Best Cigars for Beginners: 8 Mild Smokes to Start With
If you are buying your first cigar, get a mild, Connecticut-shade-wrapped cigar in a robusto size and expect to pay between $7 and $15. That combination — low nicotine, a pale and creamy wrapper leaf, and a short, thick shape that burns cool — is what makes a first cigar enjoyable instead of something you politely put down after ten minutes.
We have been selling cigars from the same Miami shop since 1950, and the eight below are the ones we actually hand across the counter when somebody tells us they have never smoked one before.
The 8 best cigars for beginners
Every pick below is mild to medium, smooth enough to enjoy without a break-in period, and stocked in singles or five-packs so a first purchase does not mean committing to a box.
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1
Macanudo Hyde Park
- Strength
- Mild
- Wrapper
- Connecticut Shade
- Size
- Robusto, 5½ x 49
- Price
- from $13.65
The cigar most tobacconists reach for when someone says "I have never smoked one before." Cedar, cream and a little sweetness, no pepper, and a burn so even it is hard to smoke badly. If you only try one cigar on this list, try this one.
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2
Baccarat Rothschild
- Strength
- Mild
- Wrapper
- Honduran Connecticut
- Size
- Rothschild, 5 x 50
- Price
- from $7.15
Famous for its sweetened cap, which gives you a hint of sugar on the lips and takes the edge off the first few puffs. One of the cheapest genuinely good cigars we sell, which makes it the right one to learn on.
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3
Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente
- Strength
- Mild to medium
- Wrapper
- Ecuadorian Connecticut
- Size
- Robusto, 4½ x 50
- Price
- from $9.40
A short, thick robusto from one of the most respected family factories in the Dominican Republic. Slightly more flavor than the Macanudo without ever getting strong, and short enough to finish in under an hour.
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4
Oliva Connecticut Reserve Robusto
- Strength
- Mild to medium
- Wrapper
- Ecuadorian Connecticut
- Size
- Robusto, 5 x 50
- Price
- from $11.65
Nicaraguan tobacco under a pale Connecticut wrapper, so you get more body than a classic Dominican mild without the pepper Nicaragua is known for. A good second cigar once the first one goes down easily.
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5
My Father Connecticut Toro
- Strength
- Mild to medium
- Wrapper
- Ecuadorian Connecticut
- Size
- Toro, 6 x 52
- Price
- from $11.95
The Garcia family built their name on full-strength cigars, then made this one for everybody else. Creamy and a touch sweet, but with the construction quality of a much more serious cigar. The nicest-made cigar on this list.
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6
Montecristo White Especial No. 3
- Strength
- Mild to medium
- Wrapper
- Ecuadorian Connecticut
- Size
- Corona Grande, 6 x 44
- Price
- from $15.10
The mildest cigar in the best-known name in the business, and a thinner ring gauge than most of this list, which keeps the smoke cool and the flavor delicate. Buy this one if the name on the band matters to you.
Shop Montecristo White Especial No. 3 All Montecristo cigars
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7
Isla del Sol Robusto
- Strength
- Mild to medium
- Wrapper
- Sumatra
- Size
- Robusto, 5 x 50
- Price
- from $7.15
The value pick. A Sumatra-wrapped Honduran cigar that costs a few dollars and smokes like it costs more, sold in bundles rather than boxes. Buy a handful of these while you work out what you actually like.
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8
Acid Blondie
- Strength
- Mild
- Wrapper
- Connecticut
- Size
- Petit Corona, 4 x 38
- Price
- from $7.95
Infused with botanicals and oils, so it tastes and smells nothing like a traditional cigar - floral, sweet and easy. Cigar purists roll their eyes at it; a lot of people who thought they disliked cigars started here.
How to choose your first cigar
Four things decide whether you enjoy a cigar: how strong it is, how big it is, what leaf is wrapped around the outside, and what you paid. Everything else is detail you can pick up later.
Strength
Strength means nicotine, not flavor. A full-bodied cigar smoked by someone new — particularly on an empty stomach — produces a clammy, lightheaded, faintly seasick feeling that cigar smokers call getting "nicotine sick." It is the single most common reason people decide cigars are not for them. Start mild, eat something first, and keep a glass of water nearby.
Size
Cigars are measured by length in inches and ring gauge, which is the diameter in 64ths of an inch. A robusto — about 5 inches by 50 ring — is the right first size. It is thick enough to burn evenly and cool, and it takes 45 minutes to an hour, which is long enough to be an occasion and short enough that you are not trapped. Leave churchills and 60-ring gordos until you know you like this.
Wrapper
The wrapper is the outer leaf and it carries a surprising amount of the flavor. Pale gold Connecticut shade wrappers taste creamy, mild and slightly sweet, and they are what nearly every cigar on this list uses. Dark, oily maduro wrappers have been fermented far longer and taste of coffee, chocolate and earth — excellent, but richer than most beginners want on day one. Habano and Sumatra wrappers sit in between and bring some spice.
Price
Between $7 and $15 a cigar is the sweet spot. Below about $5 you are usually buying machine-made short filler, which burns hot and tastes harsh — not a fair test of whether you like cigars. Above $20 you are paying for scarcity and age that a new palate genuinely cannot detect yet. Buy singles or a five-pack first; a box of 25 is a big bet on a preference you do not have yet.
