Starting your cigar journey off right is key to creating what will hopefully become a lifetime of enjoyment. However, before you get started, there are various unwritten rules, tips, and suggestions most novice cigar smokers should follow.
One tip I would suggest for beginner cigar smokers is to try cigars on the smaller side or deemed “mini”. The industry term for these shorter sticks is “cigarillos”.
Cigarillos are typically the size of a cigarette but feature tobacco blended like a regular cigar.
You still get the essence and top-notch quality of whichever brand you’re smoking, just in a reduced size.
Why are mini cigars ideal for beginners?
Mini cigars are ideal for beginner smokers, mainly due to the short smoke time and the strength of each cigar.
Smoking a mini cigar takes up very little of your time. You’re looking at approximately anywhere between 5 and 20 minutes to smoke one of these fine cigars. They can even be enjoyed during an hour-long lunch break without feeling the pressure to chain-smoke it.
You very rarely see a full-bodied mini cigar on the market. They tend to be anywhere between mellow to medium-bodied. This strength profile is perfect for new cigar smokers just starting off who still aren’t quite sure what they can and cannot handle!
The best mini cigars for beginners
Today we wanted to give you an extensive guide on ten of the best mini cigars on the market today. With great construction and quality, these won’t burn a hole through your wallet.
Davidoff Winston Churchill Petit Panatela
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Peru
Filler: Nicaragua/Dominican Republic
Strength: Medium-Full
Length: 4
Ring: 38
Smoke Time: 20 Minutes
The popular Winston Churchill line from Davidoff is available in a 4 x 38 “Petit Panatela” size for mini cigar lovers to enjoy. Seeing one of the more popular brands have a mini cigar size goes to show this is a brand looking to please all its consumers.
Don’t let this size fool you! Even in a shorter size, the Davidoff Winston Churchill still provides flavor notes of nuts, leather, and cream. Available in a tin pack of five, these high-end cigars are available for you to take the plunge now.
Ashton Cigarillos CT
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Dominican Republic
Strength: Mellow-Medium
Length: 3.75
Ring: 26
Smoke Time: 10-15 Minutes
Another popular line that created the perfect mini cigar hails from Ashton Cigars. The Ashton Cigarillos CT is a mellow to medium-bodied cigar that is 3.75 x 26.
With tobaccos from Cameroon, Connecticut, and the Dominican Republic, you’ll have a mouthwatering smoking experience.
Manufactured at the famous Fuente factory, you know you’re guaranteed a top-notch smoking session once you light up the Ashton Cigarillo CT. Add a tin pack of ten to your humidor today and never look back!
Romeo y Julieta Petite Bully
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Indonesia
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Strength: Medium
Length: 4
Ring: 38
Smoke Time: 20 Minutes
Another widely popular brand that produces top-notch mini cigars comes from Romeo y Julieta. Their 1875 Line has a 4 x 38 “Petite” Bully” available for the mini cigar lovers out there in the world.
Although tiny, the Petite Bully burns slow and steady in its flavor profile production and is one to cherish with each puff.
This medium-bodied gem from the Dominican Republic is available in five tins with six cigars in each. This affordable thirty-count mini cigar pack from Romeo y Julieta is worthy of having a place in your cigar collection.
Kentucky Fire Cured Ponies
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium-Full
Length: 4
Ring: 32
Smoke Time: 15 Minutes
Hailing from the esteemed Drew Estate, Kentucky Fire Cured cigars are a delightful treat of any size. But the 4 x 32 KFC Ponies is a special treat for you cigarillo lovers out there!
Flavor notes you’ll detect in this medium-bodied Nicaraguan stick are wood, earth, and leather.
Available in five tins of ten cigars in each tin, the Kentucky Fire Cured is a cigar that would be perfect to gift a new cigar smoker.
Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Juniors
Country of Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua/Dominican Republic
Strength: Mellow-Medium
Length: 4
Ring: 38
Smoke Time: 20 Minutes
The Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Juniors is deemed one of the best small cigars on the market today. This 4 x 38 medium-bodied gem features tobaccos from Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.
The Vintage 1990 Juniors is a perfect cigar if you have a 15 to 20-minute break and want to smoke something classic and delicious. Arriving in ten tins with five cigars in each, you’ll be loaded with the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Juniors today!
Tabak Especial by Drew Estate
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength:
Length: 4
Ring: 32
Smoke Time: 15 Minutes
This flavorful beauty from Drew Estate is a popular smoke in all their sizes. However, the Tabak Especial Cafecita by Drew Estate is available in a 4 x 32 size that would pair perfectly with your afternoon coffee break.
Infused with Nicaraguan coffee beans grown on Drew Estate’s farm in Nicaragua, the Tabak Especial has delicious notes of cream, earth, and leather. These scrumptious flavor notes are all thanks to the Connecticut wrapper blended perfectly with the Nicaraguan tobacco throughout the smoke.
Available in five tins with ten cigars available, you can add this rich coffee-flavored cigar to your collection today!
Macanudo Ascot
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Mexico
Filler: Dominican Republic/Mexico
Strength: Mellow
Length: 4.25
Ring: 32
Smoke Time: 15 Minutes
Another classy cigar line to make a mini cigar for the ones who don’t have all the time in the world is the self-titled Macanudo from Macanudo Cigars.
Smooth and creamy like its bigger counterpart, this 4.25 x 32 stick has tobaccos from Connecticut, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic.
Packed in a tin of 10, these Mellow-bodied gems are a perfect start for a beginner cigar smoker. From the strength profile to the 15-minute smoking session, you can’t go wrong with the delicious Macanudo Ascot.
Swisher Sweets
Country of Origin: United States
Wrapper: Various
Binder: Various
Filler: Caribbean Basin Cuban Seed
Strength: Mellow
Length: 4
Ring: 30
Smoke Time: 10 Minutes
Swisher Sweets is a very popular brand in the mini cigar world, so you know we had to have it on our list! Cigar smokers may not see it as “sophisticated” or as popular as other brands mentioned here, but Swisher Sweets are still one of the most popular selling mini cigars on the market today.
This mellow-bodied cigar is created and manufactured here in the United States, with various tobaccos that make up the wrapper, binder, and filler.
With a total of 50 cigars in a pack that’s extremely affordable, Swisher Sweets is a cigar that every beginner should have in their humidor. The strength profile and price alone should be a no-brainer for someone who’s just starting off smoking cigars.
ACID Blue Blondie
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Mellow-Medium
Length: 4
Ring: 38
Smoke Time: 20 Minutes
Another flavorful cigar from Drew Estate graces the top 10 mini cigars for beginners list. The ever-so-beloved Acid Blue Blondie is infused with oils that give off that fragrant aroma and sweet flavor with each puff you take.
Cloaked in a Mexican San Andres wrapper, the Blue Blondie is comprised of rich Nicaraguan tobaccos that hail from Drew Estate’s illustrious farm.
Available in a box of 40, the Acid Blue Blondie will ease you into cigar smoking with its sweet flavor profile and the perfect size to smoke!
Montecristo Memories
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Strength: Mellow-Medium
Length: 4
Ring: 33
Smoke Time: 15 Minutes
Montecristo Cigars is one of the most famous brands in the cigar industry, and the Montecristo was the stick so many of us smoked for our first cigar. So, the 4 x 33 Montecristo Memories is perfect for the novice cigar smoker.
This after-lunch smoke should only take you about 15 minutes to consume and enjoy with a cup of coffee. With a Connecticut wrapper, the Montecristo is comprised of delicious tobaccos from the Dominican Republic.
Available in five tins of six cigars, the Montecristo Memories is the perfect mini cigar to start off your cigar-smoking experience the right way!
