The cheapest cigar over $20 in this ranking is also the joint best-rated. The Liga Privada No. 9 Flying Pig is rated 4.9 at $20.83. The Padron 60th Anniversary Perfecto is rated 4.85 at $75.00. That is 3.6 times the money for a lower score.
These 12 came out of a pool of 337 cigars priced above $20, ranked by catalog rating. Four cigars tie at 4.9, three at 4.85, four at 4.8, and one at 4.75. Spending more inside this band does not buy a higher rating.
Price of all 12 picks over $20
The best rating on this list, 4.90, belongs to the Liga Privada No. 9 Flying Pig at $20.83 — the cheapest pick here. The dearest, the Padron 60th Anniversary Perfecto at $75.00, is 3.6× the price and rated 4.85. The whole list spans 0.15 of a rating point.
best rating (4.90) — $20.83the other 11 picks
- Liga Privada No. 9 Flying Pig$20.83
- Montecristo No. 2$21.70
- Bolivar Belicoso Fino$22.27
- Padron Serie 1926 No. 48 Maduro$24.90
- Dunbarton Sin Compromiso Seleccion No. 7 Toro$25.00
- Cohiba Behike BHK 52$28.70
- Liga Privada Feral Flying Pig$29.17
- Padron Serie 1926 80 Years Maduro$30.00
- H. Upmann No. 2$32.20
- Padron Family Reserve No. 46 Maduro$40.00
- Cohiba Ambar$74.60
- Padron 60th Anniversary Perfecto$75.00
The 12 Best Cigars Over $20, Ranked
Ranked by catalog rating. Four cigars tie at 4.9, three at 4.85, four at 4.8, and one at 4.75 — inside a tie the order is alphabetical, not a verdict, so choose on price, size, and origin instead. Every price is for a single cigar.
1. H. Upmann No. 2
- Rating: 4.9
- Price: $32.20
- Strength: Medium
- Size: 6.13 x 52 Pyramid, Cuba wrapper, Cuba
The H. Upmann No. 2 is rated 4.9 at $32.20. It is one of four cigars at the top rating, and the only Cuban cigar among those four. At 6.13 x 52 it is a pyramid, so the tapered head is the format, not a robusto stretched out. $11.37 more than the cheapest 4.9 on the page.
Start here if you want the Cuban cigar at the top of the list.
2. Liga Privada Feral Flying Pig
- Rating: 4.9
- Price: $29.17
- Strength: Full
- Size: 3.88 x 60 Torpedo, Connecticut Broadleaf Oscuro wrapper, Nicaragua
The Liga Privada Feral Flying Pig is rated 4.9 at $29.17. It is the shortest cigar in the ranking at 3.88 inches, on a 60 ring. Same rating as the No. 9 Flying Pig below, $8.34 more, and 0.12 inches shorter on the same ring and wrapper.
Start here if you want this specific release. On score alone you are paying $8.34 for the name.
3. Liga Privada No. 9 Flying Pig
- Rating: 4.9
- Price: $20.83
- Strength: Full
- Size: 4 x 60 Torpedo, Connecticut Broadleaf Oscuro wrapper, Nicaragua
The Liga Privada No. 9 Flying Pig is rated 4.9 at $20.83. This is the cigar the whole page argues for: cheapest of the twelve, joint best-rated, and $54.17 less than the $75.00 cigar that scores lower. It is 4 inches on a 60 ring, so it is a lot of smoke in a body you can finish inside an hour.
Start here if you want the top rating and you do not want to pay $75.00 for a worse one.
4. 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 dearest of the four cigars at 4.9, $19.17 more than the Flying Pig above. Four Padrons made this list; this is the only one at 4.9. The Padron ranking has the rest of the brand.
Start here if you want the top-rated Padron and the price is not the deciding factor.
