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GETTING STARTED
There is nothing quite like a quality hand-rolled cigar. Everything from the from the intricate band designs to the first smoke-filled puff play a part in creating an experience that we have all come to love.
With the amount of product on the market, it is easy to blow through your monthly cigar budget in the first day of the month (I am speaking from experience), which may lead you to start brainstorming how you can stretch that dollar and get the most bang for your buck.
Well, you are in luck! We put together our list of the best cigars under $10 so you can have that top notch cigar experience you are looking for while stretching your cigar allowance as far as it can go.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
There aren’t any strict rules about what makes good cigar, but I am sure most of can agree that there are a couple of qualities you should look for in any cigar.
It may sound obvious, but the flavor of a cigar is one of those qualities. I am not necessarily talking about the nuances of flavors in cigars such as “dried fruit” or “roasted peanuts”, but rather the amount of flavor. We all have different preferences when it comes to how we want our cigars to taste, but once you find these flavors that you do like, you want to make sure that the cigars you smoke have a lot of them.
Another component that should always be considered is the construction of the cigar. This includes the draw, and the burn primarily, but also considers the consistency of the roll. Too tight of a draw or the constant need for touch-ups with your lighter are less than ideal when trying to relax and enjoy a cigar.
So, in summary, all the cigars on this list will be full of flavor, well-constructed, and have a suggested retail price of less than $10.
Now, let’s jump right into our list of the best cigars under $10.
BEST CIGARS UNDER $10 REVIEWED
1. ILLUSIONE FUME D’AMOUR VIEJOS
- Body: Medium
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Price Point: $9.00
- Main Flavors: Oak, Cashews, Pepper
Kicking off our list we have Illusione Fume D’Amour Viejos. Dion Giolito, the mastermind behind the highly esteemed Illusione operation, has yet to release a blend that is anything less than stellar and Fume D’Amour is the perfect introduction to the Illusione brand. With Fume D’Amour, you can expect a masterfully crafted blend of Nicaraguan seco and viso that combine to provide a wonderfully balanced yet unbelievable complex profile. Delicious notes of oak and cashews are complemented perfectly by a touch of natural sweetness and spicy black pepper.
2. OLIVA SERIE ‘V’ BELICOSO
- Body: Full
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Price Point: $9.50
- Main Flavors: Coffee, Pepper, Dark Chocolate
Oliva Serie ‘V’ features an oily Ecuadorian Habano Sun Grown wrapper that is wrapped beautifully around a Nicaraguan binder and finished off with a blend of Nicaraguan Ligero filler tobaccos. Like most Oliva products, Serie ‘V’ is as consistent as cigars come – you’ll get the same rich flavors and near-perfect construction time after time. I am still surprised that this Serie ‘V’ size is priced under $10 considering I’d would pay $15 without hesitation for a cigar of this quality.
3. FOUNDATION CHARTER OAK HABANO TORO
- Body: Medium
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Price Point: $6.75
- Main Flavors: Black Pepper, Cedar, Sweetness
Is it dramatic to say that Charter Oak Habano may very well be the best bang for your buck in cigars? A medium-bodied blend of Nicaraguan fillers encased in a thick Nicaraguan binder and finally, wrapped in beautiful Ecuadorian Habano leaf, has all the makings to become your new everyday cigar. With Charter Oak Habano, notes of black and white pepper combine with rich flavors of cedar and oak that are blended perfectly with a slight amount of natural sweetness on the finish to round out its rich profile. Oh, and you can get a box of these for half the price of a most cigars that offer this same kind of quality.
4. DREW ESTATE UNDERCROWN SUN GROWN GRAN TORO
- Body: Full
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Price Point: $9.40
- Main Flavors: Leather, Coffee, Oak
The third installment in the Undercrown series comes in the form of Undercrown Sun Grown – a complex and full-bodied blend that boasts rich flavors of coffee, spicy oak, and leather with a sweet finish. The Undercrown Sun Grown blend offers complexity and balance from the combination of its Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, habano binder from the Connecticut River Valley, and Nicaraguan long fillers; there is some aged ligero from Nicaragua which helps push the profile to full-bodied. Is Sun Grown the best Undercrown line? I think so.
