Best Cigars For The New Year: Top 10 NYE Cigars For Auld Lang Syne

What Types Of Cigars Go Well With New Year’s Eve?

A new year’s cigar is an annual tradition for both enthusiasts and even many very occasional smokers. Indeed, some people will only have a cigar once a year on New Year’s Eve. Whether you’re a regular cigar smoker or not, this guide will help you in deciding the sort of cigar that best fits the occasion.

Firstly, we considered the various scenarios where we would have a cigar for New Year’s Eve:

• Post-dinner evening cigar on the 31st December.
• Cigar through midnight.
• Celebratory cigar just after midnight on the 1st January.

Of course, some particularly zealous cigar smokers may decide to have all three. Nevertheless, most people will likely just settle with one or two at most.

Being Aware Of The Setting

We’re particularly fond of starting a cigar around 11pm so that we finish just before 1am on the 1st January. However, some people may find that somewhat awkward at the strike of midnight.

Otherwise, it largely depends on your personal beliefs and whether you want to celebrate the year that is ending or the new one just as it starts.

Finally, it’s also important to consider the context of where the cigar is being smoked. If it’s a large social gathering, will cigars be permitted indoors or will there be an outdoor space to enjoy it without any complaints?

If outdoors is the only option, would this essentially ostracise you from the main event and would you be okay with that?

Alternatively, it may be a quiet family event or with some close friends. Would a cigar interrupt the festivities and prevent you from making the most of your time with your loved ones?

Although we’re staunch supporters of our rights to smoke cigars, it’s still important to take the above into consideration. Otherwise, we strongly believe that any time is appropriate for a cigar!

Choosing The Right Cigar Size

Once you’ve decided when and potentially where you will enjoy your cigar, the next thing to consider is its size. Also known as the vitola, the cigar’s size and shape will not just affect the total smoking time but sometimes the flavours too.

As you’ll notice in the list above, we’ve recommended a few larger cigars. This is because we would want to choose something that can be enjoyed throughout most of the festivities and well into the night.

However, if you want something that doesn’t need such a commitment but can still be enjoyed, there are a lot of smaller vitolas at your disposal. Naturally, not every cigar is available in every vitola but there are usually some small, medium, and large choice.

To help you decide, you can refer to the smoking times listed above as well as our dedicated guide to cigar vitolas.

Choosing The Body & Flavour Profile That Suits You

When compiling this list, we’ve taken into account the time of day, the season, the celebratory context as well as the smoker’s level of experience with cigars. We actually crossed referenced several existing guides to determine the best ones for New Year’s Eve.

Firstly, the time of day plays a fundamental role in finding the most suitable cigar. We tend to opt for milder cigars earlier in the day and transition towards fuller-bodied ones as we progress.

This is actually because our palates and olfactive nerves are more sensitive in the morning. As they gradually become sensitised to stimulus, we generally tend to prefer stronger flavours. This is apparent when you compare typical lunch and dinner dishes.

If you’re enjoying a cigar in the mid to late evening, you may prefer a milder blend than later at night. We especially recommend this if you’re having more than one.

Furthermore, certain types of blends tend to be more favourable during the winter period. As you’ll see in our guide to the best cigars for Christmas, most tend to offer spicier, warmer gourmand notes that are associated with the season’s atmosphere.

Similarly, your level of experience with cigars is quite important to keep in mind. If you’re not accustomed to smoking cigars, you may want to consider milder flavours that are easier to enjoy than bold, full-bodied blends.

Finally, the celebratory context is pretty significant when choosing a cigar too. After all, it’s a special occasion! Therefore, we sought to compile more luxury cigars than pleasant and affordable ones. Of course, this is simply a matter of perspective as some very affordable cigars can be exceptional too.

What Affects A Cigar’s Body & Flavour

Usually, the most reliable way to ascertain a cigar’s body (or even find the right cigar for you) is to simply ask a professional. If you’re not familiar with cigars, the best practice is to go to a brick-and-mortar shop to seek advice.

There are usually three things that will determine a cigar’s character: the tobacco varieties and their primings as well as their age.

