Top Connecticut Cigars

Top Connecticut Cigars

by Joseph Jobes

 

I’ve been working in the cigar industry for a little over ten years now, and there’s one trend I’ve always bucked against: the meteoric rise in popularity of the full-bodied cigar.

Don’t get me wrong – I like a full cigar. Heck, Tatuaje, My Father, and Oliva are some of my favorite cigar manufacturers, and their Nicaraguan leaves tend to rate pretty highly on the strength scale. But there’s a time and a place for everything.

Today, I’d like to discuss my favorite type of cigar: Connecticut wrapped blend. I don’t particularly care if they’re US grown or Ecuadorian, I just want them to be smooth, delicious, and inviting.

In my opinion, a lot of full-bodied blends sacrifice complexity and flavor for strength. Maybe that’s your thing, but for me, I’m lighting a cigar to chill out and relax, and getting pummeled by loads of ligero and spice without anything else on offer doesn’t sound very peaceful.

The Best Time to Smoke a Connecticut Cigar

Everything has its time and place, and for me, the Connecticut is really best as your first cigar of the day. And let me clarify: I don’t particularly care if your first cigar is at 8 AM or 8 PM. A lot of people associate Connecticut blends with a morning coffee, and that’s well and good, but a nice, mellow blend after a long day at work can be just as enjoyable.

The only thing you’ll want to avoid is lighting up after eating, drinking, or smoking something very heavy. If you grabbed some takeout Indian food on your way home from work, you’re not going to get many flavors out of a Macanudo besides remnants of curry.

However, if you’re going in with a fresh palate, and maybe a little mineral water or some mellow coffee (nothing too bitter or intense, please), you’ll find you enjoy your experience a lot more.

The New Age vs. Classic Connecticut

There’s one more trend I want to touch on before getting into my recommendations – that of the “new age” Connecticut. This is a very popular trend among cigar makers in the last few years, and falls into our overall timeline of cigars becoming fuller and fuller-bodied.

I’m doing a lot of generalizing here, but basically, Connecticut wrapped cigars were associated with mellower, inexpensive Dominican, Jamaican, or American tobaccos. Think Macanudo, Montecristo, Reserva Real – all those classic cigars with Cuban roots. With the advent of Nicaraguan cigar dominance, cigar makers started experimenting with adding fuller-bodied, often Nicaraguan, filler tobaccos to their otherwise mellow blends.

The result is something of a hybrid. You’ll still get the creamy, smooth experience that Connecticut wrapped cigars are associated with, but there’s going to be a bit more spice and pop in the mix as well.

My list is going to include a mix of both classic and new-age style Connecticut blends. For me, I tend to prefer the old-school style, but that’s a type of cigar that’s quickly fading away.

Note: The cigars below are presented in alphabetical order, and are not meant to imply a ranking.

Ashton Classic Majesty (6”x56)

Ashton Classic is a name most cigar fans are well acquainted with. For many, Ashton represents some of the finest cigars on the market. I first got introduced to Ashton with their more contemporary blends like the VSG and Symmetry. A few years later, I discovered Ashton Classic, and I’ve been buying them ever since.

Specifically, I really like the 6”x56 Majesty size. I’m not sure why, to be honest with you, but I think this larger ring-gauge really works here. Ashton Classic contains Dominican fillers, grown by the Fuente family, and delivers a smooth smoking experience with that’s very “toasty.” If you’re not sure what people mean when they describe a cigar as “toasty,” try this one.

Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust Sobremesa Brulee Double Corona (7”x54)

The big kahuna on the list – the Sobremesa Brulee Double Corona. I loved the original Sobremesa, and remember smoking it after the trade show where they were debuted and thinking it wouldn’t get better. I was wrong. The Brulee line is, for me, hands down the best cigar that Steve Saka currently makes. You can hiss and boo and wave your Sin Compromisos and SakaKhans at me all you want – I’ll stay over here enjoying this treat.

The Double Corona was a size recommended to me by Dave Lafferty, and I’ve been trying to keep at least a box on hand for the last three years. If I have a ton of admin work to do (emails, spreadsheets, analysis – all the fun parts of the cigar industry!) then I’m normally making a cappuccino, grabbing one of these, and typing away for the next two hours.

The Brulee Double Corona delivers a lot of sweetness while you’re smoking it. It’s everything I love about old-school style Connecticuts: creamy, buttery, and leaves you wanting more. No joke – I’ve been known to smoke two of these back to back.

Joya de Nicaragua Antano CT Toro (6”x50)

The JdN Antano Connecticut is a cigar I have done a complete 180 on. I tried this cigar at a meeting with our Drew Estate reps at an old job when it was announced and remember absolutely hating it. Afterwards, though, everyone in the office was buzzing, saying it was one of the best new cigars they smoked in a long time.

Happily, I was very wrong. This cigar is awesome.

After my initial experience, I grabbed a couple more and gave them a little time (mostly for me to get over my initial assessment, not because they needed aging). I don’t know what I was thinking the first time! This is definitely in the “new age” Connecticut camp, really coming in at more of a medium-body, and that gives it a nice niche for me. If I’m enjoying a bunch of cigars back-to-back, it’s nice to have a sort of “palate cleanser” like the Antano Connecticut on hand.

There’s a lot more spice to this one than my previous picks on the list, but it tends to be a brighter, zippier spice, than the traditional black pepper of a Oscuro or Habano wrapped option.

Espinosa Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut Short Churchill (6.5”x48)

My newest choice on the list, the Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut breaks all my expectations in the best ways.

I hate celebrity cigars. For years I’ve watched retired athletes, B-list actors, and other public figures slap their name on a decent blend, do one or two press releases about it, and then never think of it again. The cigars also tend to be over-priced, because the guys making the cigars are paying a royalty to use the celebrity’s name/likeness on the packaging material. Ugh. No thank you.

Knuckle Sandwich Connecticut, though, kicks ass. I tried this cigar when I was in Florida for The Great Smoke 2023, and I went through ten or so the week I was there. Though this cigar is Nicaraguan binder and filler, it still delivers a rather mellow profile. You’ll get a lot of woody notes and butter throughout, and it goes great with an iced coffee in the Florida heat.

Southern Draw Rose of Sharon Toro (6”x52)

Finally, the Southern Draw Rose of Sharon. This is the first cigar I ever tried from Southern Draw, and though I’ve now smoked and loved them all, it’s probably still my favorite. This is just a truly elegant, sophisticated cigar that I’d recommend anyone who loves Connecticut blends tries.

Rose of Sharon is named after Sharon Holt – one of the nicest, hardest-working people in the cigar industry. The Holts make their cigars with AJ Fernandez, and they’ve got a way of blending his tobaccos that just really resonates with me.

The Rose of Sharon Toro is one of the more complex Connecticut’s around. Though it starts with the classic creaminess you’re expecting, this cigar develops some notes of white pepper, along with delivering a good amount of sweetness.

Wrapping Up

So, there you have it! All five of these cigars are fantastic options that I’d highly recommend trying for yourself. Plus, these are perfect blends to have on hand if you have a buddy who’s looking to try their first cigar – you can proudly hand them any of the above options and know that they’re in for a great experience.