6 Best Mild Cigars (All Tastes and Budgets)

If you’re new to cigars, you’re going to want to start off with something on the mellow end of the spectrum.

Keeping things nice and simple, the best mild cigars will offer a smooth and uncomplicated smoke, while subtly introducing some more interesting elements for you to explore.

If you start with something full-bodied, you’d probably find it a little overwhelming. It’s better to use mild cigars to get a sense of what signature notes work best for you and move on to more intense blends from there.

Best For BEGINNERS
Macanudo Cafe Ascots

Macanudo Cafe Ascots

The case-study cigar for easy-going, smooth smoking.
30 – 40 minutes of smoking time – convenient for a lunch break or quick catch-up over a coffee.
Available at:
BEST OVERALL
Rocky Patel American Market Selection Toro

Rocky Patel American Market Toro

Clean, creamy smoke from long-aged premium Nicaraguan and Honduran tobacco.
The perfect stogie to share with smokers of varying experience levels.
Available at:
Best SWEET PICK
Acid Blondie Cigar

Acid Blondie Cigar

A lighter blend of tobacco for people who prefer a milder smoke.
Sweet floral flavor for the whole ride.
Available at:

For a quick, quality smoke, you can’t do much better than Macanudo Cafe Ascots. Creamy coffee and subtle cedar wood delicately combine for a 30 – 40 minute smoke that will delight beginners and aficionados alike.

Gents looking for something that you can spend a little more time with, check out Arturo Fuente Chateau Natural or Rocky Patel American Market Selection Toro. Both of these full-sized sticks come in at under $4 a pop, with top-tier mellow tobacco that lasts at least an hour.

So, let’s get into the guide.

TOP PICKS

6 Best Mild Cigars

Rocky Patel American Market Selection Toro: Best Mild Cigar Overall

Macanudo Cafe Ascots: Best Mild Cigar for Beginners

Acid Blondie Cigar: Best Sweet Mild Cigar

Arturo Fuente Chateau Natural: Best Budget Mild Cigar

The Griffin’s: Best Mild Davidoff Cigar

Padrón Damaso: Best Mild Padron Cigar 

Rocky Patel American Market Selection Toro – Best Mild Cigar Overall

Rocky Patel American Markets give you a real cigar smokers experience with long-aged premium Nicaraguan and Honduran tobacco, tempered and calmed by a mild and velvety Connecticut wrapper.

Rocky Patel American Market Selection Toro

The overall effect is a clean, creamy smoke with a sweet finish that punches well above its price point.

You’ll notice a subtle inflection of cedar – still mild, but with enough woodsy complexity to keep me interested. It brings a nuttiness that you can explore further with smokes like the Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva later down the track.

The construction here is excellent, with a smooth draw and clean burn that lasts around 90 minutes. I smoked this one right down to the label, sipping bourbon and watching the fireplace with my buddies. It’s the perfect stogie to share with smokers of varying experience – a light body with enough complexity to keep things interesting.

StrengthMellow
ShapeToro
Size6 x 52
CountryHonduras
ColorNatural
Wrapper OriginEcuadorian
Wrapper LeafConnecticut Shade
Rocky Patel American Market Selection Toro Stats

Macanudo Cafe Ascots – Best Mild Cigar for Beginners

Macanudo Cafes Ascots are creamy and mild cigars perfect for rookies. There’s enough complexity to keep things interesting, but without overwhelming you in terms of harshness or nicotine. 

Macanudo Cafe Ascots

Instead, you have got soft accords of fresh hay, creamed coffee, and subtle cedarwood. The overall flavor is slightly sweet –  but in a natural way.

The smokes have a golden brown, silky smooth Connecticut Shade wrapper and come in pocket-sized tins of ten. They do a great job of protecting your cigars from getting squashed, as well as keeping them fresh by retaining humidity. 

Put it this way – there’s a reason Macunado Cafes have become one of the most prevalent (and most loved) cigars in the US.

Macanudo Cafes take around 30 – 40 minutes to smoke. Though small in size, this is far from a cigarillo that evaporates in a few drags. It’s a proper cigar, perfect for a shorter session with morning coffee or with an aperitif after dinner.

I like it for when I’m on the move and don’t have time to plonk myself down for a long leisurely smoke. Situations like road trips, for example.

The Dominican and Mexican fillers are a beautiful representation of rich tobacco, but with shades of toasted marshmallow thrown in for good measure.

It’s very easy to smoke. Smooth, relaxing, and – most importantly – delicious.

StrengthMellow
ShapeCigarillo
Size4 3/16 x 32
CountryDominican Republic
ColorNatural
Wrapper OriginConnecticut
Wrapper LeafConnecticut Shade
Macanudo Cafe Ascots Stats

Acid Blondie Cigar – Best Sweet Mild Cigar

They say blondes have more fun, and you’ll find that to be true again with the Acid Blondie if you prefer lighter tobacco blends.

