Best Cigars for Beginners: How to Choose Your First Cigar
Choosing your first premium cigar can be exciting, but walking into a humidor filled with hundreds of different cigars can also be confusing. Which cigar is best for a beginner? Should you start with a mild cigar? Does a darker wrapper mean a stronger cigar? And how much should your first cigar cost?
The best cigars for beginners are generally approachable, well-constructed cigars that allow you to explore premium tobacco without overwhelming your palate.
But there isn't one cigar that's perfect for every new smoker.
Your ideal first cigar depends on the flavors you enjoy, how much time you have, your preferred strength, and your budget.
This guide will help you understand what to look for when choosing your first premium cigar.
What Makes a Good Beginner Cigar?
A beginner-friendly cigar doesn't necessarily have to be the mildest cigar in the humidor.
Instead, look for a cigar that offers a balanced combination of strength, flavor, construction, and smoking time.
For many beginners, a mild-to-medium-bodied cigar is a comfortable place to start.
These cigars can provide plenty of flavor while allowing you to concentrate on learning how the cigar develops as you smoke it.
Good construction is equally important.
A well-made cigar should have a comfortable draw and relatively even burn. Constantly correcting an uneven burn or struggling with a tight draw can make your first cigar experience unnecessarily frustrating.
Start With Mild-to-Medium Strength
Many new cigar smokers begin with mild or medium-strength cigars.
This doesn't mean mild cigars lack flavor.
A mild cigar can still offer complex notes of cream, cedar, nuts, toast, coffee, sweetness, and spice.
Strength and flavor aren't exactly the same thing.
Strength generally describes the intensity and physiological effect of the tobacco, including nicotine.
Body describes the richness and weight of the smoking experience.
Flavor describes the aromas and tastes you perceive while smoking.
A cigar can therefore be relatively mild in strength while still delivering plenty of flavor.
Connecticut Wrapper Cigars
If you're looking for the best cigars for beginners, you'll frequently encounter cigars with Connecticut-style wrappers.
These wrappers are often associated with a smoother and more approachable profile.
Depending on the blend, you may notice flavors reminiscent of:
Cream
Cedar
Toast
Nuts
Coffee
Light pepper
Natural sweetness
Connecticut-wrapped cigars aren't automatically mild, however. The filler and binder tobaccos have a major influence on the cigar's overall strength and character.
Think of the wrapper as one part of the complete blend rather than the sole indicator of strength.
Should Beginners Avoid Maduro Cigars?
Not necessarily.
A common misconception is that a dark cigar must be extremely strong.
Wrapper color alone doesn't tell you how strong a cigar will be.
Maduro generally refers to tobacco that has undergone additional fermentation or processing that produces a darker wrapper and distinctive characteristics.
Depending on the blend, Maduro cigars can offer flavors reminiscent of cocoa, espresso, earth, dark chocolate, pepper, and natural sweetness.
Some Maduro cigars are quite strong, while others are surprisingly smooth.
If those richer flavors appeal to you, ask your tobacconist for an approachable Maduro rather than automatically avoiding darker cigars.
Best Cigar Sizes for Beginners
Cigar size can make a significant difference in your first smoking experience.
You don't necessarily need a huge cigar.
Two popular sizes worth considering are the Robusto and Toro.
Robusto
A Robusto is typically a relatively compact cigar with a substantial ring gauge.
It's popular with beginners and experienced cigar smokers alike because it can provide a satisfying smoking experience without requiring the time commitment of a very large cigar.
Toro
A Toro is generally longer than a Robusto and is another extremely popular format.
If you have a little more time and want to experience how a cigar changes as you smoke it, a Toro can be an excellent choice.
Smaller Cigars
If you're unsure whether you'll enjoy cigars or simply don't have much time, consider a smaller format.
A shorter smoking session can be a better introduction than choosing a large cigar and feeling obligated to finish it.
You don't have to finish a cigar simply because you lit it.
How Much Should Your First Cigar Cost?
You don't need to buy the most expensive cigar in the humidor for your first experience.
Price isn't a guarantee that you'll personally enjoy a particular cigar.
Premium cigar pricing can reflect tobacco quality, aging, manufacturing costs, availability, taxes, brand positioning, and other factors.
For your first few cigars, focus on exploring different styles rather than chasing price tags.
Try several well-constructed cigars in your comfortable price range and compare them.
You may discover that your favorite isn't the most expensive cigar you've tried.
Beginner-Friendly Flavor Profiles
When you're choosing your first cigar, think about flavors you already enjoy in food and drinks.
If you enjoy creamy coffee or roasted nuts, you might appreciate cigars with creamy, nutty, cedar, or toasted characteristics.
If you enjoy espresso and dark chocolate, you may eventually prefer richer blends with cocoa, coffee, earth, or natural sweetness.
If you enjoy pepper and spices, you may prefer something with more noticeable spice.
There is no correct flavor profile.
The objective is to discover what you enjoy.
Ask Your Tobacconist These Questions
A good cigar shop can make choosing your first cigar much easier.
Instead of simply asking, "What's your best cigar?" give the tobacconist a little information.
