The $339.20 cigar is not the best-rated. The 12 highest-rated Churchills, Toros, Gordos, Double Coronas and Presidentes over $15 in our catalog run from $15.75 to $339.20, and the whole ranking is separated by 0.15 of a rating point — 4.9 at the top, 4.75 at the bottom — with the $339.20 cigar scoring lower than the $15.75 one.
These 12 came out of a pool of 284 long-format cigars over $15, ranked by catalog rating. The best-rated cigar on the page costs $40.00. The cheapest costs $15.75 and outscores the $339.20 one. Three of the twelve also appear on the over-$20 list; the other nine do not. The two pages are not the same ranking.
Price of all 12 celebration picks
These 12 picks spread 21.5× in price, $15.75 to $339.20, and 0.15 of a rating point. The best rating, 4.90, costs $40.00. The dearest, the Cohiba 55 Aniversario Edicion Limitada 2021 at $339.20, is rated 4.75 — the lowest rating on the list, for $299.20 more.
best rating (4.90) — $40.00the other 11 picks
- Oliva Serie V Melanio Toro$15.75
- Rocky Patel A.L.R. Second Edition Toro$16.25
- Davidoff Nicaragua Toro$16.50
- Fuente Fuente OpusX Double Robusto$17.05
- Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua Espeso$18.00
- Rocky Patel Sixty Sixty$18.00
- Fuente Fuente OpusX Reserva d'Chateau$19.15
- Padron Serie 1926 No. 48 Maduro$24.90
- Dunbarton Sin Compromiso Seleccion No. 7 Toro$25.00
- Cohiba 1966 Edicion Limitada 2011$38.70
- Padron Family Reserve No. 46 Maduro$40.00
- Cohiba 55 Aniversario Edicion Limitada 2021$339.20
The 12 Best Celebration Cigars, Ranked
Ranked by catalog rating. One cigar sits at 4.9, three tie at 4.85, five tie at 4.8, and three tie at 4.75 — inside a tie the order is alphabetical, not a verdict, so choose on price, size and strength instead. Every price is for a single cigar.
1. Padron Family Reserve No. 46 Maduro
- Rating: 4.9
- Price: $40.00
- Strength: Full
- Size: 5.5 x 56 Gordo, Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper, Nicaragua
The Padron Family Reserve No. 46 Maduro is rated 4.9 at $40.00. It is the only 4.9 in the twelve, and it costs $299.20 less than the cigar at the bottom of the page. At 5.5 x 56 it is one of the four shortest cigars here, on one of the three widest rings.
Buy it if you want the top rating without paying $339.20.
2. Fuente Fuente OpusX Double Robusto
- Rating: 4.85
- Price: $17.05
- Strength: Medium-Full
- Size: 5.75 x 52 Toro, Dominican Republic wrapper, Dominican Republic
The Fuente Fuente OpusX Double Robusto is rated 4.85 at $17.05. It is the cheapest of the three cigars that tie at 4.85, and the cheapest cigar here rated above 4.8. The name says Double Robusto; the catalog shape is Toro, 5.75 x 52.
Buy it if you want a 4.85 without crossing $20.
3. Fuente Fuente OpusX Reserva d'Chateau
- Rating: 4.85
- Price: $19.15
- Strength: Medium-Full
- Size: 7 x 48 Churchill, Dominican Republic wrapper, Dominican Republic
The Fuente Fuente OpusX Reserva d'Chateau is rated 4.85 at $19.15. It is the only Churchill in the twelve and the longest cigar here at 7 inches. Its 48 ring is also the narrowest on the page; every other cigar is 52 or above.
Buy it if you want the long format without the 56-plus ring that comes with the Gordos.
4. Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua Espeso
- Rating: 4.85
- Price: $18.00
- Strength: Medium-Full
- Size: 5.5 x 60 Gordo, Nicaragua wrapper, Nicaragua
The Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua Espeso is rated 4.85 at $18.00. Same rating as the two OpusX cigars above it, in a 5.5 x 60 Gordo: shortest length in the twelve, tied with three others, on a 60 ring. The extra width is the point.
Buy it if you want the 4.85 score in a short, fat cigar rather than a long, thin one.
