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My Personal Experience

With that out of the way, I'd like to elaborate on the title of this post's question: the "best" or "favourite" cigar is completely subjective. You can browse online forums or Facebook groups and find men and women ranting and raving about how one brand or cigar is superior to another, the complexity of tasting notes or flavours, and the positive and negative experiences they've had. All of this material will be of little use to you on your own journey of discovery. Our pallets are unique because of the experiences you have had, just as no two persons share the same brain. What you have smoked in the past, as well as what you have eaten, can influence how your palate perceives a cigar. Different times of the day, different locations, the humidity of a cigar, and even how you light it all influence your experience. I remember my first cigar like it was yesterday, savoured with a friend and his father in a cosy lounge, the armoa in the air, the chilly draw of the cigar, and the smooth Jazz playing in the background instantly come to mind everytime I recall that day. The cigar itself was a La Invicta Nicuraguan Robusto, a medium strength cigar with merely a "woody" (cedar) taste at first. When I returned to the same cigar months later, I discovered my appreciation for the finer qualities had grown dramatically. It was almost like visiting an old friend when the nutty undertone I had previously struggled to recognise came naturally. My "favourite" cigar has changed several times. The longest holder of the #1 spot was a Zino Robusto, just the name is enough to transport me back to the relaxed lounge where I enjoyed this Cigar, the subtle tones of the piano playing in the background, a warm coffee, and the serenity I found in that moment. 

There is no accounting for personal taste; simply put, you must test your palate on the huge range of flavours that circulate in the cigar market. Cigars with a medium-full body frequently have a leather/wood flavour with undertones of spice/earthiness.  Mild cigars are frequently described as creamy, smooth, and sweet and floral, depending on the company behind the cigar. There has recently been a boom in the popularity of Flavoured Cigars. 

Flavoured Cigars

Flavoured cigars are a huge point of contention and debate in the cigar sphere, from my experience people either love them or hate them, personally i fall into the love category, even before introducing myself to cigars if asked my favourite flavour of Ice cream, Favourite Cheesecake, Favourite syrup for coffee the answer was without a doubt Vanilla, so you can imagine my ears perking up upon hearing that Vanilla Cigars are available, recently i smoked a Principe The tiny traces of vanilla and sweetness, along with a medium-bodied cigar, give a fanatical flavour experience for me. The first flavoured cigar I tried was a Drew Estate Sweet Jane, even before opening the cellophane the intense fragrance of chocolate almost overwhelmed my senses, as soon as my lips touched the mouth of the Cigar it was like drinking a syrup, Drew Estates are reknowned for their unique and undisclosed method of fermenting Tobacco leaf with these flavours, the Acid range is a completely undefined flavour which allows the thought and discussion to linger The Tabak Especial, a Coffee Flavoured Cigar that while sweet was not overbearing, was the happy medium I found in the Drew Estate Range. While not an everyday smoke, I do like one from time to time. 

A constantly changing industry 

According to data from the United States, cigar consumption has climbed by 185% since 1998 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK586224/). 

With the market's resurgence, a slew of cigar companies have used various methods of ageing, flavouring, and fermenting to further expand on the flavour pallets of cigar connoisseurs. Hundreds of new cigar lines are introduced each year, implying that the already time-consuming task of testing new cigars is a never-ending pursuit for the afficiando. 

On the contrary to the previously discussed flavoured cigars, there has been a significant rise in the demand for richer, high percentage Tobaccdo, full bodied strong cigars, part of this is due to the rise of Nicuragua as a powerhouse of cigar making, their blends often favour this, a prime example is the Padron 1994 Cigar of the year winner the 1964 series, which also brought to prominence the use of box pressing in mainstream cigars,  

The Dominican Republic has also had a big impact on cigar habits over the previous 25 years. Iconic brands such as the Fuente Fuente OpusX, which debuted in 1995, and the La Flor Dominicana Ligero Series, which debuted in 2001, were critical in gaining critical acclaim for the country's premium cigar industry—and igniting a consumer obsession with bold, full-bodied blends that has never died.

To sum up

Variety is something that modern cigar purchasers have come to expect and value. Cigar enthusiasts are accustomed to seeing new cigars on commercial humidor shelves every few months, and the excitement and anticipation around new releases enhances customer demand for cigarmakers' products.

The cigar market's landscape may change, but the majority of that transformation will inevitably be driven by customers. People's tastes vary as they get older. Cigar smokers seek out new experiences as their palates expand. Cigar trends, like all fads, come and go, distort and fade over time. What trends might we anticipate in the future? One may only speculate, but we will continue to find and explore new cigars in our never-ending voyage of cigar smoking.