Best Summer Cigars
As much as we love to hunker down and smoke inside our man caves with a game on the flat screen, thank heaven for cigar-friendly summer weather! It’s time to get back on the golf course, row the boat onto the lake, or show off your chest hair at the beach. Summer is the ideal season to smoke cigars because smoking outside maximizes our opportunities to enjoy them.
Plus, not everyone has access to a cigar-friendly man cave or a quality cigar lounge when the weather’s uncooperative. Smoking cigars outside makes sense. Who can argue with spending time outdoors on a warm sunny day with a premium cigar? Not us. Here are some great cigars you should smoke this summer.
#1 - Ashton Classic
Ashton Classic is one the first blends cigar connoisseurs reach for when they’re hitting the golf course. Its mild and creamy Dominican profile is mellow but loaded with luscious taste and aroma. When the afternoon sun is beating down on the greens, Ashton Classic delivers silky and rich tasting notes of cedar, cashews, and blonde roast coffee beans with a touch of spice. The finish mesmerizes without overwhelming. Ashton Classic is also ideal if you’re getting married this summer and need cigars for your groomsmen or the wedding reception.
#2 - Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente
World-renowned cigar-maker Carlito Fuente blends a legendary portfolio of premium Dominican cigars. Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente is an exquisite summertime cigar. The blend is drafted in three classic wrapper options: Connecticut Shade, Connecticut Broadleaf, and Sun Grown. We recommend the Connecticut Shade varietal for a warm summer day. An elegant profile of almonds, oak, and cedar reveals a bit of black pepper around the edges. Chateau Fuente is ideal with an ice-cold lager or a refreshing daiquiri.
#3 - San Cristobal Elegancia
Notes of white pepper, nuts, cedar, and sweetened coffee emerge in a medium-bodied cigar blended by Pepin Garcia in a collection of well-made shapes. Fans of Nicaraguan cigars love San Cristobal Elegancia for its creamy and versatile taste as well as its approachability. The blend is rich but less intense or spicy than many other Nicaraguan cigars. Crack open a frothy Allagash White and fire up the grill with an Elegancia.
#4 - La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial
If you’re smoking on a cooler summer day or as the sun goes down, consider a cigar with a heartier wrapper leaf like a La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial. An oily Cuban-seed wrapper leaf envelops a robust interior of premium aged Nicaraguan long-fillers grown on select Garcia family estates. Tasting notes of smoked almonds, espresso beans, wood, and leather culminate in an excellent finish. The ample profile is perfect for sitting around the campfire with a neat bourbon on a starry night.
#5 - Oliva Monticello
Oliva Monticello is also a great choice if you’re on a boat or out in the wind. The blend is drawn from a succulent Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper leaf and a meaty core Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Its vigorous and slightly sweet profile of dark chocolate, earth, chestnuts, and spices layers the palate from beginning to end. Pair an ultra-rare Oliva gem with a cold pint of Guinness or a stout from Goose Island.
#6 - Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne
Value and quality define the Perdomo portfolio. The brand’s bestselling cigar is Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne. The blend delivers an amalgam of creamy, spicy, and nutty tasting notes in a collection of cool-burning shapes. A glistening Ecuador Connecticut wrapper leaf enrobes a flavorful and well-made interior of premium Nicaraguan cigars. 10th Anniversary Champagne is a perfect cigar if you’re hitting the golf course or the beach with your buddies and a cooler full of cold beer.
#7 - Macanudo
Macanudo is the “everyman” cigar for summertime. It’s easy to find and easy to smoke, especially for newbie cigar lovers who only smoke a cigar once in a blue moon. A Connecticut Shade wrapper leaf conceals a mild blend of Dominican binder and filler tobaccos in a smooth and creamy profile of nuts, coffee beans, and cedar. Macanudo burns straight and won’t overpower your palate with too much strength or complexity. Because everybody’s heard of Macanudo before, it’s an easy cigar to pass out to pals who are on the fence about firing up.