5. Dunbarton Sin Compromiso Seleccion No. 7 Toro
- Rating: 4.8
- Price: $25.00
- Strength: Full
- Size: 6 x 52 Toro, Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper, Nicaragua
The Dunbarton Sin Compromiso Seleccion No. 7 Toro is rated 4.8 at $25.00. It is one of two Full-strength cigars in the twelve — the other is the 4.9 Padron at rank 1 — and one of the three that also appear on the over-$20 list. A 6 x 52 Toro is the default long format on this page: seven of the twelve are Toros.
Buy it if you want Full strength in a conventional 6 x 52.
6. Oliva Serie V Melanio Toro
- Rating: 4.8
- Price: $15.75
- Strength: Medium-Full
- Size: 6 x 52 Toro, Ecuador wrapper, Nicaragua
The Oliva Serie V Melanio Toro is rated 4.8 at $15.75. This is the cheapest cigar in the twelve, and it outscores the $339.20 cigar. It is also the only Ecuador wrapper here. On the numbers, this is the one the page argues for if price is the constraint.
Buy it if you want the long-format cut at the bottom of the $15 floor.
7. Padron Serie 1926 No. 48 Maduro
- Rating: 4.8
- Price: $24.90
- Strength: Medium
- Size: 5.5 x 60 Gordo, Nicaragua wrapper, Nicaragua
The Padron Serie 1926 No. 48 Maduro is rated 4.8 at $24.90. It is one of three Medium cigars in the twelve, and the highest-rated of those three. Same 5.5 x 60 Gordo as the Montecristo Espeso two entries up. It is the second of the three that also sit on the over-$20 list.
Buy it if you want a Padron and you want Medium rather than Full.
8. Rocky Patel A.L.R. Second Edition Toro
- Rating: 4.8
- Price: $16.25
- Strength: Medium-Full
- Size: 6.5 x 52 Toro, Mexico wrapper, Nicaragua
The Rocky Patel A.L.R. Second Edition Toro is rated 4.8 at $16.25. Fifty cents above the cheapest cigar in the twelve buys the same 4.8 rating in a longer 6.5-inch Toro. It is one of two Mexico wrappers here.
Buy it if you want a 4.8 Toro longer than 6 inches without paying $25.00.
9. Rocky Patel Sixty Sixty
- Rating: 4.8
- Price: $18.00
- Strength: Medium-Full
- Size: 6 x 60 Gordo, Mexico wrapper, Nicaragua
The Rocky Patel Sixty Sixty is rated 4.8 at $18.00. Same rating as the A.L.R. Toro above, on a 60 ring instead of a 52. It is the longest of the three 60-ring Gordos here at 6 inches.
Buy it if you want the 60 ring and you want more than 5.5 inches of it.
10. Cohiba 1966 Edicion Limitada 2011
- Rating: 4.75
- Price: $38.70
- Strength: Medium
- Size: 6.5 x 52 Toro, Cuba wrapper, Cuba
The Cohiba 1966 Edicion Limitada 2011 is rated 4.75 at $38.70. It is one of two Cuban cigars in the twelve, and the cheaper of them. It is also Medium rather than Medium-Full. Where you can buy it depends on where you are.
Buy it if you want a Cuban Toro and you do not want to pay $339.20 for the other one.
11. Cohiba 55 Aniversario Edicion Limitada 2021
- Rating: 4.75
- Price: $339.20
- Strength: Medium-Full
- Size: 5.88 x 57 Toro, Cuba wrapper, Cuba
The Cohiba 55 Aniversario Edicion Limitada 2021 is rated 4.75 at $339.20. It is the most expensive cigar in the twelve. It scores 0.15 below the only 4.9 and 0.05 below the $15.75 cigar. That is the argument against treating price as a proxy for rating, and it is not a close call.
Buy it if you want this specific release. On the numbers alone there is no case for it over the Padron at rank 1 or the Oliva at rank 6.
12. Davidoff Nicaragua Toro
- Rating: 4.75
- Price: $16.50
- Strength: Medium
- Size: 5.5 x 54 Toro, Nicaragua wrapper, Dominican Republic
The Davidoff Nicaragua Toro is rated 4.75 at $16.50. It is the cheapest of the three cigars that tie at 4.75, and the only one of those three that is not Cuban. A 5.5 x 54 Toro is the shortest Toro here. It is also Medium, matching the Padron 1926 No. 48 and the Cohiba 1966.
