It’s safe to say that no other smoke satiates the craving for blends that pack a potent punch with decadent flavors and a full-throttled kick than a masterfully constructed, flavorful, and strong cigar does.
However, searching for the right cigar with simultaneously rich, robust, and smooth flavors with just the right balance and complexity that suits your preference can be incredibly tricky.
It is a common misconception that a dark cigar equates to bold and full-bodied strength, but there’s no way to tell the strength of a cigar from simply looking at it. The level of nicotine, the priming of the plant, and the aging of the tobacco all play a significant part in blending a strong cigar that commands the palate’s attention.
So if you’re looking for the best strong cigars to share with your friends, craving a new taste to expand your horizons with, or to keep tucked away in your humidor for only the most special of special occasions, our cigar aficionados got you covered.
Discover your new favorites from our top ten list of the best strong cigars in the market—from innovative Honduran blends to Nicaraguan classics. They are sure to perk up your senses with a palate-searing strength, tons of well-balanced flavors, and impressive aromas. You can view all of our best cigars by strength to find the one for you.
Top 10 Strong Cigars
Table of Contents
#1 Oliva Serie V Double Robusto
Oliva Cigars is home to a renowned portfolio of premium handmade cigars primarily grown and produced from Nicaragua and sold worldwide. One of the celebrated gems in the brand’s lineup is the strong and perfectly balanced blend of Oliva Serie V Double Robusto. Its perfect balance of strength crafted from a premium and specially-fermented recipe of aged Nicaraguan Ligero binder and filler tobaccos beneath a smooth and oily sun-grown Habano wrapper leaf. Plenty of sweet spice emerges in a profile of Ligero tobaccos that you can enjoy while being greeted with the consistently pleasant notes of spice, pepper, and nuts. The smooth and creamy notes of cocoa, coffee, and wood usher in an intense and peppery finish. This cigar is a masterpiece that easily takes the top spot on our list, so you know it’s definitely a must-have.
5 × 54
Wrapper type: Sun-grown Habano
Length: 5
Ring: 54
Shape: Parejo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Jalapa Valley Ligero
Origin: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium-Full
Wrapper Shade: EMS
#2 Punch Gran Puro Pico Bonito
For our cigar aficionado Maria Morales, every blend of Punch Gran Puro always delivers something different in terms of profile, but two qualities never change that keep cigar lovers coming back for more of its perfectly balanced strength and flavor — they are strong and they are good. That may sound like an oversimplification, but it is true. The Punch Gran Puro Pico Bonito is an undeniable example with a wonderfully complex profile of strong spicy notes along with subtle yet apparent earthy nuances. A creamy finish resonates with vibrant hearth-like spices. This medium to full-bodied smoke is expertly handmade from a glistening Honduran wrapper leaf that is sure to tantalize your taste buds.
6 × 50
Wrapper type: Honduras
Length: 6
Ring: 50
Shape: Parejo
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras
Origin: Honduras
Strength: Medium-Full
Wrapper Shade: EMS
#3 601 La Bomba Nuclear
601 La Bomba Nuclear crafted from the mind and hands of Erik Espinosa who has a gift for blending cigars with a vigorous kick that lack nothing in the way of complexity. Firing up this cigar reveals a thrash of hot peppery spice that settles on the palate and is later complemented by a cool but rich profile of sweet tobacco, earth, cocoa, and cream. The first puffs can be described as easygoing and wonderfully approachable in the Nuclear format with an incredibly well-balanced strength that ramps up with every puff. However, even as the strength increases with every draw, the profile doesn’t become harsher or brasher in any way. This full-bodied cigar features an intricate core of Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos, housed by a smooth, dark, and oily Habano wrapper with a fuse-like pigtail also hailing from Nicaragua — a triple dose of Nicaraguan pleasure awaits you with the 601 La Bomba Nuclear.
6 × 50
Wrapper type: Nicaragua Habano
Length: 6
Ring: 50
Shape: Parejo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Origin: Nicaragua
Strength: Full
Wrapper Shade: EMS
#4 Oliva Cain F 550
The Olivia Cain F 550 pushes the limits of strength and spice with a bold and boisterous recipe of premium Nicaraguan binder long-fillers tucked under a deep-brown Habano wrapper leaf that gives off a rich and oily sheen. A few visible veins are present in the wrapper leaf but nothing disconcerting. A powerful and piquant profile of spice starts off the cigar, with notes of cedar, copper, coffee, and a final kick of pepper converging in a rich and focused finish.
