In this Best of 2025 episode of Eat Drink Smoke, Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy reveal their Top Cigars of the Year (2025)—and they do it their way: they wait until the full year is finished before ranking anything.

Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy also pair the cigar conversation with Woodford Reserve Double Oaked (90.4 proof), breaking down the bourbon’s flavor profile and making the case for why it belongs in a liquor cabinet year-round.

The episode features two separate top-three lists with zero overlap, plus plenty of signature Eat Drink Smoke banter, food-world news, and culture commentary.

Featured in this episode:

• Woodford Reserve Double Oaked tasting notes, including caramel, dark chocolate, dried fruit, and a crème brûlée debate

• Tony Katz’s Top 3 Cigars of 2025

  • HVC Hot Cake “Fresh Out of the Oven” (Connecticut Broadleaf)

  • El Rey del Mundo “Appointment” (high-value standout)

  • Ferio Tego Timeless TAA Exclusive 2024 (Tony’s cigar of the year)

• Fingers Malloy’s Top 3 Cigars of 2025

  • Rocky Patel Thirtieth Anniversary (Mexican San Andrés wrapper, box-pressed premium)

  • La Flor Dominicana Cameroon Cabinet Lancero (wrapper-forward, high flavor ratio)

  • Micallef Red Toro (value pick with San Andrés Habano wrapper and Pennsylvania Broadleaf binder, Fingers cigar of the year)

Also covered:

• A debate over claims that Americans are “falling out of love with pizza”

• Chain restaurant and fast-food shifts, including a spirited argument over curly fries

• Cable TV ratings drops, cord-cutting, and how media consumption has changed

More episodes, cigar reviews, and show info are available at EatDrinkSmokeShow.com.

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