The fourth installment in this series on the best cigars made in the USA showcases two more cigars made in Florida.

One is a cigar that has been around for a long time and is a trusted name.

The other cigar is a newcomer, but has built a solid reputation in a surprisingly short time.

Both of these cigars have very loyal followings — for very good reasons.

Again, take note of the fine print: The order in which cigars are presented in this series does not indicate relative quality or rating. It is not a top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top list. All cigars in this list are quite good, all are quite different, and each one is a #1 cigar in its own way.

The cigar reviews and ratings begin below the fold.

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From Peter Vincent at the Sydney Morning Herald:

In an era where cigarette smoking is in decline for its health effects and faces increasing social censure, there has been quiet growth in the popularity of the cigar.

The theory goes that cigars are about more than just smoking. Sure, aficionados will praise the complex taste of the world’s best cigars, which are made around the Caribbean. But it’s also about how and where you smoke them.

“For me, a cigar is not an everyday thing, it’s something I spoil myself with,” says Spiro Ellul, a Melbourne collector and cigar smoker.

“I spend up to two hours smoking one, with a nice glass of red or a port and I’ll drift off and reflect on my daily life and organise my thoughts.”

Ellul spent about $15,000 last year collecting cigars. He has about 50 boxes in storage. True aficionados leave cigars to age for at least a year in a controlled humidity of between 65 and 75 per cent.

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From Richard Hendrix at Blank Mind Blog — a very entertaining and interesting review of La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 6 Maduro. Here’s how it starts:

I have always been a fan of the La Gloria Cubana Wavells. You will usually find a mix of these and the Baccarat Luchadores in the bottom tray of my humidor. So I was familiar with the quality of the La Gloria Cubana cigar line. I was hoping that the Serie R line would provide a delightful smoke to add to my experiences as well.

What follows and how it finishes is not exactly what Richard expected, but the cigar wasn’t to blame for that. In fact, the cigar was quite good. I won’t spoil the rest of the review by telling you any more about it, but it is a very good piece of writing that shows how a good cigar can add a bit more pleasure to some of the already pleasurable moments of life. Read it for yourself and see if it doesn’t bring a smile to your lips.