Buy it if you want Medium strength under $20.
Which One Should You Buy
Buy the Padron Family Reserve No. 46 Maduro, rated 4.9 at $40.00. It is the only 4.9 in the twelve. The $339.20 cigar is rated 4.75.
Three reasons to buy something else:
- You want the cheapest 4.8. That is the Oliva Serie V Melanio Toro, rated 4.8 at $15.75.
- You want the long Churchill. That is the Fuente Fuente OpusX Reserva d'Chateau, rated 4.85 at $19.15. It is the only Churchill here.
- You want Medium, not Full. Three of the twelve are Medium. The cheapest is the Davidoff Nicaragua Toro, rated 4.75 at $16.50.
Set your ceiling below and the picker names the best cigar in the twelve you can actually buy for it.
Interactive
Pick a celebration cigar
All 12 ranked long-format cigars, $15.75 to $339.20, drawn from 284 long-format cigars over $15. The dearest pick is not the top-rated: Padron Family Reserve No. 46 Maduro is 4.9 at $40.00. Set your ceiling and it names the best one you can actually buy.
Start with Fuente Fuente OpusX Double Robusto — rated 4.85 at $17.05, 5.75" x 52 Toro, medium-full.
6 of the 12 cigars match at or under $19.00. Top 5 shown.
- Fuente Fuente OpusX Double Robusto
- Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Nicaragua Espeso
- Oliva Serie V Melanio Toro
- Rocky Patel A.L.R. Second Edition Toro
- Rocky Patel Sixty Sixty
Stretch to $40.00 — $21.00 over your ceiling — and Padron Family Reserve No. 46 Maduro takes you to 4.9.
What the Cut Is, and What It Is Not
This is a format cut, not a price-band cut. The pool is every Churchill, Toro, Gordo, Double Corona and Presidente over $15 — 284 cigars. The over-$20 list is every shape over $20 — 337 cigars. They share 3 of 12: the Padron Family Reserve No. 46 Maduro, the Dunbarton Sin Compromiso Seleccion No. 7 Toro, and the Padron Serie 1926 No. 48 Maduro. Nine cigars here are not on that list. Seven of the twelve cost $20 or less, so they cannot appear there. Do not treat the pages as duplicates.
Inside the twelve the shapes are lopsided. Seven are Toros, four are Gordos, one is a Churchill. No Double Corona or Presidente made the twelve. Length runs from 5.5 inches to 7 inches; ring gauge runs from 48 to 60.
Strength is not format. Two of the twelve are Full, seven are Medium-Full, three are Medium. The Full cigars are the 4.9 Padron and the 4.8 Dunbarton. Medium is the Padron 1926 No. 48, the Cohiba 1966, and the Davidoff Nicaragua Toro.
Size changes two things. Length sets how long you are committed for; ring gauge sets how much smoke arrives per draw. A 5.5 x 60 Gordo and a 7 x 48 Churchill are both long-format in the cut and are not the same sit. Our guide to how long a cigar takes has the size-by-size times.
More occasion guides: Wedding cigars · Cigars over $20 · Retirement cigars · Baby announcement cigars · Cigar price index
What is the best cigar for a celebration?
The Padron Family Reserve No. 46 Maduro, rated 4.9 at $40.00. It is the only 4.9 in the 12 cigars ranked here. The $339.20 Cohiba 55 Aniversario is in the twelve and is rated 4.75.
How much should I spend on a celebration cigar?
Forty dollars buys the best-rated cigar on this page. The 12 cigars ranked here span $15.75 to $339.20 and only 0.15 of a rating point, and the $15.75 one is rated higher than the $339.20 one. Inside this cut, paying more does not buy a better score.
Why is the Cohiba 55 Aniversario on this list?
Because the cut is long formats over $15, ranked by rating, and the Cohiba 55 Aniversario Edicion Limitada 2021 is a 5.88 x 57 Toro rated 4.75 at $339.20. That is enough to make the twelve. It is not enough to make it the best-rated, and it is not on the over-$20 list, which is a different cut.
Are these the same 12 as the cigars over $20?
No. The overlap is 3 of 12. The over-$20 list ranks every shape over $20; this page ranks Churchills, Toros, Gordos, Double Coronas and Presidentes over $15. Nine cigars here are not on that list, including the $339.20 Cohiba 55 Aniversario.