Most people presume that dark, aged tobacco is the strongest. However, this isn’t necessarily true. Actually, maduro cigars weren’t always overly true until the industry starting blending that we as we came to expect it. Usually, older tobacco is more refined and complex with a touch of mellowness.

Primings & Varieties

As for the varieties, there are hundreds if not thousands that can be used for making cigars. In fact, there are more being created every day through hybridisation! Not all varieties used in a blend are even publicly announced either and retailers may only list their countries of origin.

Finally, the priming plays a fundamental role. This is because tobacco leaves are harvested in layers, which are referred to as primings. Earlier primings at the bottom of the plant tend to be quite mild and aromatic. Meanwhile, the higher primings are stronger with a high nicotine content.

Most cigars will feature a variety of primings in order to create a harmonious blend. However, some cigars may be made from a single priming to create a distinctive flavour.

If you’re someone who prefers a milder cigar, look out for varieties like Dominican Olor and Ecuadorian Connecticut while being opting for Volado and lower Seco primings.

Conversely, those looking for bolder experiences may want to consider varieties similar to Ecuadorian Sumatra, Nicaraguan Jalapa and Condega as well as Honduran Criollo. Additionally, you may want to try something with a presence of Ligero primings from the top of the plant.

New Year Cigar Pairings

While you’re enjoying your cigar during the festivities, you’ll likely want to pair it with some sort of refreshment. Although not each of the above cigars will accord nicely with everything at your disposal, there will always some options available.

Given that it’s New Year’s Eve, the chances are that the Champagne will be flowing. While this isn’t a particularly common pairing with cigars, some do marry quite well! Nevertheless, we would be careful in what we choose as Champagne can be rather delicate and easily overpowered by a cigar.

If you’d like to pair your cigar with Champagne, opt for one of the milder options. Out of the options listed above, the Hoyo de Monterrey San Juan would be the best choice with the Romeo y Julieta Añejados just behind it. Otherwise, we would avoid a full-bodied cigar with Champagne.

Since the night may be long, you may prefer to stick to wine so you can pace yourself. In that case, some full-bodied cigars would marry well certain red wines.

A few examples would be an earthy Fitou from the Languedoc-Roussillon with the JC Newman The American or a tannic Bordeaux Graves with the Davidoff Millennium. Alternatively, a playful Nuits-Saint-Georges Bourgogne Pinot Noir would be quite pleasant with the Montecristo Línea 1935.

Otherwise, you might prefer alcoholic spirits, which are often the most recognised pairings for cigars. If this is the case, you will have ample room to manoeuvre with the opportunity to experiment with various whiskies, rums, or other liquors like brandy or cognac.

How Did We Rank These Cigars?

As mentioned above, many of the cigars featured here were assembled by cross-referencing related guides to ensure that we provided a level of consistency. However, we also noted that we took into account other factors like the celebratory context.

Nevertheless, all the cigars featured in these guides have been compiled using a database that we’ve been developing since 2017. After years of tweaks and adjustments after consulting industry experts, we debuted the Bespoke Unit Cigar Formula with our review of the Avo Nicaragua in August 2019.

For us, we use the Cigar Formula as a database to keep track of our reviews and our samples. However, it also serves as a review matrix for our readers so that they can understand how we evaluate them.

We often found the scoring system of many publications somewhat irksome. Oftentimes, the scores feel quite arbitrary and are only ever between 85 and 95  out of 100. With our system, we sought to create something that used the full 100-point spectrum in a quantifiable way.

We’re particularly proud of the result, which we use for every test and review but can also be downloaded by our readers to use at home. Even if we don’t formally review a cigar, we keep its Formula on record so that we can refer to it when compiling guides like this one.

What Next?

Firstly, did we miss anything out? Feel free to let us know in the comments below! Otherwise, now that you’ve seen the best cigars for New Year’s Eve, why don’t you also check out our related guides below?

• BU Cigars – Home
• Top 10 Cigars Of The Year
• Best Cigars With Coffee
• Best Cigars For Nighttime
• Top 10 Best Cigars For Beginners