How to Choose the Right Cigar: A Guide to Cigar Brands, Flavors, Wrappers & Sizes
Walking into a cigar humidor for the first time can be a little overwhelming
There may be dozens—or even hundreds—of cigars in front of you. Some are short and thick, others are long and thin. Some have light tan wrappers while others are nearly black. Prices can range from just a few dollars to $20 or more, and every box seems to promise something different.
So, how do you actually choose the right cigar?
The answer is more personal than you might think. There isn’t one cigar that’s universally “better” than another. The right cigar depends on the flavors you enjoy, the strength you’re looking for, how long you want to smoke, your budget, and sometimes simply what you’re in the mood to try.
At Smoker’s Cabinet, we carry cigars ranging from around $3 to $20, including everything from sweet and infused favorites to traditional premium cigars. Whether you’re buying your very first cigar or you’ve been smoking them for years, understanding a few basics can make exploring the humidor much easier.
Start With Flavor, Not the Price Tag
One of the biggest misconceptions about cigars is that spending more automatically means you’ll enjoy the cigar more.
Premium tobacco, aging, construction, rarity, and production methods can certainly affect the price of a cigar. But price doesn’t determine whether you’ll personally enjoy the flavor.
Instead, start by thinking about what you’re looking for.
Cigars can have flavor characteristics that are earthy, woody, peppery, creamy, nutty, leathery, sweet, spicy, coffee-like, chocolatey, and much more. Some cigars are also infused or flavored to create an entirely different smoking experience.
That’s one reason our selection includes both traditional cigar makers and brands such as Deadwood, ACID, Tatiana and Isla del Sol. Not every cigar smoker is looking for the same experience.
Understanding Cigar Strength vs. Body
You’ll often hear cigars described as mild, medium or full, but cigar terminology can get confusing quickly.
Strength generally refers to the intensity or nicotine impact of a cigar.
Body, on the other hand, describes the overall richness and intensity of the smoking experience and flavor.
A cigar with a lot of rich flavor isn’t necessarily extremely strong, and a cigar’s appearance alone isn’t a reliable way to determine its strength.
If you’re unsure, this is exactly the kind of question worth asking one of our employees. Smoker’s Cabinet employees are trained to help first-time cigar buyers navigate the selection without expecting you to already know all the terminology.
What Is a Cigar Wrapper?
The wrapper is the outermost tobacco leaf of a cigar, and it’s one of the first things you’ll notice when comparing different cigars.
You’ll encounter numerous wrapper varieties, but a few terms appear frequently.
Connecticut
Connecticut-style wrappers are typically lighter in appearance and are commonly associated with smoother, creamier flavor profiles. You’ll often see Connecticut-wrapped cigars suggested to people looking for something approachable, although the wrapper alone doesn’t determine the strength of the entire cigar.
Habano
Habano tobacco traces its origins to Cuban tobacco seed and is now grown in several cigar-producing regions. Habano wrappers are commonly associated with richer flavors and can bring spice, earthiness and complexity to a blend.
Maduro
“Maduro” refers to tobacco that has undergone an extended fermentation and aging process that produces its characteristically darker appearance.
Maduro wrappers can offer flavors reminiscent of cocoa, coffee, earth, spice or natural sweetness. However, don’t assume that dark cigar = strongest cigar. A Maduro wrapper doesn’t automatically make a cigar stronger than a lighter-colored cigar.
That’s a very common misconception.
Wrapper, Binder and Filler: What’s Inside a Cigar?
A traditional premium cigar generally consists of three major components.
The wrapper is the outer leaf you see.
The binder sits underneath the wrapper and holds the cigar together.
The filler is the tobacco packed inside the cigar and makes up most of what you’re smoking.
Cigar makers combine tobaccos from different plants, regions, harvests and aging processes to create a particular blend. Changing just one component can dramatically change how a cigar tastes.
This blending process is a major part of what distinguishes one cigar brand—or even two cigars made by the same brand—from another.
What Does “Long-Filler” Mean?
You’ll also occasionally hear the terms long-filler and short-filler.
Long-filler cigars use whole tobacco leaves running through much of the length of the cigar. This construction is commonly found in handmade premium cigars.
Short-filler cigars use smaller pieces of tobacco leaf.
Neither term tells you whether you’ll like the cigar, but understanding the difference helps explain why two cigars that appear similar can have very different prices and construction.
Understanding Cigar Sizes: What Are Robusto, Toro and Churchill?
Cigar sizes can seem unnecessarily complicated because they’re usually described by both their length and ring gauge.
Ring gauge refers to the cigar’s diameter and is measured in 64ths of an inch. For example, a 50-ring-gauge cigar is 50/64 of an inch in diameter.
You’ll also see names describing common cigar shapes and sizes.
A Robusto is generally a shorter, thicker cigar and is one of the most popular formats.
A Toro is usually somewhat longer and offers a longer smoking experience.
A Churchill is traditionally longer and thinner relative to its length, making it better suited for someone who has more time to sit and enjoy a cigar.
A Nub takes almost the opposite approach: short, stout cigars with large ring gauges designed around delivering the cigar’s intended flavor profile quickly.
Exact dimensions can vary between manufacturers, so names like Robusto and Toro should be treated as general categories rather than universal measurements.
The size of a cigar can also affect the smoking experience. Different proportions of wrapper, binder and filler tobacco can change how a blend presents itself, which means two sizes of the exact same cigar blend may not taste completely identical.
Traditional vs. Infused and Flavored Cigars
This is one of the biggest dividing lines you’ll encounter in a cigar humidor.