Not sure yet? Start with a sampler. A cigar sampler puts five to ten different cigars in one box for less than buying them individually, which is the cheapest way to find out what you actually like. It is what we recommend to most first-time buyers.
How to smoke your first cigar
- Cut it. Take about 2mm off the closed end — just the cap, above the shoulder where the cigar starts to curve. Cutting too deep unravels the wrapper. A double-guillotine cutter is the easiest tool to start with.
- Toast the foot. Hold the open end just above the flame of a butane lighter or a cedar spill, without touching it, and rotate until the edge glows evenly. Do not use a petrol lighter or a scented candle; you will taste it.
- Light it. Now draw gently while holding the flame near the foot, still rotating. Blow on the lit end once to check it is burning evenly across the whole face.
- Do not inhale. Draw the smoke into your mouth, hold it for a second to taste it, and let it go. Cigar smoke is not meant for the lungs.
- Pace yourself. Roughly one puff a minute. Smoking fast overheats the cigar and turns it bitter and harsh — the most common self-inflicted wound of a first cigar.
- Let the ash build. An inch of ash is fine and actually helps keep the burn cool. Tap it off gently rather than grinding it.
- Stop when you want to. Most people put a cigar down with an inch or two left, when it starts to warm up and taste stronger. Set it in the ashtray and let it go out on its own; do not stub it like a cigarette.
Five things that ruin a first cigar
- Starting too strong. A Nicaraguan powerhouse is a fine cigar and a terrible introduction.
- Smoking too fast. Heat is the enemy of flavor. If the cigar gets hot to the touch, put it down for a minute.
- Inhaling. See above. It is the difference between a pleasant hour and feeling ill.
- Smoking a dried-out cigar. A cigar that has sat in a shop drawer without humidity will taste papery and burn fast. Buy from somewhere that keeps stock in a humidor.
- Buying a whole box first. Taste is personal. Buy singles, learn what you like, then commit.
Do you need a humidor?
Not immediately. Cigars want roughly 70% humidity and 70°F, but for your first few, the cellophane sleeve and a zip bag with a humidity pack will hold them fine for a couple of weeks. Once you find yourself keeping ten or more cigars around, buy a proper humidor — a small 25-count desktop model is plenty for years.
Cigar questions beginners ask us
What is the best cigar for a first-time smoker?
A mild, Connecticut-shade-wrapped cigar in a robusto size - the Macanudo Hyde Park or Baccarat Rothschild are the two we hand to first-timers most often. Both are mild enough that you will taste cedar and cream rather than pepper, and both are short enough to finish in about 45 minutes.
Should a beginner smoke a mild or a full-bodied cigar?
Mild. Strength in a cigar refers to nicotine, and a full-bodied cigar smoked on an empty stomach will make a new smoker feel genuinely unwell - lightheaded, sweaty and nauseous. Start mild, eat first, and work up over months rather than days.
What size cigar should a beginner start with?
A robusto, roughly 5 inches long with a 50 ring gauge. It is thick enough to burn evenly and cool, and short enough to finish in 45 to 60 minutes. Avoid churchills and double coronas at first - a two-hour cigar is a long time to spend finding out you do not like it.
How much should a beginner spend on a cigar?
Between $7 and $15 per cigar. Below that you are mostly buying machine-made cigars with short filler, which burn hot and taste harsh. Above it you are paying for rarity and age that a new palate will not detect yet. Buy a five-pack or a sampler rather than a box until you know what you like.
Do you inhale cigar smoke?
No. Cigar smoke is drawn into the mouth, held for a moment to taste it, and released. Inhaling cigar smoke into the lungs is unpleasant and delivers far more nicotine than intended, which is the single most common reason a first cigar goes badly.
How long does it take to smoke a cigar?
A robusto takes 45 to 60 minutes, a toro around 75 minutes, and a churchill can run past two hours. Puff roughly once a minute - smoking faster overheats the cigar and turns the flavor bitter.
Do I need a humidor to start?
Not for your first few cigars. Cigars keep for a couple of weeks in the cellophane and bag they ship in, or in an inexpensive plastic travel case with a humidity pack. Buy a humidor once you find yourself keeping more than ten cigars at a time.
What is the difference between a Connecticut and a maduro wrapper?
Connecticut wrappers are pale gold, grown under shade cloth, and taste creamy and mild. Maduro wrappers are dark brown to near-black, fermented longer, and taste sweet, earthy and much richer. Beginners almost always get on better with Connecticut first.
Are flavored or infused cigars good for beginners?
They are a legitimate place to start. Infused cigars such as Acid are milder and sweeter than traditional cigars and put off far fewer new smokers. They taste nothing like a traditional premium cigar, so try both before deciding cigars are not for you.
Where to go next
- Cigar samplers — the cheapest way to try several brands at once.
- Cigar care and storage guide — humidity, seasoning a humidor, and cigar anatomy in more depth.
- Cigar 101 on our blog — sizes, cutting, lighting and etiquette explained one topic at a time.
- Shop all cigars — more than 600 brands, filterable by strength and wrapper.
- Current cigar coupons — this week's discount codes.