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If you’re new to cigar smoking, don’t allow yourself to be distracted by the term cigarillo. It’s not some strange variation of cigars but only a small cigar. We’re talking about the difference between a two-hour smoke and a twenty-minute smoke.
It takes much longer to puff a cigarillo than it does to smoke a cigarette, but it’s nowhere near the same level as a cigar. The best cigarillos offer the cigar experience on a much smaller scale. Plus, they are generally cheaper, and you get more of them for each purchase.
Like cigars, the best cigarillos have a wide variety of flavors and profiles. It may mean smoking your way through five or six brands before you find the one that’s right for you. Fortunately, there is no better place to start your search than right here.
Why Choose Cigarillos?
Cigarillos are often looked down on by cigar enthusiasts, but that’s only because they’ve never tried them and don’t understand them. Cigarillo is literally Spanish for “little cigar.” It’s not Spanish for “cheap version of cigars.”
Cigarillos are often just like premium cigars, just a whole lot smaller. The differences between the two are chalked up to that and nothing more.
Top 10 Best Cigarillos
Baccarat Bonita cigars are small but offer a nice, mellow flavor that’s mild and pretty smooth. The tobacco used in the Bonitas comes from Honduras and, even though it’s a smaller, faster-burning cigar, smokes at a consistent clip from beginning to end.
A box of 60 cigars is priced between $70 and $80, which is a great value for the sweet and mild flavor they offer. The wrapper is as mild as the tobacco inside, and thanks to the slow burn, these cigarillos will last a good 20 minutes to half an hour.
Baccarat has a reputation for providing some of the most mellow cigars around, and the Bonita is no exception to the rule. If you enjoy a subtle background flavor of cocoa and an instant but mild hint of nutmeg and hazelnut this is the cigarillo for you.
- 4 and ½” length
- 30 Ring Size
- Natural Color
- Honduras Filler, Binder, and Wrapper
2. Joya Red Boat 5/10
Joya Red Boats are fairly popular cigarillos. Each one is handmade. These little cigars don’t roll off of an assembly machine. The Red Boat is the exact opposite of the Baccarat Bonita, with a bold, powerful flavor straight out of the gate.
It’s a very full-bodied cigar, especially in such a small package. Joya Red Boats are best when taken in and experienced right after a big meal. You should be in your full, upright, and relaxed position before you light one up.
The Ligeros tobacco is farmed in Nicaragua and it’s plenty spicy before the whole thing is put together. The pepper is at the forefront, and you should avoid smoking one of these when you have a cold. The spicy kick is followed quickly by coffee, caramel, and slightly burnt toast.
- 4” length
- 32 Ring Size
- Natural Color
- Nicaraguan Wrapper Origin
- Habano Wrapper Leaf
3. Ashton Classic Cigarillos 10/10
Another mellow cigarillo on the list, the Ashton Classic Cigarillo should be high on any cigarillo aficionado’s list. It’s honestly a classic, and though it’s known for its mellow flavor, the mellow is strong enough to be bold in its own, small way.
Ashton has a larger cigar variation as well and the Classic Cigarillo loses nothing in terms of flavor and enjoyment, despite the shrinking down in size. The tobacco is aged between 3 and 4 years and results in a golden honey taste, accommodated by a sweet, wood-smoke flavor.
Encapsulating the entire flavor is a perfectly balanced pepper spice—not enough to make your eyes bleed, but enough that you notice its existence.
- 3 and ¾” Length
- 26 Ring Size
- Natural Color
- African Wrapper Origin
- Cameroon Wrapper Leaf
4. Liga Undercrown Coronets
Liga Undercrown Coronets come from the Drew Estate Cigar Company in Nicaragua, which has a long history of producing some of the best cigarillos and cigars, especially the Liga Privada line of cigars.
In fact, the success of the Liga Privada cigars led to the creation of the Liga Undercrown Coronets, using much of the same tobacco blend as the former. The main difference is the wrapper, with a Mexican San Andres Negro Wrapper used for the Coronets and a Connecticut Broadleaf for the Privadas.
The flavors in the Coronets are not subtle, but they aren’t overly bold either. Rich and creamy is the defining flavor, with hints of vanilla and natural sweeteners. These cigarillos are considered to be medium to full-bodied, and both the flavor and aroma reflect that perfectly.
- 4” Length
- 32 Ring Size
- Maduro Color
- Mexican San Andres Negro Wrapper
5. Isla Del Sol Maduro Breve
Another cigarillo from the Drew Estate, the Isla Del Sol Maduro Breve is a mouthful and a wonderfully flavored cigar at the same time. The Maduro Breve is largely targeted at beginner cigar enthusiasts and its become quite a popular cigarillo with the younger crowds.
