Best Cigars to Smoke on the Fourth of July
I can’t imagine a better day to fire up a fine cigar than on the Fourth of July. You can trace the aroma of tobacco all the way back past the pioneering days of the Wild West to America’s early indigenous tribes and European traders. Pay tribute to 250 years of tradition, independence, craftsmanship, and coexistence by exercising your right to smoke a cigar. Here’s a quick list of the best cigars to smoke on the Fourth of July while you’re grilling out in the backyard or gazing up at a starry explosion of fireworks across the nighttime sky.
San Cristobal Revelation
Every time I spin the band of a San Cristobal cigar over in my hand, with its depiction of 15th-century sailing vessels transiting a tropical port, I can’t help but imagine the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria landing in the Americas for the first time, delivering Christopher Columbus to a foreign landscape in the New World. San Cristobal is a brand that evokes adventure on the high seas, exploration, and the discovery of a far-off paradise with pristine beaches and crystal-clear blue waters.
San Cristobal Revelation is one of the bestselling blends in the portfolio. Award-winning father-and-son cigarmakers Pepin and Jaime Garcia created the blend with a milk-chocolate-hued Ecuador Sumatra wrapper leaf and a medium-bodied amalgam of premium aged Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. A glistening profile of smoked almond, cedar, cinnamon, cocoa, and pepper reveals a creamy, sublime tapestry that pairs easily with bourbon, beer, and summer cocktails.
Ashton VSG
Over forty years ago, the iconic Ashton brand was founded by Robert Levin, a cigar industry veteran, right here in the historic city of Philadelphia. Indulge in a delicious homage to the greatest nation, with Ashton Virgin Sun Grown (VSG), a stunning 94-rated cigar blended by world-renowned cigarmaker Carlito Fuente in the Dominican Republic.
An oily Ecuador Sumatra embraces an intricate interior of vintage long-fillers from the Dominican Republic. Savory notes of cedar, leather, espresso bean, earth, and spice mingle with hints of raisin throughout a long, malty finish. Kick back on the Fourth with a bold Dominican classic blended from the finest tobaccos in the world.
La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor
La Aroma de Cuba originated in Cuba in the late 1800s. The brand is produced in Nicaragua by award-winning cigarmaker José ‘Pepin’ Garcia, who left Cuba to join his family in the States in the early 2000s following a decades-long career as a master roller. The Garcias’ ascent as one of the industry’s most revered cigarmaking families embodies the American dream.
Today, Pepin is responsible for blending dozens of bestselling cigars, including the 96-rated La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor. A toothy San Andrés wrapper surrounds a magnificent core of premium Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos, handcrafted in six attractive sizes at the My Father Cigars S.A. factory in Nicaragua. Luscious notes of dark chocolate, almond, espresso bean, and cracked black pepper culminate with a touch of coconut in a sweet, zesty smoke. La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor is also a superb value if you need to buy a full box of cigars to share with friends.
My Father The Judge
The award-winning My Father portfolio boasts a trio of previous ‘Cigar of the Year’ titleholders, including the 96-rated Flor de las Antillas, 97-rated Le Bijou 1922, and the 98-rated My Father The Judge. Father-and-son cigarmakers Pepin and Jaime Garcia have earned dozens of accolades for their work, and The Judge offers a powerful, complex profile with tremendous smoothness.
A hearty Ecuador Sumatra wrapper covers a potent recipe of premium Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos harvested on Garcia family farms in Estelí, Jalapa, and Namanji. Succulent tasting notes of leather, cedar, earth, and pepper culminate throughout a toasty, nutty smoke, bearing impressions of fresh bread. Fire up The Judge after filling up at your Fourth of July barbecue when you’re craving a robust after-dinner cigar.
Arturo Fuente Don Carlos
Arturo Fuente Don Carlos is a world-famous blend created by beloved cigarmaker Carlos Fuente Sr., who, with his son, Carlito Fuente, built the Fuente brand into a global powerhouse over his illustrious, decades-long career. The Fuente family is the leading cigar producer in the Dominican Republic, with several renowned cigars to their credit.
Don Carlos is drawn from an oily, gingerbread-hued Cameroon wrapper and vintage Dominican long-filler tobaccos. Medium to full-bodied notes of cedar, chestnut, cocoa, almond, and black pepper develop in an intricate, balanced blend considered one of the finest examples of Cameroon wrapper. Enjoy Arturo Fuente Don Carlos in a wide variety of rare and bestselling sizes.
CAO America
CAO America is an obvious choice for patriots who want to puff on a cigar this Fourth of July. This Honduran-drafted smoke is part of CAO’s World collection, a series of cigars blended to celebrate specific nations. CAO America is dutifully banded with stars and stripes. It features a complex four-country blend of Dominican, Nicaraguan, Italian, and American tobaccos beneath a unique barber-pole wrapper that alternates between a Connecticut Broadleaf and a Connecticut Shade pinstripe.
Notes of chocolate, cedar, leather, and earth abound in an eye-catching cigar. This rich, medium-bodied profile is handmade in a series of thicker ring gauges. CAO garnered a sizeable audience for its World portfolio thanks to the colorful bands and boxes, designed to identify the country commemorated in each blend.
