16 Highly-Rated Cigars Under $8
Perusing the shelves of your local cigar shop, you’ve probably noticed that prices are only getting higher and higher. With more cigars retailing for $100, the search for a bargain can seem hopeless, especially if you’re in a high-tax state. We’ve just made the value quest a little easier. Here is a list of 16 handmade cigars that scored 90 points or higher within the past six months of blind taste tests, yet still retail for $8 or less.
Every cigar rated by Cigar Aficionado is smoked blind by our of editors. The tasting coordinator removes the cigars’ identifying bands and replaces them with plain white, numbered labels before handing them out. of the tasting have no idea what they are smoking and cigars are evaluated without biases such as price, country of origin or brand.
Gran Habano Habano No. 3 Lunch Break (93 points, $6.15)
Need to step out of the office for a little bit? Then this diminutive petit corona might be right for you. It has a full draw that delivers a richly layered smoke of chocolate, dried fig, coffee and stewed stone fruit. It’s mostly Nicaraguan, with a little bit of Mexican filler. There’s some Costa Rican tobacco in the filler as well, something you don’t see too often. See full tasting note.
Aladino Petit Corona (92 points, $5.90)
Created by industry veteran Julio Eiroa, this Honduran See full tasting note.
E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut Brilliantes (92 points, $7.30)
Made in the Dominican Republic at the Casa Carrillo factory, this 5-by-50 robusto is rolled in a Connecticut-seed wrapper from Ecuador. Medium-bodied notes of nuts, wood and spice provide a heady foundation balanced by sweeter aspects of marshmallow and light chocolate. See full tasting note.
Fonseca by My Father Petit Corona (92 points, $7.50)
The non-Cuban version of the Fonseca brand was produced by the Quesadas in the Dominican Republic, but in 2019 the trademark was acquired by My Father Cigars. This interpretation features an all-Nicaraguan blend driven by a Corojo ’99 wrapper. The petit corona offers a sweet-and-spicy smoke full of black pepper, ground clove and molasses. See full tasting note.
Sancho Panza Double Maduro Robusto (92 points, $7.49)
In 2022, Scandinavian Tobacco Group acquired boutique brand Room101, retaining founder Matt Booth as a creative director. One of Booth’s first projects was to revamp STG’S sleepy Sancho Panza line. One of his resulting blends was the Double Maduro, rolled in an inky-dark Ecuador Sumatra wrapper. The Robusto is rich with cocoa and coffee notes leading to a caramel finish. See full tasting note.
Oliva Serie G Maduro Special G (91 points, $5.95)
With a rounded head and bulging lower half, this small perfecto strongly resembles a bowling pin. Despite its shape, the draw and combustion are both even, and the cigar is very tasty, showing a sweet-and-savory palate that ranges from leather to honey. See full tasting note.
The King is Dead Manzanita (91 points, $7.50)
This pigtailed Dominican puro from Robert Caldwell took five years to blend and features some unusual tobaccos including a varietal called Negrito for the wrapper and a Cuban-seed hybrid dubbed HVA 20/20 grown by Leo Reyes. It’s a medium-to-full-bodied smoke that is profoundly nutty, fortified by notes of leather, caramel and some spice. See full tasting note.
Arturo Fuente Selección Privada No. 1 (90 points, $7.50)
The only lonsdale on the list, this slim cigar is wrapped in Cameroon cover leaf atop a Dominican binder and filler. It’s a toasty smoke with a precise toasted almond nuttiness. Wood and coconut notes add some dimension before a hint of leather leads to the flinty finish. See full tasting note.
Cain Daytona No. 4 (90 points, $5.79)
This may be a little cigar, but its Ecuadoran wrapper and Nicaraguan blend amounts to a very assertive smoke loaded with coffee and leather. It shows its sweeter side as it reveals elements of caramel and chocolate. The cigar is made in Nicaragua by Oliva Cigar Co. See full tasting note.
Charter Oak CT Shade Rothschild (90 points, $6.10)
When brand owner Nick Melillo released the Charter Oak CT Shade and Broadleaf lines, they were a love letter to his home state as both featured wrappers from Connecticut. Today, with the decline of tobacco growing in The Constitution State, the Shade line wears an Ecuador Connecticut cover leaf but the cigar still holds up. The smoke is both woody and fruity with light touches of vanilla, cinnamon and grass. See full tasting note.
Flores y Rodriguez 18th Anniversary Millefleurs Corona (90 points, $5.71)
For those who , turning 18 for many was a pretty big deal. Abe Flores, owner of PDR Cigars, certainly thought so and marked his company’s 18th birthday with a commemorative release. It’s a revamp of his 10th Anniversary line—the Ecuador Habano wrapper was replaced with maduro Ecuador Sumatra while the interior tobaccos are unaltered. It’s a full-bodied smoke full of wood and pepper accented by espresso and orange peel. See full tasting note.
La Flor Dominicana Ligero Oscuro Cabinet L-200 (90 points, $7.60)
This petit corona from Litto Gomez is clad in a near-black Ecuador Sumatra cover leaf. The rest of the tobacco comes from Gomez’s own farm in the Dominican Republic. The flavors are just as bold as the dark wrapper suggests with impressions of earth and oak, touches of espresso and a hint of raisin. See full tasting note.
La Gloria Cubana Serie S Robusto Gordo (90 points, $7.99)
When it came out in 2022, this hefty robusto marked the first time that the La Gloria Cubana brand came in a Mexican San Andrés wrapper. The new cover leaf brings a new expression to the line, resulting in a medium-to-full-bodied smoke that’s both earthy and cedary, with dark fruit and cocoa powder notes adding some balance. See full tasting note.
Oliva Serie G Maduro Churchill (90 points, $7.86)
In a list that’s heavy on shorter, thinner cigars, this imposing Churchill certainly stands out. It begins quite earthy with a middle act of chocolate, coffee and gingerbread leading the way to a bold finish of pecan. With a price just under $8, it shows that you can still get a large, high-scoring cigar at a reasonable price. See full tasting note.
Punch Dragon Fire (90 points, $6.99)
Released in February to celebrate the Year of the Dragon, this cigar comes in a box intended to resemble a pack of fireworks. Its full-bodied blend of Mexican wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras certainly gives it some bombastic flare. The cigar kicks off with a showy display of cocoa powder and red pepper, notes of leather and a radiantly spicy finale. See full tasting note.
Punch Knuckle Buster Shade Robusto (90 points, $5.39)
General Cigar Co. came out with the original Knuckle Buster line in 2020 to offer a “hardworking blend for hardworking people,” with an emphasis on approachable price points. Earlier this year, the milder Shade line was introduced. The six-country blend comes together for a toasty, medium-bodied smoke accented by impressions of brown sugar and jam. See full tasting note.
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