The 7 Best Connecticut Cigars
The best Connecticut cigars are finished in wrappers that are grown in the Connecticut River Valley, where tobacco farmers have been planting crops since the 1760s. Because tobaccos seeds were transplanted from Cuba to Connecticut, and from Connecticut to Ecuador, there is more than one kind of “Connecticut” cigar today. There are three primary varieties: Connecticut Shade, Ecuador Connecticut, and Connecticut Broadleaf. For the most part, when we discuss Connecticut cigars, we’re talking about cigars with Connecticut Shade or Ecuador Connecticut wrappers. Connecticut cigars are easy to identify due to their golden-blond wrapper color. Connecticut Broadleaf, on the other hand, is dark and oily and used in many of the best Maduro cigars blended today.
There are subtle differences between Connecticut Shade versus Ecuador Connecticut wrappers , but you’ll find both among the best mild cigars you can smoke. Connecticut Shade tobacco is grown in the Connecticut River Valley under nylon mesh that filters the sunlight, whereas Ecuador Connecticut refers to Connecticut-seed tobacco grown in Ecuador where it’s less expensive to cultivate due to larger crop yields and a longer growing season. In Ecuador, the region’s cloud cover naturally filters the sunlight, giving the leaves their prized tan complexion. Compare and contrast your favorites from our list of the best Connecticut cigars you can smoke.
1. Ashton Classic
The first Ashton cigars were created in the early 1980s, and the original Ashton Classic stands out as the bedrock of the brand’s iconic portfolio today. It’s one of a handful of cigars that continues to define the creamy and elegant taste connoisseurs of mild cigars have come to adore. A well-aged amalgam of premium Dominican long-fillers is tucked under a glistening Connecticut Shade wrapper in several classic shapes blended by Carlito Fuente. Notes of cedar, almond, and coffee bean display hints of sweetness in a luscious profile.
2. Arturo Fuente Chateau Series Natural
Arturo Fuente Chateau Series is blended in two wrappers: Connecticut Shade (Natural) and Connecticut Broadleaf (Maduro). The Connecticut Shade edition is silky and mellow with notes of nuts, cedar, and coffee with a creamy, toasted finish. Vintage Dominican tobaccos fill out a wildly popular collection that’s been blended the same way by the Fuente family for decades. Each cigar is cradled by a cedar sleeve to achieve optimal flavor as they rest at the factory and in the retail environment before they reach your humidor. Indulge in one of the most requested Arturo Fuente cigars in the world.
3. San Cristobal Elegancia
San Cristobal Elegancia is blended by award-winning cigar-maker Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia from premium Nicaraguan long-fillers and a golden Ecuador Connecticut wrapper leaf. Notes of white pepper, leather, almond, and cashew layer the palate before a luscious finish resonates with signature Nicaraguan spices in a collection of well-made sizes. Elegancia is an excellent introduction to Nicaragua cigars due to its approachable taste and alluring aroma. Fans of San Cristobal cigars adore Elegancia for its easygoing finish.
4. Montecristo
Montecristo cigars are the most famous of the Cuban-legacy brands produced today. The original blend has no shortage of admirers thanks to its soft and creamy profile of cedar, cashew, and buttered toast with a grassy sweetness. A seamless Connecticut Shade wrapper embraces a nutty and smooth blend of premium Dominican binder and filler tobaccos. Although the Cuban heritage of Montecristo is what draws most cigar lovers to this historic brand at first, its mellow and pleasant flavor is why they come back for more.
5. Nub Connecticut
When you combine the short and chunky shape of Nub cigars with the velvety taste of an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper, you’ve got an immediate hit. Nub Connecticut is the number-one-selling Nub blend with its elegant cover leaf and a balanced blend of premium Nicaraguan long-fillers inside. Tasting notes of toasted almond, white pepper, and a touch of baking spices goes great with an ice-cold beer in the afternoon or a coffee in the morning. Nub cigars are handmade at the award-winning Oliva factory in Esteli, Nicaragua.
6. Macanudo Cafe
More aficionados smoke Macanudo cigars the very first time they light up than almost any other cigar due to the brand’s overwhelming ubiquity, and the creamy, mild taste of Macanudo Cafe. A Connecticut Shade wrapper blankets a smooth core of Dominican long-fillers in several traditional shapes. You’ll find Macanudo Cafe in every premium retail cigar shop, plus a host of gas stations and convenience stores, making it an easy cigar to locate when you’re craving a light profile of freshly baked bread with hints of vanilla and pepper.
7. Perdomo 10th Anniversary Champagne
Aficionados applaud Perdomo cigars for the versatile variety of wrappers they’re blended in, but, hands down, their favorite is the 10th Anniversary Champagne. A luscious Ecuador Connecticut wrapper marries a medium-bodied blend of Nicaraguan long-fillers in a series of cool and easy-burning sizes. Notes of coffee with cream, toasted nuts, and black pepper create a pleasant impression in every puff. Brand founder Nick Perdomo enjoys a devoted following thanks to his high standards for taste and consistency and his value-minded prices.
