Top Cigars to Smoke While Watching the 2024 Masters Tournament
Golf is the only sport we play while we smoke cigars. It’s a game of grip, stance, swing, and strategy. Serious golfers study the game by watching professionals play during prestigious championships like the Masters – a tradition unlike any other. The prominent Augusta, Georgia, event was conceived by amateur golf champion Bobby Jones and investment banker Clifford Roberts. Architect Alister MacKenzie designed the legendary Augusta National golf course with Jones, who acquired the property after winning his grand slam in 1930. The annual tournament attracts 35-40,000 spectators to the course today. The Masters was first played in 1934 and is one of the four majors in professional golf, which includes the U.S. Open, The British Open, and the PGA Championship.
The Masters is wrought with formal traditions such as the awarding of a green blazer, a gold medal, and a silver Masters trophy to players who win the tournament. Past Masters champions form an elite club that includes six-time winner Jack Nicklaus, five-time winner Tiger Woods, four-time winner Arnold Palmer, and three-time winners Jimmy Demaret, Sam Snead, Gary Player, Nick Faldo, and Phil Mickelson.
The players compete for a large purse, which in 2023 totaled $18 million with $3.2 million going to tournament champion Jon Rahm. Winners also receive exclusive career-altering privileges. Most notable is a lifetime invitation to play in the Masters and a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour, as well as a five-year exemption to play in the three other majors (the U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA Championship). Between 90 and 100 golfers are invited to participate in the event. Playing is an honor but one that comes with much pressure. Watching famous golfers compete in the four-day championship is exciting with so much on the line. Soothe your nerves with one of the top six cigars to smoke while you watch the Masters this year. And keep our list of the best cigars to smoke while you’re playing a round of golf yourself.
1. Ashton Cabinet #1
Ashton Cabinet No. 1 is a glistening 9 x 52 Figurado handcrafted from a supreme blend of Dominican tobaccos matured for five to seven years and tucked under a golden-blond Connecticut Shade wrapper leaf. Tasting notes of cedar, cashews, almonds, and coffee beans accompany luscious spices and a touch of sweetness around the edges. The extended format lasts for nearly two hours and is a superlative cigar to smoke while you’re watching golf thanks its creamy, resonant finish.
2. Arturo Fuente Hemingway Masterpiece
World-renowned cigar-maker Carlito Fuente blends Arturo Fuente Hemingway from a gingerbread-hued Cameroon wrapper leaf and a well-aged interior of premium Dominican binder and filler tobaccos in a collection of meticulous Figurados. The Masterpiece is the longest shape with its 9 x 52 dimensions. A savory sequence of coffee bean, cedar, and nutty notes emerges with black pepper and baking spices in an exquisite, medium-bodied finish.
3. San Cristobal Elegancia Churchill
A silky and refined profile of white pepper, fresh-ground coffee, cashews, and cedar reveals leathery and luscious aroma in a perfectly dense 7 x 50 Churchill. Legendary cigar-maker Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia blends a vintage core of Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos beneath a shimmering Connecticut-seed wrapper leaf grown in Ecuador. A milky and peppery finish unfolds over the course of an hour and leaves the palate in an utter state of bliss.
4. Padrón 1964 Anniversary 'A'
Padrón 1964 Anniversary is considered a classic by aficionados around the world. Indulge in the epic 8.25 x 50 box-pressed dimensions of the ‘A’ format for maximum satisfaction. Notes of cocoa, cedar, cayenne, baking spices, and coffee beans entice the senses in a profile that commences with cool and ultra-smooth taste before intensifying in a woody, zesty finish. The award-winning blend is drawn from well-aged reserves of Padrón’s finest Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos and a toothy Nicaraguan cover leaf.
5. Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado
In 2014, Oliva Serie V Melanio scored 96 points and the ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ in Cigar Aficionado for the elegant, box-pressed 6.5 x 52 Figurado. A medium-brown Ecuador Sumatra wrapper leaf gleams beneath a touch of oil as it cradles a meaty but refined interior of Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. A zesty profile of caramel, wood, and leather surrenders concentrated taste with perfect balance in a striking shape.
6. Rocky Patel Mulligans Masters Collection
There’s no question you can smoke multiple cigars over the course of the Masters. Get an affordable 20-count bundle of golf-themed cigars from Rocky Patel and share them with your buddies. No cigar fits the bill better than Rocky Patel Mulligans Masters Collection. An oily, gingerbread-hued Cuban-seed wrapper grown in Ecuador covers a magnificent blend of binder and filler tobaccos. Notes of fresh espresso, leather, wood, and spices arrive in a collection of classic shapes. The Mulligans franchise was created by Rocky Patel as an avenue to showcase early versions of his bestselling national brands and his finest side projects. Save big when you buy an official bundle of golf ‘gars from Rocky today!
