Hello, my friends. Nick Libretti here for JR Cigars. Today, I’m going to show you my top five choices for the beginner. These are five different cigars that I think are good to get started with when you just start smoking.

Now, it’s not going to be the same for everybody. My first cigars were a Partagus Black or a La Gloria Series R, but this is a very good baseline to go by, and I chose them based on their flavor characteristics and based on price. So everything from the lowest to the most luxurious cigar.

Let’s start off here with the JR alternative to the Monte Cristo Number Two Dominican. This is a super smooth, creamy, smoked Dominican tobacco, a nice shade-grown wrapper. Notes of creamy coffee, a touch of a sweetness to it. Just a very smooth cigar, and the price is absolutely ridiculous. They come in bundles of 20, perfect the stock up your humidor with, and I think when you’re lighting one of these up, you’re going to realize, “Hey, if I like this, then you can continue into the industry and find more things you enjoy.” It’s a great starting point right here.

Now, let’s not forget that this Arturo Fuente 858 Maduro … Wrapper color does not connotate strength; it connotates flavor. So you can have a dark cigar like this, but it’s not going to be super strong. This is actually a very mellow smoke, perfect for the morning. Its Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper gives it a nice richness, hints of dark chocolate, coffee, a little bit of like a chocolaty sweetness to it, as well. Great to pair up with your morning cup of Joe. Super smooth and also very affordable. My boss in the store smokes one of these every single day, first thing in the morning. So another great cigar, and of course, Fuente of the highest quality.

Next up is … I think some people is going to think it’s an unusual pick, but I don’t. This is the Insidious by Asylum. Now, Asylum is known for their big ring gauges and their super strong Nicaraguan stuff. This was actually created by Tom Ozuka and Christian [Aroa 00:01:54] for the beginner. What I like about it is not only is it super smooth and it has that nice shade-grown wrapper, so it’s creamy, but because of the filler and binder, it has a little bit of a spice in there, as well. So you get the characteristics of what could be a medium or full-bodied cigar, but it’s still mild in its strength. So now you can know, “Oh, you know what? I like the cigar. I like the pepper and the spice flavors, but I want something a little notch up.” And then you continue on to a medium or to a full-bodied smoke. So the Insidious. Great choice for the beginner, as well.

Going a little higher up the scale here, we have the Romeo and Julieta Reserva Real. This is the Verona Court. It comes in a nice little tube. You’re not going to find a creamier cigar than this. It’s super smooth aged tobacco. Notes of cocoa, a little bit of leather and cedar in there, as well. It’s actually wrapped in cedar in the tube, so you get a little extra cedar flavor to it. Like I said, super smooth and creamy, no harshness at all, and a great burn. For the buy, this is a top-of-the-line smoke that I think if you like this, you’re really going to be excited for what else Romeo makes.

And now for the high end, the Bentley, if you will. I mean, really, any Davidoff is good for the beginner, even the strongest Davidoff, because Davidoff was able to distinguish between full-flavored and full-strength. Even their very strong stuff is still super smooth and mellow, in terms of its flavor, but the notes are all still there. But there’s never any harshness. You never get any like weird head thing going on.

What I chose today was the 2000 from the Mile Series. Again, super, super smooth. The tobacco in here has been aged for an incredibly long time, and you can really taste the age in it. It’s like wine. The longer you age it, the smoother it’s going to get, and you can tell this was made with the finest tobaccos that have been aged for a long time. This one gets a little pricey, but again, this is for the high-end luxurious. If you really want to try out something for a very special occasion for the first time, any Davidoff will do. But in terms of size, flavor, and strength, I would go for the Mile series right here.

Any questions you guys have, please comment below. Maybe leave me comments of your favorite beginner cigar or what you got started on. Keep watching. I’m going to have a lot more of these videos coming out for the JR YouTube, and like, subscribe, comment. Have a good one.