5. CALDWELL BLIND MAN’S BLUFF TORO
- Body: Medium
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Price Point: $9.70
- Main Flavors: Bread, Sweetness, Cedar
Blends like Blind Man’s Bluff have undoubtedly secured Robert Caldwell’s place in the boutique cigar history books. Blind Man’s Bluff utilizes an oily Ecuadorian habano wrapper, a refined Honduran Criollo binder, and a smooth blend of Domincan and Honduran fillers. Distinct notes of cedar on the initial light give way to flavors of sweet bread, and a kick of spice that combine to create a delicious medium-bodied profile. For years, Caldwell has churned out fan favorite blends with top-notch construction and using high end tobaccos, and Blind Man’s Bluff is no different.
6. AJ FERNANDEZ BELLAS ARTES ROBUSTO
- Body: Medium-Full
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Price Point: $9.00
- Main Flavors: Cinnamon, Sweetness, Slight Citrus
I would be hard pressed to say that there is anyone in the industry who is more talked about than AJ Fernandez right now (and for good reason). He has been churning out some of the best blends on the market for two decades at this point and doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. It may be hard to keep track of the seemingly never-ending supply of new AJ Fernandez cigars, but just know that Bellas Artes is absolutely in the top tier of these blends. The bold Nicaraguan binder and Brazilian, Honduran, and Nicaraguan long fillers are rich and full of flavor, but the real showstopper here is the flawless wrapper used on Bellas Artes. This unique hybrid wrapper is a cross between Corojo ’99, Havana 2000, and Connecticut.
7. HVC HOT CAKE LAGUITO #5
- Body: Medium-Full
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Price Point: $9.60
- Main Flavors: Earth, Chocolate, Pepper
The follow up to HVC’s Pan Caliente comes in the form of HVC Hot Cake; a blend of Nicaraguan viso, bound by a Nicaraguan binder and wrapped neatly in a toothy, dark brown San Andres wrapper leaf. If you are a fan of robust and refined blends, I am confident that HVC’s Hot Cake will become a part of your regular rotation. Notes of spicy chocolate, earth, and caramel blend beautifully to create a profile that is unique and savory without being overly strong or overbearing. I just need to mention that this Laguito #5 size puts off a huge amount of smoke, so you’ll be able to taste every nuance of flavor with ease.
8. ROMA CRAFT CROMAGNON EMH ROBUSTO EXTRA
- Body: Medium-Full
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Price Point: $9.80
- Main Flavors: Almonds, Oak, Leather
Rounding out our list is the CroMagnon EMH Robusto Extra from Roma Craft. CroMagnon is made up of an interesting blend of Nicaraguan fillers from Condega, Pueblo Nuevo, and Esteli, a rustic Cameroon binder, and a toothy Connecticut broadleaf binder. Oak, leather, and dark chocolate dominate the palate and this flavor profile combined with the flawless construction you would expect from RomaCraft, produce a one-of-a-kind experience. This full-bodied blend is the perfect complement to a glass of bourbon, a rich stout or porter, or even an old-fashioned root beer.
NEXT STEPS
There you have it, our list of the best cigars under $10. We could’ve easily made this list two or three times as long but avoided doing so to make this list at least somewhat digestible. Just know that there are tons of great cigars on the market that you can buy for under $10 and we encourage you to keep exploring to find your next go-to blend.
Now that you have worked your way through this list and given each of these cigars your undivided attention, I recommend taking a few minutes to think about each cigar and why you did or did not like it. Consider every attribute for each of these cigars - ring gauge, length, wrapper type, filler type, binder type, country of origin, flavor profile, strength profile, price point – choose a handful (or more) that you really enjoyed and use this as a basis for what you are going to put in your regular rotation.
After you pick your favorites from this list, be sure to let us know what your top choices for best cigars under $10 are.