Best Cigars for a Barbecue
As we head into warmer temps, herf season is upon us, and that means it’s time to stock up on some great barbecue cigars. When you’re hosting a barbecue for your neighbors or beer-drinking buddies, your best bet is to pick up a box of mellow and versatile cigars you can pass out to everyone. Check out our best cigar and barbecue pairings if you’ve got a specific kind of meat you’re tossing on the fire. Because you can’t grill out without good cigars, here are five surefire blends you can share regardless of whether your guests include beginner cigar smokers or experienced aficionados.
1. Ashton Classic
A golden-blond Connecticut Shade wrapper leaf embraces a mild, nutty interior of premium Dominican long-filler tobaccos handmade in several traditional sizes in the original Ashton blend. This iconic, 92-rated cigar guarantees to please because of its vast reputation for quality and consistency and its ultra-smooth profile of cedar, coffee bean, and almond tasting notes. Ashton cigars are patiently crafted in the Dominican Republic where master cigar-maker Carlito Fuente produces the brand alongside the bestselling cigars in the world.
2. Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente
Arturo Fuente is synonymous with excellence, and the Chateau Fuente series has been a staple in the finest cigar stores in the world for decades. This creamy and approachable cigar comes in three wrapper options: Natural, Maduro, and Sun Grown. We recommend the Natural, which is finished in a glistening Connecticut Shade wrapper, for your backyard barbecue. Chateau Fuente is an ideal cigar to enjoy while the sun is beating down on you with a cold beer in your hand. Notes of nuts, cedar, and buttered toast mingle with a touch of spice in a collection of classic sizes.
3. La Aroma de Cuba Connecticut
La Aroma de Cuba Connecticut debuted in 2023 and soared to the top of our sales charts with its elegant taste and aroma. A Connecticut-seed wrapper, grown in Ecuador, covers vintage Nicaraguan long-fillers blended by Pepin and Jaime Garcia in Estelí, Nicaragua. Notes of almond, cashew, and coffee bean layer the palate with hints of buttercream throughout a soft, tasteful finish. Add a brand-new, 92-rated cigar from La Aroma de Cuba to your humidor for an unrivaled crowd-pleaser when you fire up the grill this summer.
4. San Cristobal Revelation
San Cristobal Revelation delivers a complex, medium-bodied profile of cedar, cinnamon, almond, and cocoa with hints of black pepper. Nutty, spicy, and sweet flavors emerge courtesy of a milk-chocolate-hued Ecuador Sumatra wrapper blended over well-aged Nicaraguan long-fillers grown on Garcia family estates. Revelation is rated 92 points by the critics in Cigar Aficionado and has been a bestseller in the San Cristobal portfolio for years.
5. Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne
Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne is an exemplary budget-friendly cigar from brand founder Nick Perdomo, who oversees his Nicaraguan factory and farms with great attention to detail. An Ecuador Connecticut wrapper leaf harbors premium Nicaraguan long-fillers in several chunkier sizes that deliver notes of cedar, oak, coffee bean, and white pepper with a hint of graham cracker. Perdomo cigars never disappoint, and the 10th Anniversary Champagne is the bestselling blend in Nick’s entire portfolio for good reason.
Tips for Cigars at a Barbecue
- Watch where you hold your cigar when you’re smoking in front of your grill. You don’t want to accidentally ignite the propane tank or drop your cigar’s ash on a juicy filet.
- If you’re buying a box of cigars before your buddies come over for a backyard feast, keep your cigars fresh even if you don’t have a humidor. The refrigerator won’t work, either.
- Invest in a reliable windproof torch lighter and light your cigars outdoors without struggling with matches or a soft-flame lighter when a breeze blows through.
- Set an ashtray on your picnic table so your guests can set their cigars down and smoke comfortably without tapping their ashes off into empty beer cans. Some ashtrays are designed for outdoor use like those made of durable, easy-to-clean melamine, a heavy-duty plastic that won’t break or shatter if somebody knocks the ashtray over.
- Consider a big ashtray, too, if you’re hosting a lot of folks so you can keep your lawn tidy and free of spent cigar butts.