5.75 × 50
Wrapper type: Habano
Length: 5.75
Ring: 50
Shape: Parejo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Origin: Nicaragua
Strength: Full
Wrapper Shade: EMS
Juan Lopez Seleccion No. 1 is indeed a cigar for the connoisseur, but it is not overwhelmingly strong that it will overpower the novice smoker. Instead, it’s a beautiful high-wire act of balancing between strength and finesse. This full-bodied cigar is expertly crafted with Nicaraguan filler tobaccos and binder, followed by a lush Nicaraguan Habano wrapper. The first half delivers intense notes of floral honey, roasted nuts, and wood with a leveled sweetness towards the second half, and a marvelous peppery spice for its finish. The smoke output is very rich and intense — perfect for an enjoyable smoke outdoors.
5 × 54
Wrapper type: Nicaragua Habano
Length: 5
Ring: 54
Shape: Parejo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Origin: Nicaragua
Strength: Full
Wrapper Shade: EMS
#6 Joya de Nicaragua Antano Dark Corojo Poderoso
The Joya de Nicaragua Antano Dark Corojo Poderoso is a sleek smoke featuring a Corojo wrapper that is made all the more tempting by its dark and savory Oscuro wrapper leaf. This cigar is packed with full-bodied strength that tells you it means business. Light it up and set your taste buds free for a sweet and creamy smoke underscored by notes of licorice, espresso cocoa, and other earthy flavors.
6 × 54
Wrapper type: Corojo
Length: 6
Ring: 54
Shape: Torpedo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Origin: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium-Full
Wrapper Shade: Oscuro
#7 La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 5 Maduro
La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 5 Maduro is a solid full-bodied cigar using only selected tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Its Connecticut broadleaf wrapper is pristine and burns even all the way right to the nub. This full-bodied cigar is powerful but elegant, flaunting an incredibly balanced profile of oak and toast with a firm core of coffee notes wrapped in a layer of strong spice. We classify the La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 5 Maduro as a sit-down cigar, so tread lightly, especially for cigar enthusiasts with a less seasoned palate.
5.50 × 54
Wrapper type: Connecticut Broadleaf
Length: 5.50
Ring: 54
Shape: Parejo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican Republic / Nicaragua
Origin: Dominican Republic
Strength: Full
Wrapper Shade: Maduro
#8 La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Churchill Especial
The La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Churchill Especial is an Ecuadorian Sumatra-wrapped beauty with rich flavors of wood, peppery spice, and leather. Cultivated in the Dominican Republic, the Italian Habano tobacco lends an incredible earthy sweetness to the cigar’s robust, full-bodied flavor. Each note folds into the palate individually and then harmonizes for a sublime smoking experience. The smoke is rich and dense, leaving a reverberating coffee and caramel aftertaste that sticks to the palate. Ligero is known for being one of the strongest varieties of filler tobacco used in the cigar industry. The “Double Ligero” in the name of the blend only testifies to the full-bodied complexity and strength that this amazing cigar has to offer.
7 × 48
Wrapper type: Ecuador Sumatra
Length: 7
Ring: 48
Shape: Parejo
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Origin: Dominican Republic
Strength: Full
Wrapper Shade: Oscuro
#9 Camacho Triple Maduro Robusto
Honduran tobacco is tricky to get right in a premium blend, and Camacho Cigars is one of the few brands to excel at using it. The woodsy notes and the peppery kick of this cigar jostle nicely with each other. The strong peppery note in the first half is later balanced with a chocolatey sweetness that mingles with the rich aromatic smoke—the aromas of coffee and leather taper off creamy and harmoniously. The sweetness, spice, sharpness, and full-bodied strength of this cigar deliver an exciting match. Camacho Triple Maduro Robusto is superbly manufactured to be bold and strong, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
5 × 50
Wrapper type: San Andrés Maduro
Length: 5
Ring: 50
Shape: Parejo
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras
Origin: Honduras
Strength: Full
Wrapper Shade: Maduro
#10 Don Pepin Garcia Blue Generosos
The Don Pepin Garcia Blue Generosos is a tapestry of rich flavors, including cedar, wood, white pepper, espresso, and the brands’ signature spice. The distinctive woody aroma of this cigar is accompanied by coffee beans, cedar, and leathery notes. During the second half, this full-bodied smoke becomes more expressive and develops harmoniously. In terms of flavor, construction and craftsmanship, the Don Pepin Garcia Blue Generosos is one of the finest strong cigars we’ve had the pleasure of trying. You can count on this cigar to exude robust and rich flavors combined with just the right strength to keep you in your chair.
6 × 50
Wrapper type: Nicaragua
Length: 6
Ring: 50
Shape: Parejo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Origin: Nicaragua
Strength: Full
Wrapper Shade: Maduro
