Yard 'Gars: Best Cigars for Yard Work
It doesn’t matter whether you cruise the backyard on a Cub Cadet tractor or you prefer an old-school push-mower; cigars go with yard work. And they’re essential this time of year, when the warm weather invites outdoor projects to encroach upon our leisure time, when we should be lounging with our pals and smoking cigars over the picnic table. The good news is that yard ’gars offer the ultimate excuse to multitask. Take advantage of the sunny weather and tackle your landscaping ambitions while you smoke a good cigar that won’t cause a panic if you drop it on the ground.
What Is a Yard ’Gar?
Essentially, yard ’gars are basic, inexpensive utility smokes, meant to be enjoyed while you’re mowing grass, raking leaves, shoveling snow, or washing the car. All yard ’gars share a common denominator: they’re cheap. But that doesn’t mean they’re bad. Since most guys chomp on yard ’gars while their hands are tied up trimming a tree or laying a coat of paint down on the porch, they don’t want an expensive $20 or $30 special-occasion cigar precariously perched in their jaw. What if it takes a ride under the rotating blade or gets soaked by the garden hose?
Yard ’gars fulfill a critical niche in the cigar world. They offer decent flavor and consistent performance without decimating your budget. And you won’t cry if you lose one to the elements. Plus, it’s always wise to keep an inexpensive bundle on hand, so you’re prepared to share cigars when any freeloaders drop by your man cave looking for handouts.
Besides being flammable and delivering tolerable taste, most yard ’gars come in cellophane-wrapped bundles and cost in the range of $2 to $5 per cigar, but they’re not typically sold individually. Most bundles consist of 20 cigars. Some of ’em are as cheap as a bag of nails, making them ideal for volume buyers. When you’re in the market for good, cheap cigars that won’t taste bitter or sting your eyes while you’re clipping the hedges, here are seven brands that belong in your coolerdor. Bon appétit!
1. Rocky Patel Mulligans
Rocky Patel Mulligans is the leading bundle franchise in America. Over his thirty-plus years in the industry, Rocky Patel is among the most prolific cigarmakers, constantly creating new blends for his burgeoning portfolio. More than a decade ago, Rocky developed the Mulligans brand exclusively for Holt’s as a proving ground for his newest blends and side projects, as well as a convenient outlet for excess inventory.
The Mulligans franchise has grown to include over twenty premium editions, including the original Mulligans blend, Eagle Reserve, Crown Jewel, and the Trophy Series. We suggest starting with one of his bestselling Cuban-sandwich lines, such as Caddy’s Choice, 19th Hole, or the Lost Ball series, when you’re looking for an inexpensive blend to smoke outside. Mulligans cigars feature a wide variety of profiles, from mellow and nutty to robust and spicy. The Mulligans brand showcases Rocky’s unabridged creativity with dozens of unique editions, such as the Candela-wrapped Fairway Edition, a barber-pole cigar called Golden Ferret, and the Groundhog, Rocky’s homage to Nub.
Explore this bestselling collection from Rocky and discover why Mulligans cigars are among the highest and most frequently rated cigars on our website.
2. Villiger
The “V” in Villliger stands for value, courtesy of an uncanny combination of accolades from the critics at Cigar Aficionado and deep discounts from your pals at Holt’s. Best known for its machine-made Export brand, Villiger has steadily made headway in the traditional premium market in the U.S. over the past fifteen years.
In addition to affordable bundles, like 125 Habano and La Capitana, you’ve got a generous mix of bestselling boxes to choose from, including the mild and creamy White Forest, 94-rated La Vencedora, 93-rated Cuellar Black Forest, 90-rated Cuellar Kreme, 93-rated La Flor de Ynclan, a former ‘Top 10 Cigar of the Year,’ and Royal Estates, an exclusive, recent addition. When you’re swapping out the Valvoline in your hot rod, reach for Villiger cigars at rock-bottom prices. Starting at a paltry $2.74 per cigar, it’s easy to fire up a Villiger with a little grease on your hands.
3. Don Lino
Don Lino is an old-time brand, popular during the Cigar Boom days of the 1990s. Once on the verge of extinction, this vintage franchise reemerged, offering a boon for bargain-hunters in search of reliable everyday cigars that won’t break the bank.
Today, the Don Lino portfolio encompasses bestselling bundles, including Don Lino Fumas in a Sumatra wrapper. The Connecticut blend provides silky, nutty intonations throughout a mellow smoke. Heartier notes of cedar and spice converge in Dark Horse. And Casa Verde offers a grassy profile of fresh hay and tea leaves, with its light-green Candela wrapper. Starting at $2 to $3 apiece, Don Lino cigars hail from the Dominican Republic, where skilled rollers handcraft this impressive brand from well-aged tobaccos, offering a series of consistent smokes blended to exceed expectations at an introductory price point. Digging up the weeds with a Don Lino in your mouth feels more like you’re digging for treasure.
4. Argyle Fumas
Argyle cigars are blended and handmade by dedicated artisans at one of the leading boutique factories in the Dominican Republic. Argyle lives up to its reputation as the ‘Most Trusted Name in Value Cigars,’ with a collection that includes high-end blends, such as Banquet Selection and Turf Club, alongside the Cuban-sandwich bundles of Argyle Fumas and Argyle Fumas Connecticut. Fumas make excellent yard ’gars because they’re crafted from the remnants of premium long-filler tobaccos for a fraction of the cost. Starting at less than $40 for a 20-count bundle, Argyle Fumas come in three classic sizes: Churchill, Robusto, and Toro. The original blend develops with tasting notes of wood, baking spices, and walnut, while the Connecticut edition offers a silky profile of cashew, coffee bean, and white pepper.
5. Oliva Gilberto Oliva
Normally, award-winning cigars from the prestigious Oliva portfolio would be off limits for yard ’gar purposes; however, you can pump the pedigree up a notch thanks to the rock-bottom prices we apply to the 90-rated Oliva Gilberto Oliva and the 92-rated Oliva Gilberto Oliva Reserva Blanc during one of our regularly recurring Oliva deals. These precious handmades meet our threshold for yard ’gar prices when we kick in a dependable discount. The original Oliva Gilberto Oliva entices with a Sumatra wrapper and subtle notes of cocoa, caramel, and earth. Reserva Blanc unfolds in an approachable profile of cashew, almond, and buttered toast. Your neighbors will think you won the cigar lottery when they see you pushing a wheelbarrow around with an Oliva in your mouth.
6. Bella Cuba
The Bella Cuba brand has grown to include four unique blends: the original Bella Cuba, Connecticut, Candela, and a dark and toothy Maduro. Each features a classic Cuban-sandwich recipe of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos, tucked under an immaculate wrapper leaf. This affordable Cuban-heritage collection boasts savory notes of cedar, dark chocolate, coffee bean, green tea, molasses, spices, and more. Each blend is handcrafted in four traditional sizes. Choose your favorite format and add Bella Cuba to your regular rotation before you take your next stroll through the tulips, son.
7. Gran Habano
The Gran Habano brand is geared toward frugal guys with a green thumb. Go for a bundle of Gran Habano Vintage cigars when you’re gassing up the mower and save a ton. The Vintage series features long-filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and Costa Rica, finished in a trio of wrapper options. Vintage 2002 boasts an oily Nicaraguan Corojo with leathery, spicy notes of cedar and earth. Vintage 2004 is finished in a golden-blond Connecticut Shade leaf, offering softer notes of cereal, nuts, and pepper. Vintage 2006 showcases an Ecuador Habano wrapper in a complex profile of nuts, leather, coffee bean, and wood.
