Alfonso Anejo No. 2 (5×52)

If the No. 3 is the cigar that made the world take notice, the No. 2 is the size that the most serious aficionados quietly reach for first. At 5×52, the Alfonso Añejo No. 2 is a tighter, more concentrated expression of Nelson Alfonso’s obsession with time — the same 2-year-aged Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper, 3-year-aged Ecuadorian binder, and three-year-aged Nicaraguan Ligero and Peruvian fillers, all rested for four more years post-roll in rooms of cedar and French oak, humidity cycling daily between 40% and 70% to draw in those extraordinary aromatic notes. But the smaller vitola turns up the dial slightly — the No. 2 runs medium-plus in strength compared to the Toro’s medium, delivering a more focused, structured smoke that Cigar Coop considers the higher-performing size of the line. From first light the profile is unmistakable: natural tobacco, cream, aromatic cedar, peanut, black pepper, berry sweetness, and a creme brûlée finish that defines what extra-aged tobacco is capable of. Only 200 boxes released per size, per year. The cigar is patient. The question is whether you are.