Cigar Aficionado

With the cigar industry still in the midst of the post-pandemic cigar boom, there have been many new and interesting releases, but possibly the most noteworthy are cigars that retail for $100 apiece or more. While this trend is a symbol of ultra- luxury, few cigar smokers would ever consider such a product to be their daily smoke. The search for budget-friendly smokes continues, and values seem harder to find than ever before. As 2024 came to a close, we sifted through 12 months of entries for the best deals of the year. Our research yielded 21 handmade cigars with suggested retail prices of $7 or less (before taxes), each of which scored between 87 and 93 points in one of our blind tastings.

As to be expected, smaller sizes such as petit coronas and robustos figure prominently in this list. There are also some toros, grandes and even an imposing figurado with a length of 7 1/2 inches. The brands run the gamut from industry giants to more boutique offerings but each cigar on this list can keep your humidor full without burning a hole in your wallet.

—Thomas Pappalardo