5. Cohiba Ambar
- Rating: 4.85
- Price: $74.60
- Strength: Medium-Full
- Size: 5.25 x 53 Parejo, Cuba wrapper, Cuba
The Cohiba Ambar is rated 4.85 at $74.60. Forty cents under the most expensive cigar on the page, and 0.05 below the cheapest. Same rating as the Behike two entries down, which costs $45.90 less.
Start here if the Cohiba name is the point. On the numbers it is not the better-rated cigar, and it is not close on price.
6. Cohiba Behike BHK 52
- Rating: 4.85
- Price: $28.70
- Strength: Medium
- Size: 4.75 x 52 Robusto, Cuba wrapper, Cuba
The Cohiba Behike BHK 52 is rated 4.85 at $28.70. Same 4.85 as the $74.60 Ambar and the $75.00 Padron 60th. It is the shortest Cuban cigar here at 4.75 inches, and one of three Medium cigars in the ranking.
Start here if you want the Cohiba line without paying $74.60.
7. Padron 60th Anniversary Perfecto
- Rating: 4.85
- Price: $75.00
- Strength: Medium-Full
- Size: 6.5 x 56 Perfecto, Nicaragua wrapper, Nicaragua
The Padron 60th Anniversary Perfecto is rated 4.85 at $75.00. Nothing in this ranking costs more, and it does not out-score a cigar at $20.83. It is 6.5 inches on a 56 ring, the only Perfecto shape here, and 3.6 times the price of the cheapest 4.9.
Start here if the occasion is the point. Do not buy it expecting a better score than the Flying Pig.
8. 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 the only Dunbarton in the twelve and the only Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper. A 6 x 52 toro is the default long format on this page.
Start here if you want a straight 6 x 52 and you have already decided against the 4.9s.
9. Montecristo No. 2
- Rating: 4.8
- Price: $21.70
- Strength: Undisclosed
- Size: 6.13 x 52 Pyramid, Cuba wrapper, Cuba
The Montecristo No. 2 is rated 4.8 at $21.70. It is the second-cheapest cigar in the ranking, $0.87 above the Flying Pig, and it scores 0.10 lower. Same 6.13 x 52 pyramid as the H. Upmann No. 2 at the top of the list. Our catalog lists its strength as Undisclosed.
Start here if you want the Montecristo pyramid and you already know that is the cigar you came for.
10. Padron Serie 1926 80 Years Maduro
- Rating: 4.8
- Price: $30.00
- Strength: Medium-Full
- Size: 6.75 x 54 Figurado, Nicaragua wrapper, Nicaragua
The Padron Serie 1926 80 Years Maduro is rated 4.8 at $30.00. It is the longest cigar in the ranking at 6.75 inches. $5.10 more than the 1926 No. 48 below, same 4.8 rating, longer and a different shape.
Start here if you want the longest Padron here.
11. 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 shares the 60 ring gauge with both Flying Pigs, and it is one of three Medium cigars in the twelve. Cheaper than the 1926 80 Years at the same rating.
Start here if you want a big-ring Padron that the catalog labels Medium rather than Full.
12. Bolivar Belicoso Fino
- Rating: 4.75
- Price: $22.27
- Strength: Medium-Full
- Size: 5.5 x 52 Belicoso, Cuba wrapper, Cuba
The Bolivar Belicoso Fino is rated 4.75 at $22.27. It is the only 4.75 in the ranking, and it costs $1.44 more than the cheapest 4.9. The fifth Cuban cigar on the page, and the lowest-rated of the twelve.
Start here if you want this specific Bolivar. On the numbers it is not the buy.
Which One Should You Actually Buy
Buy the Liga Privada No. 9 Flying Pig, rated 4.9 at $20.83. It is the cheapest cigar on the page and it matches the top rating. The $75.00 cigar is rated 4.85.
Three reasons to buy something else:
- You want the Cuban 4.9. That is the H. Upmann No. 2, rated 4.9 at $32.20. You are paying $11.37 more than the Flying Pig for the same score.
