Top Cigars to Smoke on Thanksgiving
Mmmm. Turkey. Stuffing. Football. Pie. The in-laws. It’s Thanksgiving. What more could you ask for on such an epicurean occasion? How about the perfect after-dinner cigar? If you’re the ultimate holiday host, slaving over the oven and greeting everyone who comes through the door, you deserve a fine cigar at the end of the day. And so do your guests. Smoking fine cigars with your family and friends is the ultimate way to cap off Thanksgiving dinner. Cigars are also a great way to pass the time and relax while the turkey is still cooking. Check out our recommendations for great before and after-dinner cigars to keep on hand during the holidays.
Perfect Pre-dinner Cigars
Here are five mild cigars you can share with beginners and enjoy ahead of a holiday meal. They’re perfect when you want an easygoing smoke while you’re watching football with a cold beer or a bourbon before dinner is served.
1. Ashton
The original Ashton blend is creamy and soft with elegant notes of cashew, cedar, coffee bean, and almond throughout a mellow finish. A golden-blond Connecticut Shade wrapper covers well-aged Dominican long-filler tobaccos in several classic sizes blended by legendary cigarmaker Carlito Fuente. This top-rated blend is the first cigar for countless aficionados, many of whom never stray from it.
2. Arturo Fuente Hemingway
The Hemingway blend from Arturo Fuente has been an iconic smoke for decades thanks to its complex and approachable profile of chestnut, cedar, coffee bean, and cocoa with hints of baking spices from beginning to end. Arturo Fuente Hemingway cigars are blended and handcrafted in several flawless Figurado sizes by the most talented rollers at the renowned Fuente factory in the Dominican Republic. For a short smoke, go with a Short Story. Choose a Hemingway Classic if you want to smoke for an hour.
3. La Aroma de Cuba Connecticut
Award-winning cigarmakers Pepin and Jaime Garcia blend the entire La Aroma de Cuba brand from vintage Nicaraguan long-fillers tucked under a range of classic wrapper varietals, including a Connecticut-seed wrapper grown in Ecuador. La Aroma de Cuba Connecticut develops throughout a luscious profile of almond, cashew, and cedar with hints of coffee and buttercream in a series of bestselling sizes.
4. San Cristobal Elegancia
San Cristobal Elegancia reveals nutty notes of white pepper, coffee bean, and almond in a mellow smoke that serves as a great introduction to Nicaraguan cigars. An elegant Ecuador Connecticut wrapper leaf harbors a creamy and rich interior of premium Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos grown on select Garcia family estates. Savor Elegancia with an afternoon martini or a crisp, light beer.
5. Montecristo
The famous Cuban-legacy label Montecristo needs no introduction. This iconic brand hails from the Dominican Republic where it’s drafted from a supreme recipe of Dominican binder and filler tobaccos tucked beneath a honey-colored Connecticut Shade wrapper leaf. A mild and luscious profile of blonde roast coffee, grass, hazelnut, and a touch of pepper blesses the palate in a menu of classic shapes, including one of the best-known Torpedos ever made, Montecristo No. 2. It’s a pleasure to enjoy this smooth smoke early in the day.
Heartier Cigars for After Dinner
Before the tryptophan kicks in, fire up a satisfying cigar to go with a big glass of cabernet, a fresh cup of coffee, or that rare bottle of Cognac or Scotch you’ve been saving for a special occasion. Choose a hearty cigar after a herculean feast. Here are five excellent after-dinner cigars.
1. La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor
Following its debut, La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor scored a stunning 95-point rating and ‘#2 Cigar of the Year’ honors from the critics in Cigar Aficionado. A dark San Andrés wrapper leaf surrounds a delicious ensemble of premium Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos blended by world-famous cigarmaker Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia. Notes of cracked black pepper, espresso bean, dark chocolate, and almond mingle throughout a savory finish in a series of soft box-pressed shapes. Sip a vintage Port with Mi Amor.
2. Ashton Symmetry
Ashton Symmetry is complex and smooth. Carlito Fuente created this 94-rated cigar from a reddish-brown Rosado wrapper grown from Cuban seeds in the volcanic landscape of Ecuador. Beneath it, a rich marriage of premium Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos assembled by expert rollers resonates with unparalleled flavor and aroma. Tasting notes of cedar, cinnamon, coffee bean, and Turkish fig layer the palate with hints of spice in five classic sizes. Pour a well-aged whiskey to go with your Symmetry after dinner.
3. Flor de las Antillas
Drawn entirely from vintage Nicaraguan tobaccos, Flor de las Antillas took home a 96-point rating with Cigar Aficionado’s coveted ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ title in its debut year. José ‘Pepin’ Garcia blends Flor de las Antillas from a versatile recipe of Nicaraguan binder and filler leaves beneath a gingerbread-hued Sun Grown wrapper leaf. Notes of nutmeg, cedar, cayenne, cinnamon, and wood in a medium to full-bodied profile handcrafted in collection of soft box-pressed sizes.
4. Oliva Serie V
A trio of 94 and 95-point ratings for Oliva Serie V catapulted Oliva cigars into the pantheon of premium brands over fifteen years ago. This potent and peppery profile of primarily Ligero tobaccos is patiently handmade in Estelí, Nicaragua. An oily Cuban-seed wrapper grown in Ecuador encapsulates a spicy recipe of premium Nicaraguan long-fillers. Bold notes of cayenne, leather, black pepper, and earth culminate throughout a lingering smoke.
5. Padrón 1964 Anniversary
The prestigious reputation of Padrón cigars makes it easy to convince friends and relatives to join you for a cigar after Thanksgiving dinner. Who wouldn’t be curious to taste a 97-rated smoke with dozens of accolades to its credit? Padrón 1964 Anniversary is composed entirely of premium Nicaraguan tobaccos aged for a minimum of six years. This celebrated cigar delivers a delectable profile of nutmeg, cinnamon, cedar, cocoa, and cayenne pepper in several meticulous, box-pressed sizes. Bon appétit!
