Best Nighttime Cigars: Top 10 Cigars To Smoke At Night

How Is A Cigar Ideal For Nighttime?

Klaas & Leticia Kelner

Although the night is usually defined by the period when the sun is set, the can vary somewhat depending on where you are in the world. However, this guide to the best cigars to smoke at night is part of a series that includes other times of day.

Therefore, we’ve sought to define to avoid any confusion since they may overlap in some circumstances. For instance, the evening is usually a particularly brief period that occurs when the sun is setting.

Taking into account typical dinner times and social events that occur during this time, we decided that the evening consists of the period between 6pm and 10pm.

Meanwhile, the morning is another time of day that’s treasured among certain smokers. Given that there are some early risers who cherish their cigar ritual before the sun rises, we’ve consider that it starts at around 5am

As a result, this guide caters to the period between 10pm and 5am. If you’re more interested in any of the other times stated, we suggest that you check out the related guides linked above.

Furthermore, we realise that this 7-hour window is particularly large. However, many cigar smokers are veritable night owls that will enjoy their sticks until dawn. Similarly, many social gatherings may end with cigars after a late dinner, which can sometimes last until the wee small hours of the morning.

Therefore, this guide seeks to cover this window and help both enthusiasts and novices alike in finding the right blends for the occasion.

Bold & Full-Bodied Cigars At Night

Nighttime is a period that’s usually associated with bold and heavy cigars by most enthusiasts. Although you may ask yourselves why, there is actually some science and logic to it!

Firstly, our palates and olfactive nerves have their own daily cycle, which is at its most sensitive in the morning. As you progress through the day, it becomes essentially dulled by all the stimuli that you accumulate.

In fact, this is often why dinner will consist of stronger food than lunch or why you’ll drink a whisky in the evening but prefer beer during the day.

Furthermore, an after-dark cigar is often a nightcap and will usually follow a meal and may be accompanied by some heavy liquor. Therefore, the choice is cigar is often dictated by the context. Conversely, beginner or occasional cigar smokers may actually something milder.

Typically, a full-bodied cigar is comprised of more potent varieties of tobacco that have been matured for longer-than-average periods of time. Similarly, later primings may be used of milder tobacco varieties to create more rounded flavours.

Full-Bodied & Mature Tobacco Varieties

There are many full-bodied tobacco varieties such as Dominican Piloto, Nicaraguan Condega, and Estelí. These vary between each country and tend to be imported according to the blender’s needs as they each have their own distinctive flavours.

As far as primings are concerned, you may have heard about Ligero, which is very strong. This is indeed true as it is the last row of leaves that are harvested from the plant. Due to their increased sun exposure and surplus of nutrients when the other leaves of removed, they tend to be thick and rich in nicotine.

Despite some exceptions that you may see above, these are rarely blended alone. Many brands will normally use a combination of Ligero with milder primings to create a harmonious blend. When Ligero is used alone, it tends to be strong but not as flavoursome with unreliable combustion.

Finally, while tobacco does benefit from a long fermentation and ageing process, this won’t necessarily make it stronger. Instead, it is more likely to become complex and mellow in flavour. Indeed, maturation can often provide rich flavours without overly changing the resulting intensity.

Similarly, darker tobacco doesn’t always equate to strength either. In fact, this is a general misconception that has led to the cigar industry intentionally crafting full-bodied cigars with consequently dark Maduro wrappers.

Nighttime Cigar Pairings

Whether it’s a nightcap before bed or the height of a social gathering, you’ll likely be pairing your cigar with a libation. Arguably, choosing a beverage with a cigar at night is much easier than any other time of day.

This is largely because alcoholic spirits aren’t quite as socially acceptable in the morning or early afternoon! Typically, we tend to reach for the harder stuff at night for similar reasons as we mentioned earlier.

Lots of options are available such as Scotch whisky, bourbon, rum, cognac, or even brandy. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can seek out interesting pairings with wine. However, this can sometimes be challenging.

When selecting your pairing, we suggest basing it around whatever there is in smaller variety. For instance, if you have only a few drinking options but a wide selection of cigars, start by choosing your drink. Conversely, limited cigar options will dictate the choice in beverage if lots of choices are available.

We work by scent rather than sight when choosing a pairing, which consists of smelling your first half of the pairing. If possible, we then smell the others in order to find an accord that contrasts or complements the first.

For instance, if you already have a cigar, smell its foot. Once you have a clear idea of its aromas, proceed to open a few bottles and smell each one to help you make your choice.

How Did We Rank These Cigars?

All the cigars featured in this guide have been reviewed or at the very least sampled and put through Bespoke Unit Cigar Formula. This was a project that was under development since 2017 until it was launched with our review of the Avo Nicaragua in August 2019.

As we were tired of the seemingly arbitrary scores used by many publications, we sought to create a quantifiable formula that allowed us to accurately assess a cigar. Throughout its development, we trialled the formula and consulting with industry professionals.

We have since gone back and used it on all the cigars that we have reviewed. While they may not be live on these articles, we have kept a record of the scores. As a result, we’re able to put together these guides with conviction.

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 the morning, 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 The Afternoon
• Top 10 Best Evening Cigars