- You want the top-rated Padron. That is the Family Reserve No. 46 Maduro, rated 4.9 at $40.00.
- You want Medium, not Full. Three of the twelve are labelled Medium: the H. Upmann No. 2, the Cohiba Behike BHK 52 at $28.70, and the Padron Serie 1926 No. 48 Maduro at $24.90. The Montecristo No. 2 is Undisclosed.
Set your ceiling below and the picker names the best cigar in the twelve you can actually buy for it.
Interactive
Pick a cigar over $20
All 12 ranked cigars, $20.83 to $75.00, drawn from 337 cigars in that band. Set your ceiling and it names the best one you can actually buy.
Buy Liga Privada No. 9 Flying Pig — rated 4.9 at $20.83, 4" x 60 Torpedo, full.
6 of the 12 cigars match at or under $29.00. Top 5 shown.
- Liga Privada No. 9 Flying Pig
- Cohiba Behike BHK 52
- Montecristo No. 2
- Padron Serie 1926 No. 48 Maduro
- Dunbarton Sin Compromiso Seleccion No. 7 Toro
Nothing in this ranking scores higher than 4.9 on these filters. Spending more here buys size and wrapper, not a better score.
What $20+ Actually Buys on the Numbers
The cheapest cigar here is rated 4.9. The dearest is rated 4.85. That single comparison is the argument against treating price as a proxy for rating above $20, and it is not a close call: 3.6 times the money, a lower score.
The three cigars at 4.85 cost $28.70, $74.60, and $75.00. Same rating, a $46.30 spread. The Cuban versus non-Cuban page is the place to take that origin split further; this page is the price band.
The pool behind the list is 337 cigars priced above $20. These twelve are the ones our catalog rates highest.
Size, Origin, and Strength
Five of the twelve are Cuban, seven are Nicaraguan. The 4.9 split is one Cuban and three Nicaraguan. Origin does not predict the top of this list.
Four Padrons made the twelve, and only one of them is at 4.9. The other three — the 60th at $75.00, the 1926 80 Years at $30.00, and the 1926 No. 48 at $24.90 — sit at 4.85 or 4.8.
Size is not one format. Length runs from 3.88 inches to 6.75 inches. Ring gauge runs from 52 to 60. The two Flying Pigs and the 1926 No. 48 all sit on a 60 ring; most of the rest are 52.
More over $20: Padron ranked · Liga Privada ranked · Celebration cigars · Cigars under $10 · Cigar price index
What is the best cigar over $20?
The Liga Privada No. 9 Flying Pig, rated 4.9 at $20.83. Four of the 12 cigars ranked here share that 4.9 rating, and this is the cheapest of them. The $75.00 Padron 60th Anniversary Perfecto is rated 4.85.
If you would rather start on the Cuban 4.9, that is the H. Upmann No. 2 at 4.9 and $32.20.
Does a more expensive cigar over $20 rate higher?
No. The 12 cigars ranked here span $20.83 to $75.00, and the cheapest is rated 4.9 while the dearest is rated 4.85. The three cigars at 4.85 cost $28.70, $74.60, and $75.00.
Inside this band, paying more buys size, origin, and a scarcer name. It does not buy a better score.
What is the cheapest highly rated cigar over $20?
The Liga Privada No. 9 Flying Pig at $20.83, rated 4.9. That is the floor of this ranking and the ceiling of its rating.
The next cheapest cigar here is the Montecristo No. 2 at $21.70, rated 4.8.
Are the Cuban cigars over $20 rated higher than the Nicaraguan ones?
Not as a group. Five of the twelve are Cuban and seven are Nicaraguan. At 4.9 the split is one Cuban — the H. Upmann No. 2 at $32.20 — and three Nicaraguan, including the $20.83 Flying Pig.
The lowest-rated cigar on the page is also Cuban: the Bolivar Belicoso Fino at 4.75 and $22.27.