Tell them:
You're new to cigars.
Whether you want mild, medium, or something stronger.
Approximately how long you want to smoke.
Your approximate budget.
Flavors you typically enjoy.
Whether you'll be pairing the cigar with a particular drink.
For example, you could say:
"I'm new to cigars. I'd like something smooth and flavorful, not too strong, and I'd like to smoke for about 45 minutes."
That gives the tobacconist much more useful information than simply asking for the most popular cigar.
Don't Choose a Cigar Based Only on Ratings
Cigar ratings can be useful for discovering new cigars, but they shouldn't determine what you personally enjoy.
Taste is subjective.
A highly rated full-bodied cigar might be perfect for one person and completely wrong for another.
Use ratings and reviews as information, not rules.
As you smoke more cigars, you'll begin recognizing the tobacco origins, wrappers, manufacturers, sizes, and flavor profiles you prefer.
Don't Smoke Too Fast
Even an excellent beginner cigar can become unpleasant if you smoke it too quickly.
Premium cigars are designed to be enjoyed slowly.
As a general starting point, try taking a gentle puff roughly every 30 to 60 seconds, adjusting based on how the cigar is burning.
Smoking too quickly can overheat the tobacco and produce hotter, harsher, or more bitter flavors.
If your cigar goes out, that's okay.
You can relight it.
Don't Inhale Cigar Smoke
Premium cigars are generally enjoyed differently from cigarettes.
Cigar smoke is normally drawn into the mouth so you can experience the flavors and aromas and then released rather than inhaled into the lungs.
Tobacco use still carries serious health risks even when cigar smoke isn't inhaled.
Eat Before Smoking Your First Cigar
If you're completely new to cigars, having a meal beforehand can make for a more comfortable experience.
Premium cigars contain nicotine, and nicotine can cause unpleasant effects such as dizziness or nausea, particularly for someone who isn't accustomed to it.
Take your time and pay attention to how you feel.
You also don't have to finish the cigar.
Pair Your First Cigar With a Simple Drink
You don't need an expensive whiskey to enjoy your first cigar.
Water or sparkling water is actually useful when you're learning because it allows you to focus on the cigar without another strong flavor competing with it.
Coffee is another popular choice.
Once you've become more familiar with cigars, you can experiment with pairings such as bourbon, whiskey, rum, cognac, wine, coffee, and espresso.
Keep Track of What You Like
One of the easiest ways to learn about cigars is to keep simple notes.
You don't need complicated tasting terminology.
After smoking a cigar, write down:
Cigar: What did you smoke?
Size: Robusto, Toro, Churchill, etc.
Strength: Too mild, comfortable, or too strong?
Flavor: What stood out?
Construction: Did it burn and draw well?
Overall: Would you smoke it again?
After trying several cigars, patterns will begin to emerge.
You might discover that you consistently enjoy Connecticut wrappers, Nicaraguan tobacco, Maduro wrappers, smaller ring gauges, or particular manufacturers.
That's how you develop your own cigar preferences.
Best Cigars for Beginners: FAQ
What type of cigar is best for a beginner?
Many beginners start with a well-constructed mild-to-medium cigar. However, personal taste matters more than following a particular rule. Choose something appropriate for your preferred flavors, smoking time, and desired strength.
Should a beginner start with a Connecticut cigar?
Connecticut-style cigars are popular starting points because many offer smooth and approachable flavor profiles. However, not every Connecticut cigar is mild, so consider the complete blend.
Are dark cigars stronger?
Not necessarily. Wrapper color alone isn't a reliable measurement of cigar strength. A dark Maduro cigar can be smooth, while a lighter-looking cigar can contain stronger filler tobacco.
What cigar size should a beginner smoke?
Robusto and Toro are popular choices because they're widely available and provide enough smoking time to experience the blend. Smaller formats are also worth considering if you want a shorter smoking session.
Should beginners inhale cigar smoke?
No. Cigar smoke is generally drawn into the mouth and released rather than inhaled into the lungs.
How long should my first cigar take?
Smoking time depends on the cigar's dimensions, construction, and your smoking pace. Rather than trying to finish within a particular time, smoke slowly and allow the cigar to stay cool.
What should I drink with my first cigar?
Water and sparkling water are excellent choices when learning about cigars because they won't overwhelm the cigar's flavors. Coffee is another popular pairing.
Finding Your First Premium Cigar
The best cigar for a beginner isn't necessarily the mildest, most expensive, or highest-rated cigar.
It's a cigar that matches your palate and gives you an enjoyable introduction to premium tobacco.
Start with something approachable. Smoke slowly. Pay attention to the flavors you enjoy. Then try something slightly different the next time.
After a few cigars, you'll begin developing your own preferences — and choosing cigars from the humidor will become much easier.
If you're new to premium cigars, visit our humidor and talk with our team. Tell us what flavors you enjoy, how much time you have, your preferred strength, and your budget, and we'll help you explore options that fit what you're looking for.
For more cigar basics, read our Cigar 101 Beginner's Guide to learn how to choose, cut, light, smoke, store, and enjoy premium cigars.
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