In the midst of the cold weather in the Northern Hemisphere, a cigar smoker has limited opportunities to have a cigar. The summertime affords us to just step outside to the veranda, porch, or balcony and light up and enjoy the stick of our choice, no matter of size or shape. But the colder weather, well… not so much. In this day and age, it is getting increasingly harder to find a cigar lounge or any indoor area for that matter where you can smoke. And you certainly don’t want to light that Montecristo 2, Romeo y Julieta Churchill, or Hoyo De Monterrey San Juan when the weather outside is frightful, right? But sometimes the call of the leaf can be overwhelming and will trump any atmospheric situation you may find yourself in.
What to do? Well, it’s time to grab a small cigar.
Now this is a bit of a taboo topic amongst experienced cigar smokers. Smaller cigars are often looked down upon and unsatisfactory and unsatisfying because they don’t offer the option of having a long smoke time. Perhaps even a little unmanly because smaller cigars in both ring gauge and length may come off as dainty or feminine. Well, sometimes you don’t have time for that large cup of coffee, and that quick espresso hit may be just what you need. I did find myself in a bit of a quandary as I was writing this article. One small cigar after another kept coming to mind as I was typing away. And this article will only be talking about Cuban cigars for now. New World cigars won’t be mentioned as this article might wind up a veritable War and Peace of small cigars. Cigarillos are also a great idea for a short smoke, but that’s another article for another time. And because many smaller cigars from Cuba have been discontinued, they won’t be mentioned either. God how I miss the Hoyo de Monterrey Du Prince and slender and sexy Du Gourmet. I’ll be sharing some options with you in case you’re not in the know, and will be spot lighting a few of my favorites as we go. Keep in mind, the choices made here are my personal ones, and shouldn’t be taken as Gospel.
POR LARRANAGA
The very old Cuban brand Por Larranaga brand makes many great small cigars and I personally like to start novice smokers out with this brand, as the brands’ flavor profile tends to be light, floral, and somewhat creamy. Cigars such as the classic Petit Coronas (42 x 5-1/8), the pencil thin Montecarlos (33 x 6-1/4), the robusto-ish Picadores (48 x 5) and the new Galanes (52x 4-3/4) which is quickly becoming a favorite in the small cigar market are an excellent way to spend 30-45 minutes when the urge hits. My personal favorite out of the bunch is the Petit Coronas because I find it has a perfect balance of taste and strength for a cigar its size.
PICKS:
Por Larranaga Petit Coronas (42 x 5-1/8)
Por Larranaga Montecarlos (33 x 6-1/4)
Por Larranaga Picadores (48 x 5)
Por Larranaga Galanes (52 x 4-3/4)
RAFAEL GONZALEZ
Another classic brand first introduced in 1928. Production of the brand ceased in 1960 but was introduced alongside sister brand El Rey Del Mundo in 1965 and both were considered to be high end luxury brands. Since then, the brand has been whittled down to 3 regular production cigars and the occasional Regional Edition release. The Panatelas Extra (37 x 5), Petit Coronas (42 x 5-1/8) and the Perlas (40 x 4) offer the cigar smoker excellent small cigars that tend to be more light/medium bodied with classic tobacco and leather notes. My personal favorite of the bunch in once again the Petit Coronas as once again, I find the size has the best balance of the three.
PICKS:
Rafael Gonzalez Panatelas Extra (37 x 5)
Rafael Gonzalez Petit Coronas (42 x 5-1/8)
Rafael Gonzalez Perlas (40 x 4)
LA FLOR DE CANO
Underrated brand that currently only has 2 sizes in regular production, and like the Rafael Gonzalez brand, receives the occasional Regional Edition release. These medium strength cigars come in a Petit Coronas format (40 x 4-7/8) that comes shrouded in an old school cedar wrapper, and the recently released Elegidos (50 x 5) tends to shore up the market for a Cuban Robusto that is more affordable that its other Cuban counterparts of similar sizes. The cigars are medium strength with the Petit Coronas coming off more cedary (obviously) that the Elegidos which tends to sway more towards earthy, mineral notes. Once again, the Petit Coronas (what is it about this size that I like so much?) wins out for me again.
La Flor de Cano Petit Coronas (40 x 4-7/8)
La Flor de Cano Elegidos (50 x 5)
ROMEO Y JULIETA
Now here’s a brand name that we normally don’t think of when thinking of small cigars. While the Wide Churchills, Belicosos, and mighty Churchill eclipse any other sizes in the Romeo y Julieta portfolio, the No. 2 in tubos (42 x 5-1/8), Mille Fleurs (42 x 5-1/8), Coronitas en Cedro (40 x 5-1/8); check out my review of this beauty in my April 28, 2020 article. The list continues with the Petit Royales (47 x 3-3/4), and, Petit Churchills (50 x 4) and many smaller cigars in the brand name to mention. The best value out of the bunch is the No. 2, however I tend to prefer the Petit Churchills, being a little bigger in ring gauge for that Robusto experience that won’t break the bank.
