If you're wondering "What is a boutique cigar?" the answer is there's no exact definition. Boutique cigars are produced by premium cigar brands big and small, and while they're often made in small batches and limited edition runs, that's not always the case.
One common feature of boutique cigar brands is the care they put into their creations. To qualify as a boutique cigar, a smoke should offer a new experience, something different than the usual. Even the big premium cigar brands will often use unexpected ingredients in the pursuit of a unique experience from their boutique cigars.
Why should I try boutique cigars?
The best boutique cigar brands offer high quality, but for many enthusiasts that's not the main appeal. Instead, it's the allure of an experience that very few other people have had, and potentially a limited edition blend that combines the expertise of the premium cigar brands with the small-run numbers you'd usually see from an artisan.
Best of all, boutique cigars offer something new all the time.
Which boutique cigars should I try first?
So if you've been asking yourself "What is a boutique cigar?" or you're already an aficionado looking to compile your 2021 boutique cigar shortlist, here are ten to try this year. And if you ARE new to these artisan creations, make sure you read our guide How to Store and Care for Your Cigars, so that you enjoy them at their best.
Archetype Initiation
Archetype Initiation has the perfect name for a first-time boutique cigar, and plenty more credentials that make it a great choice to start your year, whether you're a newcomer or a craft cigar stalwart. It's reasonably priced, smooth on the draw, and well balanced, with mellow body, medium strength and a medium-brown Ecuador Habano wrapper.
This is an example of a boutique cigar from a premium cigar brand, rolled in Nicaragua at the La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate factory, to a recipe created by the Ventura Company. Expect tastes of dark chocolate, almond, wood and even a hint of citrusy orange.
Caldwell The T
Caldwell The T gets regular praise in any Caldwell cigar review for the artistry of its three creators: Robert Caldwell, Matt Booth and AJ Fernandez. If you've read our Robert Caldwell Manufacturer Spotlight, you'll know Caldwell and Booth previously teamed up on the Hit and Run. But The T - renamed from 'The Truth' to avoid copyright problems - is a stunning boutique cigar and a perfect choice for the winter months, with hints of spice and bittersweet chocolate.
Casa Cuevas Maduro
Casa Cuevas cigars offer an alternative to the trendy and modern boutique cigar brands. Instead, this premium cigar brand produces remakes of Cuban cigars that were originally made by the Cuevas family in the 1800s. Casa Cuevas Maduro pours those generations of expertise into a multinational blend with flavors of cocoa, cream, pepper and licorice, available in a choice of three different big ring sizes.
Illusione Fume D'Amour
Illusione cigars turn cigar flavor into a science and an art form, and that's abundantly apparent in Illusione Fume D'Amour. Medium-full strength and premium craftsmanship deliver clouds of aromatic smoke that last for hours thanks to the slow-burn construction of the Nicaraguan puros. An experience not to be missed.
Southern Draw Rose of Sharon
Nicaragua meets Ecuador in the Southern Draw Rose of Sharon, a mellow to medium boutique cigar that contains a blend of Nicaraguan Viso and Seco tobaccos with a Nicaraguan binder. It's all wrapped up in a medium-brown Ecuador Connecticut Sun Grown wrapper to make the perfect package.
Rose of Sharon has a light body with sweet, aged aromas and combines flavors including caramel, roasted nuts, charred wood and red pepper. Not too challenging for first-timers, but with thick, satisfying clouds of smoke, Rose of Sharon is a likely favorite for experienced craft cigar smokers too.
RoMa Craft Baka
Boutique cigars are about trying something new, so if you've never smoked a Cameroon wrapper, RoMa Craft Baka is the stick for you. Its name comes from the Baka tribe of the Cameroon rainforests, but beyond that, details are scarce.
The secret blend and binder contribute to a full-strength, strong-bodied smoke with nutty and creamy flavors, and a pleasing vanilla aroma in the room. Definitely one to experience for yourself.
Oscar Valladares Super Fly
Like Casa Cuevas cigars, Oscar Valladares Super Fly takes its inspiration from the past. But instead of the 19th century, the retro design on each cigar's band is based on the 1970s. Light your lava lamp, put on your favorite disco playlist, and you're ready to relax with a full-strength multinational filler, Honduran binder and Mexican San Andres wrapper that gives Super Fly its distinctive dark brown color.
Check out our full review of the Super Fly right here.
La Flor Dominicana Oro
La Flor Dominicana Oro cigars can feel like a valuable investment thanks to their gold tube packaging, but the real precious purchase is what's inside. Dominican Republic filler and binder give a mellow body with a creamy finish, while the Nicaraguan wrapper delivers sweetness on the nose. A real gold standard for boutique cigar aficionados.
Kristoff San Andres
Kristoff San Andres takes its name from its Mexican San Andres wrapper, inside which you'll find a medium-full Nicaraguan filler with an Ecuadorian binder, all in a boutique cigar produced in the Dominican Republic. Rich tastes of leather, dark chocolate and coffee make this a medium-bodied experience on its own, or paired with a perfectly seared steak.
Fratello Oro
Fratello Oro is the first Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapped cigar from Omar de Frias, and a softer alternative to the previous releases from Fratello Cigars.
With a filler from Colombia, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, plus an African Cameroon binder, it's a multinational blend. Expect mellow to medium strength, notes of coffee and cashews, and a creamy aftertaste that will leave you wanting to go back for the next leisurely drag.
If you want to know more about the Fratello Oro, check out our full review.
Get started with boutique cigars
Boutique cigars come in singles, packs and boxes of different sizes, so if any of the premium craft cigars listed above take your fancy, be sure to follow the links for the best prices on single cigars and great deals on boxes from Cigars.com.
FAQs
Are boutique cigars better?
I would say regular production and boutique cigars taste and smoke almost identically. However, if you mean "better" in terms of cigars to show off, then yes they are better in that regard.
Boutique cigars are made in limited quantities with unique tobacco in the wrapper, binder, and filler. So I would say that they're more of a conversation starter on a podcast, cigar shop, or online cigar chat rooms.
What is considered a boutique cigar?
The proper definition of a "Boutique Cigar" is when any cigar brand, large or small, produces less than one million cigars in a calendar year.
That number may seem like a lot, but you have to factor in how many different shops all over the world may sell these cigars. Less than a million cigars produce makes them extremely limited and rare.
