Five Great Cigars for Beginning Cigar Smokers

While the cigar hobby can be an awesome and relaxing pastime, for someone just getting started out it can often be confusing and a bit overwhelming. With so many great stogies on the market today, where does one begin? Like anything that is subjective to taste, finding out what you like is a personal journey (and one of the most rewarding parts of cigar smoking, in my opinion.) For those looking to get into cigars but aren’t quite sure where to start, I’ve put together a short list of stogies that are solid choices for the newbie aficionado.

1. Acid Cigars by Drew Estate

Many smokers break into the stogie hobby with infused or flavored cigars, and Acid is pretty much the king of that category. Sampling an Acid Kuba Kuba or Blondie is a pretty smooth and flavorful way to start off your stogie career. A lot of people I know started off this way before moving on to fuller and more straight-forward smokes, and with Acid you’ll find a wide range of high quality, infused sticks, so you can not only become acquainted with  the smoking routine, but also figure out if flavored cigars are your thing or not.

2. Gran Cantidad by General Cigar

One of our best-selling exclusive blends, Gran Cantidad by General Cigar, is another good introductory smoke for a couple of reasons- One: It comes in affordable bundles of twenty (or equally cheap sampler packs), so you can easily grab a batch to test out without gambling too much of your hard-earned cash on something you might not like. Two: In terms of flavor, Gran Cantidad will give you some experience with tasting the different flavors that come from a premium cigar. A good cigar typically gives off a range of flavors during the course of the smoke, and our G.C. is a reasonably-priced way to get familiarized with the tasting process.

3. Sancho Panza (regular & Double Maduro)

Again, price-point is a factor in my inclusion of Sancho Panza. I really can’t think of a cigar that’s this tasty and well-made for as low as $2.50 a stick. Both the regular line and the Double Maduro are medium in body, burn super-clean, and trying out both would be a cool way for one to determine whether they prefer natural or maduro (extra-fermented) wrappers. To be fair, I have to admit that I discovered Sanchos early on and it remains one of my all-time favorite brands.
4. Romeo y Julieta 1875 RoboloWhen the topic of conversation turns to classic Dominican stogies, chances are one of the first names to pop up will be Romeo y Julieta, and for good reason. The 1875 line is without a doubt one of the most mellow, smooth, and consistent blends out there, and our Robolo vitola (size) is a short, fat stogie designed to zero in on the “sweet spot” of the cigar (the part of the cigar where the flavor reaches its peak.) This will help you cut to the chase and enjoy the full richness of the smoke more directly, and with this fat 4 ½ x 60 size you’ll also get to see if “big ring” cigars (cigars with a large diameter) are for you.

5. Gran Habano Connecticut #1 

 Though mellow-to-medium in body, the Gran Habano #1 is a Connecticut-wrapped cigar with big-time rich taste and character. These Honduran stogies are unquestionably full-flavored and just a little spicier than the other cigars on this list. The earthy flavors and silky finish on these sticks make the Gran Habano Connecticut#1 ideal for the new smoker looking to stretch out their palate a bit.

For more recommendations on good “starter” cigars, feel free to open a Live Chat on our site or call our friendly service team @ 1-888-412-4427