Ring in 2025 with the 10 Best Cigars for New Year's Eve
Before the ball drops and you’re spraying a bottle of bubbly into the air, grab some good cigars to celebrate New Year’s Eve. We’ve put together a solid list of top-shelf blends from today’s top cigarmakers when you’re looking for a celebratory smoke to ring in the New Year. Check out our recommendations and order a few to share with your friends. Happy New Year from your pals at Holt’s!
1. Ashton ESG
Ashton ESG is a 94-rated, classic Dominican cigar blended by legendary cigarmaker Carlito Fuente. ESG stands for Estate Sun Grown and refers to the cigar’s wrapper leaf, which is grown under direct sunlight on the world-famous Chateau de la Fuente estates in the Dominican Republic, where the tobacco for Fuente Fuente Opus X cigars is cultivated. Ashton ESG cigars are blended from the rarest and oldest reserves of premium long-fillers aged by the Fuente family. A stunning profile of graham cracker, cedar, molasses, and black pepper layers the palate in five flawless sizes throughout this special occasion smoke.
2. La Aroma de Cuba Noblesse
In 2024, an all-new version of La Aroma de Cuba Noblesse debuted. This rare and sought-after smoke develops throughout a full-bodied profile of dark chocolate lava cake, espresso bean, and Turkish fig with hints of salt and spice. Four meticulous sizes are blended and produced by award-winning cigarmakers Pepin and Jaime Garcia in Nicaragua. A dark-brown San Andrés Oscuro wrapper leaf surrounds a hearty interior of premium Nicaraguan long-fillers matured for perfect flavor and aroma.
3. Arturo Fuente Hemingway
Arturo Fuente Hemingway is one of the most famous cigars in the world, thanks to iconic sizes like Short Story and Signature. Carlito Fuente blends this 94-rated smoke in an impressive collection of meticulous Figurado sizes. A toothy Cameroon wrapper covers an elegant blend of aged Dominican long-filler tobaccos. Tasting notes of cedar, coffee bean, cocoa, and spice resonate throughout a nutty and approachable finish. This versatile smoke is ideal for both seasoned connoisseurs and beginners.
4. Padrón 1926 Series
Padrón 1926 Series cigars are blended from some of the oldest tobaccos grown and aged by the Padrón family. Succulent tasting notes of dark cocoa powder, cedar, molasses, and espresso bean unfold with hints of nuts and spice throughout a collection of impressive box-pressed sizes. Padrón 1926 Series cigars are aged even longer than the brand’s iconic 1964 Anniversary blend. Both blends are made from an exclusive recipe of Nicaraguan tobaccos, and both are available in a Natural or Maduro wrapper leaf. Savor a 97-rated classic ranked in the ‘Top 5 Cigars of Year’ multiple times and make it a New Year’s Eve to remember.
5. Oliva Serie V Melanio
Oliva cigars soared in popularity when the company earned a 96-point rating and a ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ title from the critics in Cigar Aficionado in 2014 for Oliva Serie V Melanio. A decade later, Serie V Melanio is still drawn from an oily Ecuador Sumatra wrapper over a balanced blend of premium Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos. Notes of caramel, wood, and pepper come to life in seven bestselling sizes, including the legendary box-pressed Figurado.
6. San Cristobal Revelation
San Cristobal cigars debuted in 2007 when the owners of the Ashton brand began working with master cigarmaker José ‘Pepin’ Garcia following his move from Cuba to the States. Revelation remains one of the biggest hits in the San Cristobal portfolio thanks to its versatile flavor and unrivaled quality. This 93-rated gem boasts a luscious profile of smoked almond, cedar, cinnamon, cocoa, and spice. Vintage Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos rest beneath an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper. Choose Revelation in a big-ring Leviathan or Odyssey for a smoke that will last over an hour on NYE.
7. My Father La Opulencia
When Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia launched My Father Cigars with his son, Jaime, and daughter, Janny, he was an established cigarmaker, producing brands like La Aroma de Cuba and Tatuaje. His prominence has grown significantly with his own portfolio thanks to several acclaimed releases like My Father La Opulencia. This 95-rated blend earned ‘#2 Cigar of the Year’ honors in 2018. The cigar’s dark and toothy San Andres Oscuro wrapper leaf conceals well-aged Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos in six popular shapes. Tasting notes of black pepper and espresso bean mingle over an earthy, woody foundation throughout a lingering finish.
8. Perdomo 30th Anniversary Connecticut
Brand founder Nick Perdomo has built his reputation on quality, consistency, and value. Perdomo cigars are immensely popular thanks to Nick’s insistence on making cigars of the highest quality for a great price. In honor of his brand’s thirtieth year in business, he released Perdomo 30th Anniversary with three wrappers: Ecuador Connecticut, Maduro, and Sun Grown. Consider all three wrappers but go with the Connecticut blend for the mildest option. Notes of cedar, cashew, and coffee bean create an excellent profile, courtesy of premium Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos aged up to fifteen years.
9. Plasencia 1865 Alma Fuerte
The Plasencia family has been growing tobacco since 1865, and they’ve been making cigars for many well-known brands like Rocky Patel and Alec Bradley for years. But the cigars that bear their name are relatively new, officially debuting in 2016. Nonetheless, they’ve achieved a good amount of buzz with hearty Nicaraguan smokes like 1865 Alma Fuerte. Relying on Nicaraguan tobaccos from Estelí, Condega, Jalapa, and Ometepe, Alma Fuerte delivers a bold profile of leather, cocoa, and earth throughout a toasty, 93-rated smoke with plenty of spice.
10. Top Value Pick: Rocky Patel Mulligans Crown Jewel
When you need multiple cigars to share with a group of buddies on New Year’s Eve but you don’t want to spend a fortune, Rocky Patel Mulligans should be your first stop on the Holt’s site, friends. Rocky blends this golf-themed collection of budget-friendly bundles from some of his best tobaccos. And you’re saving a ton off the original asking price. You can’t go wrong when you buy a 20-count bundle of Crown Jewel cigars for under a hundred bucks. Notes of cocoa powder, pepper, and leather please the palate with hints of hickory in five popular sizes. Rocky Patel introduced Mulligans cigars as an outlet for dozens of his favorite side projects, and they’re available exclusively through Holt’s.
