Top 10 Value Cigar Brands
In the era of $50 and $100 cigars, it’s nice to know there are still plenty of top-rated options available for the perfect value. Many of them are blended by the same cigarmakers and produced in the same factories as expensive high-end brands. Today’s top blenders, like Carlito Fuente and José ‘Pepin’ Garcia, operate substantial estates and facilities to make an impressive variety of cigars for every taste and budget. Regardless of where your budget falls, there is one thing that every cigar lover appreciates: value. Here are ten excellent value cigars that belong in every aficionado’s humidor.
1. La Aroma de Cuba
Cuban-legacy brand La Aroma de Cuba has grown significantly over the past twenty years. It is recognized as one of Nicaragua’s most prestigious brands, with nine unique blends created and produced by Pepin and Jaime Garcia. The 94-rated original La Aroma de Cuba blend lands at the top of our list of the best value brands, starting around $7 to $8 per cigar. An oily Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper embraces vintage Nicaraguan long-fillers in nine classic sizes that deliver profound notes of cocoa, cedar, molasses, coffee bean, and spice. The critics at Cigar Aficionado ranked La Aroma de Cuba the ‘#1 Cigar Industry Best Buy’ on multiple occasions.
2. Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva
While the Fuente family is well known for producing many of the rarest, most sought-after, and most expensive cigars available, such as Fuente Fuente Opus X, they built their reputation on making exceptional, affordable cigars across their extensive Arturo Fuente portfolio. Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva offers a perfect introduction to one of today’s leading premium brands, starting at under $4 for the Cuban-sandwich Curly Head or $7 for a standard-size cigar, handcrafted from the finest long-fillers. Nutty and mellow notes of cedar, cocoa, coffee bean, almond, and spice characterize the Gran Reserva line, which comes in Connecticut Shade (Natural), Connecticut Broadleaf (Maduro), and Sun Grown wrapper options.
3. Padrón
The Padrón collection is home to a record five ‘Cigar of the Year’ titles from the editors at Cigar Aficionado. Along with its award-winning Padrón 1964 Anniversary, 1926 Series, and Family Reserve cigars, the original 93-rated Padrón blend starts under $8 apiece. The original Padrón blend comes in several classic cigar sizes blended entirely from Nicaraguan tobaccos that introduce complex tasting notes of cedar, cocoa, cinnamon, nuts, and spice. Consider this foundational blend and savor a top-rated brand for a splendid price.
4. San Cristobal Elegancia
San Cristobal Elegancia offers a mellow introduction to Nicaraguan tobaccos, with a mild to medium-bodied profile, patiently blended by Pepin Garcia. A silky, blond Ecuador Connecticut wrapper leaf envelops a creamy interior of Nicaraguan long-fillers that furnish notes of white pepper, cashew, almond, and coffee bean. Six classic shapes present the blend with flavorful variations you can try for about $9 to $10 per cigar. This versatile and affordable blend is ideal for beginners and seasoned aficionados alike.
5. Argyle
Argyle cigars are diligently blended and handmade by artisanal cigarmakers at one of the leading boutique cigar factories in the Dominican Republic. Considered ‘The Most Trusted Name in Value Cigars,’ Argyle offers a substantial portfolio of premium cigars packaged in boxes and bundles, ranging from under $2 to $14 per cigar. The entire portfolio features high-quality, consistent cigars that punch well above their weight class, with nutty, creamy, and spicy profiles. Explore Argyle with a bestselling sampler, such as the ‘Black Tie’ Assortment or ‘Micro Batch’ Monster Deal.
6. Perdomo Lot 23
Brand owner Nick Perdomo goes to great lengths to ensure the entire Perdomo portfolio is handcrafted to a flawless standard. Beginning around $8 per cigar, Perdomo Lot 23 is one of the brand’s bestsellers. Lot 23 cigars feature three distinct wrapper options: Nicaraguan Corojo, Ecuador Connecticut, and Nicaraguan Maduro. For each blend, Nick cultivates the interior tobaccos from a single field and ages them for roughly six years. Medium-bodied notes of nuts, cedar, oak, dark chocolate, and pepper layer the palate throughout a complex series. Expect an effortless draw from the brand’s thick, easy-burning ring gauges.
7. Oliva Serie G
Oliva originally began as a value brand with a solid portfolio of inexpensive boxes and bundled cigars. Although the company has graduated to a more prestigious perception over the past several years, thanks to scoring the ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ title from Cigar Aficionado in 2014, Oliva still makes a wide variety of inexpensive cigars, such as Serie G. Handcrafted from a Cameroon wrapper leaf over a woody core of all-Nicaraguan long-fillers, Oliva Serie G presents a medium-bodied profile of chestnut, cedar, leather and sweet spice in a series of popular sizes, ranging from $8 to $10 per cigar.
8. Rocky Patel Mulligans
Rocky Patel has blended dozens of top-rated, top-selling cigars over the past thirty years. Never satisfied with the status quo, he created the Rocky Patel Mulligans franchise as a proving ground for a relentless string of side projects and experimental releases. Mulligans cigars come in affordable 20-count bundles handcrafted from both premium Cuban-sandwich tobaccos or traditional long-fillers, ranging from $2 to $5 apiece. Today, the Mulligans portfolio is home to more than twenty excellent blends, featuring a wide array of wrapper varietals. Explore Rocky’s most popular brand when you order the Rocky Patel Mulligans ‘Albatross’ Collection and decide which blend you like most.
9. Don Lino
Don Lino cigars emerged from relative obscurity following their heyday during the Cigar Boom of the 1990s. Today, this burgeoning collection includes six bestselling blends, packaged in boxes and bundles. Don Lino cigars hail from the Dominican Republic, where talented rollers handcraft every cigar with unrivaled passion and precision. Discover why so many connoisseurs leave positive feedback across a portfolio that includes Casa Verde, Dark Horse, Fumas, Fumas Connecticut, Millennium, and Trojan Horse. Delectable notes of cedar, mesquite, dark chocolate, leather, pepper, and more satisfy the palate abundantly. Get acquainted with the legendary taste and aroma of Don Lino’s finest in our Don Lino Monster Deal.
10. Bella Cuba
Bella Cuba cigars feature a marvelous medley of Cuban-sandwich tobaccos, gently tucked under your choice of Sumatra, Candela, Connecticut, or Maduro wrappers. Bella Cuba cigars come in 20-count bundles in the vicinity of $1 to $3 per cigar, a price that’s nearly impossible to beat, even when you need some decent yard ’gars to fill the coolerdor. Nutty and creamy flavors emerge throughout a reliable collection of premium bundles you can liberally share with your pals without breaking the bank.
Which Popular Cigar Brand Is Right for You?
When deciding which brand to add to your humidor first, consider key details, such as whether the cigar is made from Dominican or Nicaraguan tobaccos, and which you prefer. Is there a wrapper varietal, like Connecticut Shade, Broadleaf, Ecuador Habano, or Sumatra, that you enjoy? Pay attention to the cigar’s strength: mild, medium, or strong, when choosing your next smoke. Basic information will help you narrow down your options and guide you to your favorite blends.
