The Best Unique Cigars to Try
Some cigars are works of art. They look so impressive, you almost don’t want to smoke them. Cigar collectors fawn over them and love to show them off to their pals. What makes these rare gems so special? They’re rolled from prized reserves of the finest tobacco, following years of aging, and only the most accomplished cigar rollers are capable of assembling these coveted sizes. Let’s take a peek at the most unique and unusual cigars you can smoke—if you’re lucky enough to find them for sale.
1. Fuente Fuente Opus X BBMF
Fuente Fuente Opus X cigars are tightly rationed rarities, especially “unicorn” sizes like BBMF, because you rarely see them for sale. BBMF stands for “Big Bad M*%&*r F**r”—a provocative name for a cigar with monumental flavor and looks.
This bulbous 6.5-inch Figurado swells to a 64-ring gauge at its thickest point. It’s available in a Natural or a Maduro wrapper leaf. A shaggy tail of filler tobacco blossoms at the head like a ponytail. The Natural version features a sliver of the Maduro wrapper at both ends, and the Maduro version features a sliver of the Natural wrapper. It’s these meticulous details that set BBMF cigars apart. Only one or two rollers handcraft this elaborate shape from tobaccos grown on the Chateau de la Fuente estates in the Dominican Republic. Notes of cedar, fig, coffee bean, wood, and spice unfold over an indulgent hour-and-a-half smoke.
You can find Opus X BBMF cigars for sale in exclusive humidors, such as the Ashton Cigar Bar in Philadelphia ($275 per cigar for the Natural and $325 for the Maduro) and limited-edition samplers, such as the Arturo Fuente ‘From Dream to Dynasty’ Collection. Get your credit card out.
2. Fuente Fuente Opus X Chili Pepper
A second Fuente Fuente Opus X cigar, a compact 5-inch-by-55 Figurado called the Chili Pepper, makes our list. A single roller at the Fuente factory precisely assembles this gem in the likeness of an actual chili pepper, and it packs a wallop. Predominantly rolled from potent Dominican Ligero tobaccos, this pint-sized smoke layers the palate with intense spices from the first draw to the finish. Classic Opus X notes of cedar, cinnamon, leather, and coffee bean emerge, courtesy of the cigar’s oily Dominican Rosado wrapper. Outside of the rarest Fuente samplers, you can also find the Chili Pepper at the Ashton Cigar Bar for $225 per cigar.
3. La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel
In 2003, La Flor Dominicana brand founder Litto Gomez pioneered a new cigar size he christened the “Chisel” for its chisel-like shape. After chewing on a traditional Torpedo-shaped cigar during a long drive in the Dominican Republic, Litto noticed the cigar had developed a flattened profile at the head by the time he reached his destination. It was an effect he rather liked. He pulled the flattened smoke from his mouth and instructed his rollers to copy it. Today, Litto’s trademarked Chisel shape is available in several highly rated blends, notably La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel, which comes in a Sun Grown wrapper, harvested in Ecuador, or a dark Maduro. Both are full-bodied, peppery, and potent. The classic Chisel size is 6 inches with a 54-ring gauge. Litto has created multiple variations of the Chisel, including the chunky, box-pressed Chapter 1 and a smaller 5-by-44 Chiselito size.
4. Ashton VSG Enchantment
Ashton VSG debuted in 1999 with a full-bodied profile blended by Carlito Fuente. A shimmering Ecuador Sumatra wrapper conceals vintage Dominican long-filler tobaccos in several iconic sizes, including a curvaceous 4.375-by-60 Perfecto, called the Enchantment. This short but gorgeous cigar unfolds slowly, offering rewarding notes of cedar, espresso bean, earth, black pepper, and leather before a succulent finish bathes the palate. While Ashton VSG is considered an iconic blend, what draws cigar lovers to the Enchantment is the cigar’s bulbous, hard-to-roll shape. A cigarmaker has to employ rollers with many years of experience to create cigars like the Enchantment, especially on a grand scale. Savor a legendary, 94-rated classic in an unconventional size from Ashton.
5. Arturo Fuente Between the Lines
Arturo Fuente Between the Lines is the original barber pole cigar. Inspired by the swirl ice cream he loved as a child, Carlito Fuente created this sought-after smoke by alternating Connecticut Shade and Connecticut Broadleaf wrappers on a 4.5-inch Figurado with a 55-ring gauge, handcrafted in the iconic Hemingway Series. Nutty notes of cashew and almond mingle with sweet hints of maple, spice, and cocoa in a distinctive, creamy gem. Carlito’s sister, Cynthia Fuente-Suarez, considers it one of her favorites and generously shares Between the Lines with customers at events. Add them to your humidor when we’ve got them in stock.
Strength: Medium
Country: Domican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade & Connecticut Broadleaf
6. La Flor Dominicana Andalusian Bull
In 2016, La Flor Dominicana brand founder Litto Gomez scored his first ‘Cigar of the Year’ title from Cigar Aficionado with the 96-rated Andalusian Bull. Litto created this attractive 6.5-by-64 Salomon from an old cigar mold he discovered in Belgium. Named for the Spanish town where Litto was born, Andalusian Bull pays homage to Spain. The cigar band depicts a bullfighter’s silhouette, and the brand’s name is rendered in a font that mirrors the handwriting of Pablo Picasso. This unconventional 6.5-by-64 Figurado gradually tapers at the head, delivering ample notes of baking spices, cedar, and leather. Its glistening wrapper leaf embraces a decadent core of Dominican long-filler tobaccos grown on Litto’s estates.
7. Arturo Fuente Anejo No. 77 Shark
After the debut of Arturo Fuente Añejo in 2000, Carlito Fuente created the sixth size for the lineup: No. 77 the Shark—a half-box-pressed Torpedo measuring 5.875 inches with a 64-ring gauge, handcrafted to mirror the fin of a shark. Carlito conceived this artful shape after watching sharks swim in Florida. A dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, fermented in a cognac barrel, covers premium reserves of Dominican long-fillers from head to foot, resulting in a delicious profile of anise, dark cocoa, molasses, and spice. The Shark is among the most sought-after Fuente cigars. Don’t hesitate to buy a box when they’re in stock.
8. Padrón 60th Anniversary
While the prestigious Padrón brand is best-known for its box-pressed cigars, Padrón 60th Anniversary bucks the trend, coming in an elaborate 6.5-inch round Perfecto that gently slopes from a 56-ring gauge at its thickest point to a 48-ring gauge at the head. Only the factory’s top rollers handcraft the 60th Anniversary, and production is limited due to the time and precision required to make it. Classic Padrón nuances of cedar, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cocoa develop throughout a 97-rated classic, earning the brand its fifth ‘Cigar of the Year’ title from the editors at Cigar Aficionado. This oily Nicaraguan masterpiece comes in Natural and Maduro wrappers.
9. Liga Privada Flying Pig
Drew Estate launched the first Liga Privada cigars in 2008. The spicy, full-bodied profiles of the Liga Privada No. 9 and Liga Privada T52 quickly picked up steam with consumers. And the short, fat shape of the Flying Pig size remains the most popular smoke in the entire Liga portfolio. This chunky 4.125-by-60 shape is fittingly finished with a pigtail cap, and you can smoke it in multiple blends, including the T-52, with a Sun Grown wrapper, the No. 9, with a Connecticut Broadleaf, as well as the Liga Undercrown and Undercrown Shade lines. Flying Pig cigars are unusual for their short, squatty silhouettes, pigtail caps, intense tobaccos, and the “Flying Pig” moniker bestowed upon them. Despite their short stature, they burn for a deceptively long time due to their thickness.
