Small Cigars with Huge Flavor
Big taste comes in small packages. Sometimes you want to get right to a cigar’s “sweet spot” for flavor and intensity without spending an hour smoking it. Small cigars are specifically blended to emphasize a cigar’s taste in ways that you won’t experience in a bigger size. That’s why you shouldn’t cut a big cigar in half and expect it to taste or burn optimally.
Cigars with a shorter length and a thinner ring gauge impact your palate faster, as the flavor, spice, and heat are pronounced and culminate on your taste buds with greater concentration and efficiency. Cigarmakers curate the binder, filler, and wrapper leaves specifically for a small size in a given blend. When you don’t have enough time to smoke a Churchill or a Gordo, but you want a cigar with substantial taste, here are six small cigars with huge flavor.
1. Ashton VSG – Tres Mystique
Ashton VSG is among the top-selling strong cigars on the planet. This 94-rated classic is blended from an oily Ecuador Sumatra wrapper over a bold amalgam of vintage Dominican long-filler tobaccos grown and aged by Carlito Fuente. VSG cigars are handcrafted in several traditional sizes, including the Tres Mystique, which measures just over 4 inches with a ring gauge of 44. Luscious notes of cedar, espresso bean, earth, black pepper, and leather layer the palate throughout a robust finish. Tres Mystique exceeds expectations when you’re craving a strong and succulent smoke from Ashton that you can easily enjoy in under thirty minutes.
2. My Father Le Bijou 1922 – Petit Robusto
My Father Le Bijou 1922 is handmade in five popular sizes, including a 4.5-by-50 Petit Robusto. Renowned father-and-son cigarmakers Pepin and Jaime Garcia blended Le Bijou 1922 from a thick, dark Ecuador Habano wrapper leaf and a meaty blend of Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos. Strong notes of leather, earth, espresso bean, and dark cocoa mingle with intense spices in a pint-sized shape that packs a wallop. The critics at Cigar Aficionado rated Le Bijou 1922 an impressive 97 points when they crowned it the ‘Cigar of the Year’ for 2015. Savor one of the most potent cigars in the My Father portfolio today.
3. Arturo Fuente Hemingway – Short Story
Legendary cigarmaker Carlito Fuente has been producing the iconic Hemingway line in the Arturo Fuente portfolio longer than most companies have been in business. This collection of meticulous Perfectos includes the Short Story, perhaps the most famous small cigar in the world. A toothy Cameroon wrapper leaf covers a delicious interior of premium Dominican long-filler tobaccos assembled by the most talented cigar rollers in the industry. Nutty and creamy notes of chestnut, cedar, and baking spices mingle with hints of brown sugar throughout an approachable, 94-rated profile.
4. Padrón 1926 Series – No. 35 Natural
The Padrón portfolio boasts some of the highest-rated cigars in the world, including the 1964 Anniversary and 1926 Series. Both box-pressed blends come in Natural and Maduro wrappers, and both are handcrafted in compact formats. The 1964 Anniversary comes in a 4.5-by-46 Principe, and the 1926 Series is rolled in the 4-by-48 No. 35. The name of the size, No. 35, refers to thirty-five minutes, or the amount of time the cigar is intended to last. The 1926 Series is marginally stronger than the 1964 Anniversary. Phenomenal tasting notes of cocoa powder, cedar, cayenne, and cinnamon develop, leading to a powerful, smooth finish. The critics at Cigar Aficionado have ranked the 97-rated Padrón 1926 Series, with a Natural wrapper, in their ‘Top 5 Cigars of the Year’ six times, including two appearances as the ‘Cigar of the Year.’ The No. 35 is a mandatory cigar for fans of small smokes.
5. Oliva Serie V – No. 4
The Oliva brand produces several impressive Nicaraguan blends, and the 95-rated Serie V stands out for its intensity and balance. Serie V is available in a 5-by-43 Corona called the No. 4. An oily, reddish-brown Ecuador Habano wrapper leaf surrounds a hearty recipe of Nicaraguan long-fillers, matured for optimal flavor. Tasting notes of cayenne, nutmeg, chocolate, cedar, and spice leave a strong impression in this classic Cuban size. Demand for Oliva cigars skyrocketed when Serie V debuted in 2007, elevating the brand’s reputation in the industry.
6. La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero – Chiselito
La Flor Dominicana brand founder Litto Gomez has been blending his popular Double Ligero line since the early 2000s. Gomez introduced Double Ligero as a stronger version of his Ligero blend, and he invented the Chisel, a 6-by-54 Torpedo-shaped smoke with a flattened head, to deliver the cigar’s spicy, intense flavor with even greater gusto. At 5 inches with a 44-ring gauge, the Chiselito is a smaller version of the Chisel, intended to amplify a rich, complex profile of leather, coffee bean, mesquite, and black pepper. Gomez has long been a pioneer in the cigar world, devising creative and unique cigars that are entirely original. The Chiselito is a fine specimen of his best work in a captivating and succinct size.