The Breve wrapper is a Nicaraguan Maduro, and the cigar engineers of the Drew Estate infused it with coffee, along with a sweetened tip to boot. The flavors are mild but relentless—a strong hint of spice masked in sugar with an intense coffee flavor bringing up the rear.
- 4” Length
- 32 Ring Size
- Maduro Color
- Nicaraguan Maduro Wrapper
- Nicaraguan Binder, Filler, and Origin
6. Griffin’s Puritos
After a few bold and medium flavors, we return to mellow with Griffin’s Puritos. First and foremost, this is a class Dominican Cigar. It’s comprised of completely Dominican tobacco wrapped in a Connecticut leaf.
Cream and butter rule the Griffin’s roost and the mellow profile is the perfect intensity for both. The fresh flavors are accommodated with a light and airy woodsmoke and fresh toast. The finish is excellent, and it lingers for a long time (in a good way).
- 4” Length
- 30 Ring Size
- Caramel Color
- Ecuadoran Connecticut Wrapper
- Dominican Binder and Filler
7. La Flor Dominicana Little Cigars Daquiri Maduro
We’ll just call these “La Flor” for short. La Flor Dominicana Little Cigars is a popular brand and they’re known for their robust and potent flavor combinations. The La Flor Daquiri is no exception, yet La Flor went the extra mile, cramming several, excellent flavor combinations into a single cigarillo.
Everything is built around the Ligero tobacco leaf, and the Daquiri is a potent and powerful example of what can be done with a fine cigar, even with a smaller platform. As robust and satisfying as the smoke is, it’s by no means overpowering. This is one satisfying cigarillo.
- 3 and ½” Length
- 28 Ring Size
- African Cameroon Wrapper
- Nicaraguan Binder
- Brazilian/Dominican Filler
8. Partagas Puritos
If you love a good cedar flavor profile, you’ll love the Partagas Puritos Cigarillos. The flavor combination is excellent with a good, aged bourbon at your side. The Cameroon Wrapper envelopes what is supposedly a fairly ancient recipe.
Ancient or marketing campaign, the flavor profile is distinct, powerful, and fantastic, with the initial cedar followed by flowers and just the barest hint of spice on the back of the tongue. This is not a mellow cigarillo, but it won’t blow you away either. It’s just perfect when partnered with a good whisky.
- 4 and 3/16” Length
- 32 Ring Size
- African Cameroon Wrapper
- Dominican/Mexican Filler
- Mexican Binder
9. Punch Diablo Diabolito
Anything named Diablo will probably cause fundamental changes to the depths of one’s soul. The Punch Diablo does just that, with an intense and sometimes dizzying depth of taste and aroma. The binder and wrapper are aged between 4 and 6 years, so you know you’re in for a real treat.
Deep, potent cocoa leads the ensuing onslaught, followed by a swift kick of spice followed by oak, hot leather, and screaming white pepper. Each flavor follows the next in ever-hastening turns so that the final result is a salivating blend of experience and possibly even emotion.
- 4 and 1/9” Length
- 36 Ring Size
- Oscuro Color
- Sumatra Wrapper
- Honduran/Nicaraguan Filler
- Connecticut Broadleaf Binder
10. Davidoff Signature Exquisitos
David Signature Exquisitos are considered the smallest to longest ratio cigarillos available on the market and the last cigarillo on our list is a return to the mellow flavors arena. One thing is for sure, this is a very floral cigarillo.
Despite its small ring size, the Exquisitos aren’t fast-burning, providing a slow, mellow burn with powerful floral aromas and flavors. As you burn your way through it, oak, fresh toast, and barley slowly invade, lingering the longest, even as the blue/white smoke begins to fade.
- 3 and ⅝” Length
- 22 Ring Size
- Natural Color
- Connecticut Shade Wrapper
Bottom Line
There are cigars and there are cigarillos, but the two aren’t as separate from one another as you might think. A veteran cigar enthusiast who has never tried a premium cigarillo should give it a shot. What do you have to lose?
At the end of the day, these ten cigarillo brands will match any of the world’s premium cigars pound for pound. Or, maybe that’s not a good analogy considering their size. The point is, a good cigarillo is more than worth your twenty minutes.
Cigar Cigar was created by a classy team of cigar smokers. It’s not always easy finding the best information and cigar products on the market, but we endeavor to do just that with this site! If you are new or have been smoking cigars for some time we hope you will all find this site helpful!