Acid Blondie Cigar

This one is a little sweet due to the sugar syrup gum that holds the cigar together. Think Palma Violet candies and you won’t be far wrong. 

It’s a lightly floral and gourmand palate, with a light tobacco blend that makes the blondie ideal for newer smokier who find other cigars too harsh.

Honey creaminess permeates this Nicaraguan blend, with a real sense of quality that you’d expect to find in a cigar twice the price.

The Connecticut Cameroon wrapper is seamless and clean, and delivers the clean and consistent cigar I’ve come to expect across all Drew Estate cigars. These guys are masters of budget stogies, and well worth checking out.

If you’re looking for something light, fun, and accessible, you won’t be disappointed.

StrengthMedium
ShapeCorona
Size4 x 38
CountryNicaragua
ColorNatural
FlavorInfused
Wrapper OriginConnecticut
Wrapper LeafCameroon
Acid Blondie Cigar Stats

Arturo Fuente Chateau Natural – Best Budget Mild Cigar

Chateau Fuente natural is one of the harder Arturo Fuente cigars to find, but if you can get hold of a box you certainly get the rewards.

Arturo Fuente Chateau Natural

This smooth and aromatic smoke is a memorable blend that draws upon natural accords of hay and greenery, with evocative hints of leather and crushed black pepper.

As the smoke develops, sweeter notes of cocoa and vanilla arrive to lend Chateau Fuentes a gourmand quality and brighten up the earthiness.

This beautifully wrapped cigar burns evenly, and holds ash very well – it lasted almost half the cigar for me, and that was in the garden with a breeze.

Each cigar comes beautifully presented in a sleeve of Spanish cedar, and opening them feels like a real “event”. This is the perfect cigar to buy a box of to dish out to friends and loved ones – they will think you’re gifting them much more than a $3.50 cigar.

StrengthMedium
ShapeRothschild
Size4 1/2 x 50
CountryDominican Republic
ColorNatural
Wrapper OriginEcuadorian
Wrapper LeafConnecticut Shade
Arturo Fuente Chateau Natural Stats

The Griffin’s – Best Mild Davidoff Cigar

These small cigars are great value for money. They’re about $4 a pop, and still have the classic Davidoff Dominican flavor and quality you’ve come to expect.

The Griffins Puritos

The smoke is smooth and mild and goes perfectly with a cup of coffee when time is short. They take about 15-20 minutes to smoke, which is perfect for me as part of my morning routine. 

For the price, you’d expect Davidoff to take some shortcuts. But Griffins are all beautifully rolled and they draw beautifully.

You could say that the palate is a little less exciting than more complex smokes, but the quality is still there. Like a high-quality vanilla ice cream, this is a straightforward flavor done well.

Just like Macanudo Cafe Ascots, Griffins come in handy tins that are easy to sling in your suit jacket pocket without wondering if your smokes will survive.

StrengthMellow
ShapeSmall Cigar
Size4 1/8 x 34
CountryDominican Republic
ColorNatural
Wrapper OriginEcuadorian
Wrapper LeafConnecticut Shade
The Griffin’s Stats

Padrón Damaso – Best Mild Padron Cigar 

Personally, I find Damaso’s a little too mild most of the time – but this is a great cigar for friends or clients who are only smoking because everyone else is.

Padrón Damaso No. 15

A great cigar for clients who are smoking only because everyone else is. Easy to handle, deliciously sweet through the middle, with zero maintenance or touch-ups required. Razor-sharp burn line in this Vitola.

It will never overpower you, so it suits the height of the day in summer where a thick Maduro is going to be too much. 

Damasos would be a staple of my humidor if they were just a little bit cheaper – but if you prefer milder cigars, you’ll find these represent good value. I just prefer something fuller, personally.

StrengthMellow
ShapeToro
Size6 x 52
CountryNicaragua
ColorNatural
Wrapper OriginEcuadorian
Wrapper LeafConnecticut Shade
Padrón Damaso Stats

What You Should Know About the Best Mild Cigars

What’s the best place to buy mild cigars online?

It’s hard to believe with over 17 million cigar smokers just in the US that there are little more than a dozen credible websites to buy cigars. Now of course there are small shops all over that sell online cigars, but just don’t come up on any broad google search.

Most will let you down somewhere – if they have good shipping, they’re expensive. If they’re the right price, you’ll lack a proper guarantee.

My favorite online cigar store – Famous Smoke Shop – strikes a great balance, and most importantly – they’re reliable.

There’s nothing worse than your cigars arriving late, not showing up at all, or receiving dried-out stogies in terrible condition.

FAQs About the Best Mild Cigars

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