Best Cigars for Beginners
Seasoned cigar aficionados often entertain strong preferences for their favorite cigars, the result of years of experimentation and exposure to numerous brands and blends in a variety of formats. However, newcomers who are still developing a palate for premium cigars appreciate some guidance as they seek out good cigars for beginners from the many choices available today. We’ve compiled a list of ten high quality cigars that display accessible flavor and aroma, perfect for encouraging your palate with a handful of popular cigar brands, growing regions, and wrapper varietals. Broaden your horizons for taste with the following selections. All of our recommendations are readily available here at Holt's and in most premium cigar retailers in the U.S.
#1 - Ashton Classic
An ideal starting point for cigar novices is with a tasteful, mild choice of cigar. Ashton Classic is extraordinarily popular, recognized as a ‘Top 5’ premium cigar in the U.S. market and is sold in 60 countries around the world. Ashton Classic boasts a velvety smoothness, perfect for the new cigar enthusiast with a magnificent blend of aged Dominican tobaccos encased in a golden-blond Connecticut Shade wrapper. Notes of cedar, almond, and crème brulée meld perfectly with creamy Dominican spices in a deliciously flavorful profile. Ashton Classic cigars sell for around $8 to just over $13 apiece.
#2 - Macanudo Cafe
Perhaps among the most readily available mild cigars in the market, Macanudo Cafe is sold in nearly every traditional retail cigar shop, as well as a number of national chains likely to carry cigars in any capacity. An iconic mild cigar, Macanudo is a common first brand for a number of connoisseurs, due to its ubiquity and its approachable Dominican taste. Mellow flavors of coffee with cream and nutmeg deliver a profile ideally suited for those looking to acquire a taste for fine cigars in the subtlest way possible. The best Macanudo cigars sell in the $6 to $13 range.
#3 - La Aroma de Cuba
Nicaragua is known for producing many of the most sought-after and Cubanesque cigars today. Legendary cigar-maker Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia has reimagined the profile of a famous Cuban release from the 1800s, La Aroma de Cuba, in a magnificent light. Judged the ‘#1 Cigar Industry Best Buy in the World’ by Cigar Aficionado, La Aroma de Cuba pleases with seamless, medium-bodied flavors of cedar, earth, brown sugar and nuts with a cool spice. A delightful chocolate-hued Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper embraces a tasteful amalgam of aged binder and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua, poised to introduce a wealth of regional influences with marvelous resonance. La Aroma de Cuba is an exceptional value beginning at $5 for a 5 x 50 Rothschild and just $7.45 for a 7 x 58 El Jefe.
#4 - Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real
Getting acquainted with Cuban-legacy cigars (brands that originated in Cuba, even though they are presently manufactured in other regions) is bound to occur sooner than later in any formidable introduction to premium tobaccos. Among the most notable is the Romeo y Julieta brand, and the Rerserva Real blend is an excellent introduction to the Ecuador Connecticut wrapper varietal, which covers an eventful combination of Dominican and Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos. A distinctive toasty and nutty flavor is complimented by a hint of spice to offer a pleasurable and thoroughly satisfying smoke. Sample Reserva Real for around $7 to $9 per cigar.
#5 - Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva
Arturo Fuente is considered one of the best Dominican cigar brands in the world. Revered cigar-makers Carlito Fuente and his father, Carlos Fuente Sr., have drafted a number of cigars over the years that not only merit a try, but have set tremendous benchmarks for flavor and aroma. The original Arturo Fuente blend delivers the brand’s rich Dominican signature for a great value. A number of formats are handcrafted in both Natural and Maduro wrapper varieties. Consistently rich notes of cedar, coffee beans, chocolate, and nuts deliver a memorable introduction to the Dominican Republic. Arturo Fuente starts out in the $5 to $6 range in its ultra-popular original Gran Reserva blend. Also consider the Chateau Series for a similar price, or the Hemingway line if you don’t mind spending $7 to $15. The brand is also responsible for a number of very rare exclusives like Fuente Fuente Opus X and Anejo, but we recommend starting with out with a milder and more readily available Fuente blend.