Traditional cigars get their flavors primarily from the tobacco itself, including its variety, growing conditions, fermentation, aging and the manufacturer’s blend.
Infused and flavored cigars introduce additional flavors and aromas.
And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with preferring one over the other.
In fact, two of the most popular cigar brands at Smoker’s Cabinet are Deadwood and ACID, both of which have developed huge followings among people looking for distinctive, aromatic and sweeter smoking experiences.
What Sets Different Cigar Brands Apart?
Once you understand some of the terminology, exploring different brands becomes much more interesting.
Smoker’s Cabinet carries a broad selection, but these are some of the brands our customers frequently look for.
Deadwood
Deadwood cigars have become some of our biggest sellers, particularly among customers who enjoy sweeter and more unconventional cigars.
Popular Deadwood varieties we carry include Fat Bottom Betty, Crazy Alice, Leather Rose and Girl With No Name.
They’re recognizable, distinctive and very different from what many people imagine when they picture a traditional cigar—which is precisely why they’ve developed such a loyal following.
ACID
ACID is another extremely popular brand at Smoker’s Cabinet.
Known for aromatic and infused cigars, ACID offers an experience that’s noticeably different from a traditional non-infused cigar. The brand has an enormous range of blends, sizes and flavor profiles, making it particularly popular among smokers who enjoy experimenting rather than sticking to one traditional tobacco profile.
Arturo Fuente
Arturo Fuente represents a much more traditional side of premium cigars.
The Fuente family has a long history in cigar making, and the brand has become well known among cigar enthusiasts for its craftsmanship, consistency and extensive range of blends.
For someone interested in exploring traditional premium cigars, simply browsing the different Fuente offerings can demonstrate just how much variety can exist under one manufacturer’s name.
Perdomo
Perdomo is another major name in traditional premium cigars and is particularly associated with Nicaraguan tobacco.
Their lineup provides a great example of how different wrappers and blends can create noticeably different experiences even when the cigars come from the same manufacturer.
Rocky Patel
Rocky Patel has developed a huge portfolio of premium cigars, which makes the brand particularly interesting for someone who enjoys trying different blends.
Depending on the particular cigar, you’ll find a wide variety of wrappers, strengths, sizes and flavor profiles under the Rocky Patel name.
JFR
JFR—short for “Just For Retailers”—has built a strong following for Nicaraguan cigars, particularly among smokers who enjoy larger ring gauges and rich tobacco-forward profiles.
It’s a good example of why cigar shopping isn’t always about simply buying the most recognizable name on the shelf.
Tatiana
Tatiana occupies another part of the flavored-cigar world.
With numerous aromatic and flavored options, Tatiana cigars appeal to smokers who specifically want noticeable added flavor rather than exclusively traditional tobacco notes.
Camacho
Camacho has traditionally been associated with bold cigars and Honduran tobacco.
The brand offers several different blends and wrapper styles, making it worth exploring for smokers who want to move around the spectrum of traditional cigar flavors and strengths.
Isla del Sol
Isla del Sol combines premium tobacco with a sweeter, aromatic smoking experience. It’s another option for people who aren’t necessarily looking for a completely traditional cigar.
Its distinctive profile has helped it develop a following among smokers who enjoy sweeter cigars while still wanting the experience of smoking a handmade cigar.
Nub
Nub cigars are immediately recognizable because of their proportions.
Rather than the traditional long cigar shape, Nub specializes in short cigars with large ring gauges. The concept behind the line is to reach the cigar’s intended flavor experience without requiring an exceptionally long cigar.
Their unusual size also makes them an interesting example of how cigar shape and dimensions can be about much more than appearance.
So, Which Cigar Should You Choose?
There’s no chart that can definitively answer that question.
And we think that’s part of what makes cigars interesting.
One person might love a sweet Deadwood while another wants nothing but traditional Nicaraguan tobacco. Someone might prefer a light wrapper and creamy profile while the person next to them wants something dark, earthy and peppery.
Neither person is wrong.
Instead of worrying about finding the “best cigar,” think about a few simple things:
What flavors do you normally enjoy?
Do you want something traditional, sweet or infused?
Do you want a mild, medium or fuller experience?
How long do you want to smoke?
How much do you want to spend?
Those answers can narrow a humidor full of cigars down considerably.
Don’t Know Anything About Cigars? That’s Fine.
You don’t need to know what a Habano wrapper is before walking into Smoker’s Cabinet.
You don’t need to know your preferred ring gauge.
And you definitely don’t need to pretend you know what you’re talking about.
Our employees are trained to help first-time cigar smokers navigate the humidor and find something that fits what they’re looking for. Tell us what kinds of flavors you enjoy, what you want to spend, and what kind of experience you’re after, and we’ll help you narrow down the options.
Experienced cigar smokers are always welcome to browse and see what’s new, too.
Smoker’s Cabinet carries cigars generally ranging from around $3 to $20, with selections including Deadwood, ACID, Arturo Fuente, Perdomo, Rocky Patel, JFR, Tatiana, Camacho, Isla del Sol, Nub and more.
Our Lake Wylie, Oakland Avenue Rock Hill, and Huntersville locations feature walk-in humidors, while our other Smoker’s Cabinet locations offer in-store cabinet humidors stocked with a selection of cigars.
Whether you’re looking for your first cigar, an old favorite, or simply something different to smoke this weekend, stop by your nearest Smoker’s Cabinet and take a look.
Not sure what to choose? Just ask. Helping you figure that out is part of the experience.