PICKS
Romeo Y Julieta No. 2 (42 x 5-1/8)
Romeo Y Julieta Mille Fleurs (42 x 5-1/8)
Romeo Y Julieta Coronitas en Cedro (40 x 5-1/8)
Romeo Y Julieta Petit Royales (47 x 3-3/4)
Romeo Y Julieta Petit Churchills (50 x 4)
CUABA
Cuaba is an example of one of those rare post-revolutionary cigar brands coming out of Cuba. Introduced in 1996, the Cuaba brand was released to be a premium brand name alongside Cohiba and Trinidad, and frequently appear in exotic, commemorative releases. Over the years the brand lost its premium title and slipped into a “middle of the road” type status. The fun thing about the Cuaba brand is that all of their cigar sizes (*) come in a perfecto format and although they do make larger cigars such as the Distinguidos (52 x 6-3/8) The Salomones (57 x 7-1/4) and the mammoth Diademas (55 x 9-1/8), they have a great line up of smaller cigars, like the Divinos (4 x 40), Exculsivos (46 x 5-3/4), Tradicionales (42 x 4-3/4), and the Generosos (42 x 5-1/4). My personal favorite is the Exclusivos because of its size and smoke time.
(*). Except the Limited Edition 2008 “Piramides”
PICKS
Cuaba Divinos (4 x 40)
Cuaba Exculsivos (46 x 5-3/4)
Cuaba Tradicionales (42 x 4-3/4
Cuaba Generosos (42 x 5-1/4).
FONSECA
Another pre-revolutionary brand, Fonseca cigars are highly noticeable as they are individually wrapped in white silk paper. The story behind this is that the patriarch to the brand name, Francisco Fonseca, insisted on each cigar being wrapped to protect the delicate wrapper leaf and to set his brand name apart from other Cuban cigars. These light strength puros currently only four production sizes in the Fonseca line up and three can be categorized as small cigars. The offerings include the Cosacos (42 x 5-3/8), Delicias (40 x 4-7/8), and the KDT Cadetes (36 x 4-1/2), and the Fonseca No 1 (43X6-3/8) which is the only outcast as it is a Lonsdale size. I don’t really have a preference in this brand name, all are great!
PICKS
Fonseca Cosacos (42 x 5-3/8)
Fonseca Delicias (40 x 4-7/8)
Fonseca KDT Cadetes (36 x 4-1/2)
MONTECRISTO
One of the most recognizable names when it comes to cigars. The first cigar that comes to mind when the name Montecristo passes your lips would be the ubiquitous piramide shaped No. 2. But we all know that the Montecristo No. 4 (42 x 5-1/8) is probably what introduced the majority of us the Cuban Puro. The Montecristo lineup also offers the No. 5 (40 x 4) and the Media Corona (44 x 3-1/2) in smaller format cigars. I guess this one tugs at my heartstrings as the No. 4 come out on top for me.
Montecristo No. 4 (42 x 5-1/8)
Montecristo No. 5 (40 x 4)
Montecristo Media Corona (44 x 3-1/2)
COHIBA
Probably the first name you think of when Cuban cigars come to mind. Cohiba is a post-revolutionary brand name and is the global flagship brand of Habanos SA. One of the qualities that sets this brand apart is that the Seco leaves (what is used to temper the cigar blend) and Ligero leaves (what actually gives the cigar its flavor) are given an exclusive third fermentation which makes them quite distinctive. Once again, smokers will automatically think of the Esplendidos, Piramides Extra, Robusto, or any of the Behike sizes. However, Cohiba also makes smaller cigars worth noting. The Corona Especiales (38 x 6), Exquisitos (33 x 5), Siglo I (40 x 4), Siglo II (42 x 5-1/8), Siglo III (42 x 6-1/8), Medio Siglo (52 x 4), and the Secretos (40 x 4-3/8) from the Maduro line up are all fine examples of this. Topping my list is the Corona Especiales.
PICKS:
Cohiba Corona Especiales (38 x 6)
Cohiba Exquisitos (33 x 5)
Cohiba Siglo I (40 x 4)
Cohiba Siglo II (42 x 5-1/8)
Cohiba Siglo III (42 x 6-1/8)
Cohiba Medio Siglo (52 x 4)
Cohiba Maduro 5 Secretos (40 x 4-3/8)
PARTAGAS
Another well-established name in the world of Habanos, the Partagas has been ensconced in the cigar world since 1845 and has always been known for its full-bodied cigars. Smaller sized offerings in the line-up don’t disappoint either when it comes to getting that full flavored tobacco hit. From the diminutive yet power packed Shorts (42 x 4-3/8) to the Mille Fleurs (42 x 5-1/8), Super Partagas (40 x 5-1/2), to the chubby Serie D No. 5 (50 x 4-3/8) and its smaller cousin the Serie D No. 6 (50 x 3-1/2), each of these cigars deliver big time flavor without sacrificing too much time. My go to for this brand is the Serie D No. 6 as it delivers a lot of smoke for a small cigar and has a great balance between flavor and strength.
