable.
High-Expectation Brands Fell Short
Several manufacturers entered testing with significant expectations but ultimately failed to generate committee enthusiasm. Common concerns included inconsistent construction, medicinal character, bitter finishes, limited flavor development, and poor value relative to retail pricing.
Reputation Doesn’t Determine Success. Every Cigar Competes on Its Own Merits.
The 2026 PCA introduced an impressive number of new products to the premium cigar market. Several established manufacturers reinforced why they continue to enjoy strong reputations. Equally encouraging was the emergence of several newer manufacturers whose products challenged expectations and earned serious consideration for placement in our humidor.
Perhaps most importantly, the committee reaffirmed that reputation alone does not determine success. Every cigar must compete on its own merits.
“Our humidor isn’t built by popularity. It’s built one exceptional cigar at a time.”
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Industrial Cigar Co. wins Best Cigar Lounge at PCA for the second time — and this year, the competition was global.