Cigars for beginners

Since setting up this website, I often get asked by my readers what cigars they should smoke if they are a beginner or a newbie to the cigar scene. This is a tricky question for me to answer, as I don’t consider myself a cigar aficionado – I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn. But I am determined to help answer this!

Firstly before any recommendations are made, it’s worth noting that everybody will experience a cigar in their own unique way. Many factors will influence your cigar experience, including your surroundings, mood and the time of day or night you will smoke your cigar. Also, everyone’s flavour profile and preference will differ, as we are all unique.

There are tons of recommendations out there already, which can be overwhelming on who’s recommendation to follow. I did a bit of research, to identify the most commonly recommended cigar for beginners as recommended across the following UK websites and articles:

Davidoff – Beginners smokers
Sautters – Recommended cigars for beginners
JJ Fox – Perfect cigars for beginners
C Gars Ltd – Cigars for beginners
Havana House – Top 10 cigars for beginners

The most common recommendation of a cigar to smoke for a beginner was the:

Hoyo De Monterrey Petit Robustos

Length: 4″
Ring Gauge: 50
Strength: Light 
Vitola: Petit Robusto
Smoking Time: 30 Minutes
Country of origin: Cuba

Followed by cigars from the following cigar brands:

H Upmann Corona

Length: 5 1/8″ 
Ring Gauge: 42 
Strength: Light to Medium
Vitola: Eminentes
Smoking Time: 30 Minutes
Country of origin: Cuba

El Rey Del Mundo Choix Supreme

Length: 5″ 
Ring Gauge: 48
Strength: Light to Medium
Vitola: Hermoso No. 4
Smoking Time: 45 – 60 Minutes
Country of origin: Cuba

Romeo y Julieta Petit Corona

Length: 5 1/8″
Ring Gauge: 42
Strength: Medium 
Vitola: Petit Corona
Smoking Time: 30 Minutes
Country of origin: Cuba

Montecristo Open J

Length: 4 3/8″ 
Ring Gauge: 38
Strength: Medium
Vitola: Trabucos
Smoking Time: 20 – 30 Minutes
Country of origin: Cuba

Interestingly these are ALL Cuban cigars, which is a shame as they have yet to include many non-Cuban cigars. I think it’s worth trying a mix of both to help you work out what you like and don’t like.

Another insight from my research is that most of these cigar recommendations are all light to medium in strength. This backs up the theory I have heard from cigar folk who suggest that beginners should only start with a mild cigar before going anywhere near a full-bodied one. This will allow you to get a feel for the flavour and experience of smoking a cigar without being overwhelmed by a more powerful blend.

Other insights I came away with include the size of the cigar; most recommendations are relatively short cigars that take approximately 30 minutes to smoke with a ring gauge between 38 and 50. And the cost is, of course, another factor when choosing a cigar for a beginner. Most of the recommendations above appear to be pretty affordable, around the £20.00 mark.

Whilst the above cigar recommendations are a good starting point, what about the non-Cuban cigars? Well, I did some research on that too! I wanted to find out what my followers across my social media would recommend as a cigar for beginners.

Interestingly, they returned with a majority of non-Cuban cigar (and some Cuban cigar) recommendations. See the list below:

Ashton Classic

Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Strength: Light
Country of origin: Dominican Republic

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2

Length: 4 7/8″
Ring Gauge: 50 
Strength: Light
Vitola: Robusto
Smoking Time: 45 Minutes
Country of origin: Cuba

Davidoff Grand Cru

Length: 4″
Ring Gauge: 41
Strength: Light – Medium
Format: Petit Corona
Country of origin: Dominican Republic

Arturo Fuente Short Story

Length: 4″
Ring Gauge: 42/49
Strength: Medium
Country of origin: Dominican Republic

Rocky Patel Vintage 1990

Length: 5 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 50
Strength: Medium
Vitola: Robusto
Country of origin: Honduras

Romeo y Julieta Mille Fleur

Length: 5 1/8″
Ring Gauge: 42
Strength: Medium 
Vitola: Petit Corona
Smoking Time: 30 Minutes
Country of origin: Cuba

My Father Cigars Le Bijou 1922

Length: 4.5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Strength: Medium – Full
Vitola: Petit Robusto
Country of origin: Nicaragua

Montecristo No 4

Length: 5 1/8″ 
Ring Gauge: 42
Strength: Medium – Full
Vitola: Petit Corona
Smoking Time: 30 Minutes
Country of origin: Cuba

Finally, I will throw in one of my recommendations. I would give the Quintero cigar a shot! 

Quintero Favoritos

Length: 4 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 50
Strength: Medium
Country of origin: Cuba

This relatively cheap Cuban cigar is of medium strength and fantastic value for money. See my full review of it here. 

Are there any cigars you should avoid?

When I started smoking cigars, I began with Hamlet and King Edward cigars. These are an absolute NO! Avoid these cigars under ALL circumstances, and try one from the lists above. You won’t look back!

I hope these recommendations help out on your cigar journey. Please do reach out and let me know how you get on and what you think of any of the suggestions above.

Special thanks to all those people that responded to my request for cigar recommendations for beginners across my social media 🙏