Top Churchill-Sized Cigars
Light up a Churchill cigar when you really enjoy a blend and you have around an hour to smoke. Conventional Churchills measure 7 inches long with a 48 or 49 ring gauge. As with many cigar sizes, conventions are open to interpretation by the cigar-maker. Technically, a Churchill is at least 6 ¾ inches with a ring gauge of at 47 or thicker. You’ll find many much larger cigars labeled as Churchills today. You’ll also encounter Short, Wide, and Petit Churchills, which are too short to be classic Churchills.
The Churchill name was supposedly first applied to cigars by the Romeo y Julieta brand in Cuba in the 1940s following a visit to the factory by Winston Churchill – perhaps the brand’s biggest fan, as his ravenous consumption of Romeos (and many other brands) would indicate. There is speculation surrounding Romeo y Julieta’s claim to the creating the first Churchills, but certainly not about Sir Winston’s love of fine cigars. We’re recommending eight great Churchills you should smoke today when you want to explore this historic size.
1. Ashton Churchill
Ashton Churchill has been a top-selling cigar for decades. It’s mild, creamy, and rich taste is the result of premium Dominican binder and filler tobaccos blended beneath a golden-blond Connecticut Shade wrapper leaf by legendary cigar-maker Carlito Fuente. The cigar’s 7.5 x 52 dimensions are a touch larger than a traditional Churchill making it an excellent choice for the golf course. Whenever you’ve got an hour-plus to smoke a premium cigar, prepare for a blissful profile of cedar, cashews, and coffee with cream blessed with a touch of signature Fuente spices.
2. Arturo Fuente Hemingway Classic
A toothy gingerbread-hued Cameroon wrapper leaf conceals a luscious interior of well-aged Dominican long-fillers in Arturo Fuente Hemingway Classic. What makes this cigar special is its Figurado shape – a gently tapering format that measures 7 inches with a 48 ring gauge at its thickest point. Iconic Fuente flavor and aroma unfold with notes of baking spices, cedar, brown sugar, and black pepper before a long and lush finish arrives.
3. La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Churchill
Following its debut, La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor scored 95 points and ‘#2 Cigar of the Year’ honors in Cigar Aficionado. Smoking a well-made 7 x 50 box-pressed Churchill draws out the cigar’s marvelous profile of dark cocoa, almonds, and peppers with a distinctive and creamy finish. Celebrated cigar-maker Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia blends Mi Amor with a dark and oily San Andrés wrapper leaf over a hearty amalgam of aged Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos grown on select Garcia family farms.
4. San Cristobal Elegancia Churchill
The classic and creamy taste of a Connecticut-seed wrapper receives a perfect dose of authentic Nicaraguan spice thanks to a vintage blend of premium long-fillers in San Cristobal Elegancia. Tasting notes of cocoa, toasted nuts, and white pepper layer the palate with creamy texture in an approachable 7 x 50 format. The flavor, aroma, and finish are rich but not overpowering.
5. Padrón 1964 Anniversary Diplomatico
Smoking a Padrón 1964 Anniversary in a longer format like the Diplomatico belongs on every cigar lover’s bucket list. The blend is famous for scoring a plethora of ratings over 90 points and ‘Top 10’ rankings in Cigar Aficionado. A few puffs of its profile prove the accolades are genuine with cohesive tasting notes of cedar, cayenne, cocoa, and baking spices. The 7 x 50 box-pressed shape delivers a luxuriant finish.
6. My Father Le Bijou 1922 Churchill
If you crave big bold taste and can handle a stronger blend, My Father Le Bijou 1922 promises to please in a beefy 7 x 50 Churchill. The 97-rated cigar is a former Cigar Aficionado ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ titleholder. Powerhouse flavors of leather, black pepper, espresso beans, and earth are punctuated by perpetual spices. An oily Ecuador Habano wrapper glistens over a robust marriage of Nicaraguan long-fillers blended by the Garcia family.
7. Oliva Master Blends 3 Churchill
Oliva Master Blends 3 has blossomed from a once hard-to-find limited edition into one of the brand’s most popular cigars. A shimmering Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper embraces a rare selection of premium aged Nicaraguan long fillers in a medium to full-bodied Churchill. Tasting notes of dark chocolate, molasses, and fresh ground coffee rouse the senses for over an hour. Its long, sweet, and woody finish makes it a perfect cigar to smoke with a vintage bourbon.
8. Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne Churchill
Brand founder Nick Perdomo continually adds to his fan base with Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne. Perdomo cigars are blended to taste great in bigger ring gauges like the extra-thick 7 x 54 Churchill. A silky Ecuador Connecticut wrapper hugs a nutty and spicy core of well-aged Nicaraguan long-fillers grown on Perdomo estates. This big, cool-burning specimen tastes great with an ice-cold pitcher of beer.