#6 - Padron
If you’re a new cigar smoker who prefers a cigar with a bit more body or spice, Padron delivers a perfect jumping-off point and a considerable reputation. A medium to full-bodied profile is crafted around a rich, earthy base that is accentuated by a broad palette of flavors, including cedar, nuts, leather, and cocoa. This stellar blend of taste and texture has established Padron as one of the world’s finest Nicaraguan cigar brands year after year, making it a perfect choice for those who want to graduate from milder cigars. You can smoke the original Padron for around $5 to $9, and there are several sizes to consider in both Natural and Maduro wrapper options.
#7 - San Cristobal Elegancia
San Cristobal Elegancia is an excellent introduction to Nicaraguan tobaccos in six popular shapes in the $6 to $8 price range. A silky Connecticut-seed wrapper grown in Ecuador embraces a vintage interior of premium Nicaraguan long-fillers to deliver a consistent, medium-bodied profile of cedar, white pepper, and nuts with creamy aroma and a delightful finish. Elegancia is blended by award-winning cigar-maker Pepin Garcia and handcrafted in Estelí, Nicaragua. Elegancia is rated 91 points by the critics in Cigar Aficionado, and is popular cigar for new cigar lovers who want to branch out from mild Dominican blends.
#8 - Oliva Connecticut Reserve
Oliva is best known for its top-rated, spicy and full-bodied blends like Serie V and Serie V Melanio, but Oliva Connecticut Reserve is the brand’s best blend when you’re new to cigars thanks to its glistening Ecuador Connecticut wrapper. For around $7 to $11, you can choose several traditional sizes and indulge in a mild to medium-bodied profile of buttered toast, nuts, coffee, and cedar with a nice dose of easygoing spices. Oliva Connecticut Reserve comes with all the hallmarks of the brand’s award-winning blends but in a milder cigar you can enjoy with a light beer without overwhelming your palate.
#9 - Montecristo
Montecristo is one of the most famous Cuban-legacy brands in the world. There several blends to consider today, but none compare to the original Montecristo. A golden Connecticut Shade wrapper conceals a magnificent amalgam of premium Dominican long-fillers blended and handmade in the Dominican Republic in several traditional shapes. A touch of sweetness blesses the palate with notes of cedar, grass, and glazed nuts. Montecristo is a bit pricier, though, in the $11 to $20 range. Plenty of beginner cigar smokers will eventually try the iconic Torpedo, Montecristo No. 2, based on its reputation as one the most famous cigars ever made.
#10 - Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne
Brand founder Nick Perdomo is well known for making high quality, consistent cigars for a great price. His most popular blend, Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne is the best place to start when you want to smoke a cigar from the Perdomo portfolio, and it’s also his most popular blend. A creamy Ecuador Connecticut wrapper encloses a hearty blend of Nicaraguan long-fillers blended in several bigger ring gauge sizes. Nutty and smooth notes of coffee with cream, cedar, and nuts carry a plethora of Nicaraguan spices that satisfy without overwhelming your palate. Pick up a Perdomo Champagne for around $7 to $10 per cigar, and add a well-made Nicaraguan brand to your rotation.
Quick Smoking Tips for Beginners
- Choose a cigar size that you can handle like a Robusto or a Corona, not something too big.
- Learn to cut and light your cigar correctly. Make sure you’ve got a proper cigar cutter and that you light your cigar evenly around the entire circumference of the foot.
- When you’re learning how smoke a cigar, remember that you do not inhale.
- Explore good mild cigars before you experiment with stronger blends.
- When you’re smoking with your boss or in public, brush up on your cigar etiquette.
- Keep track of the cigars you try. Save the bands in a cigar journal, or snap a photo of the cigars you’ve smoked on your smartphone. Remembering the blends that you do and don’t like provides a reference point for what to try next.
- Check out our recommendations of the best cigar samplers when you want to explore multiple brands and build a collection.
- Smoke budget-friendly cigars, and explore different blends at different price points.
- If you decide to buy a full box of cigars, shop our recommendations for the best humidors under $100 to keep them fresh.
- And, if you’re not ready to get a humidor, but you want to collect more cigars, check out our tips for how to keep your cigars fresh without a humidor.
- You can shop for cigars based on price, strength, a brand’s popularity, or even your personality.
