Quick answer: The 10 most respected Cuban cigars: Cohiba Behike, Cohiba Robusto, Montecristo No. 2, Partagas Serie D No. 4, Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill, Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2, Trinidad Reyes, San Cristobal El Principe, Bolivar Royal Corona, and H. Upmann Magnum 46. All are illegal to import into the US, so each pick below gets a US-legal match.
Every cigar smoker eventually reads about Cuban cigars and wants to know which ones are worth seeking out. The honest answer is that Cuban cigars are inaccessible to US smokers (illegal to import since 2020) and that several Nicaraguan and Dominican brands now match or exceed Cuban quality. But the curiosity is real and the question deserves a real answer.
This guide ranks the 10 best Cuban cigars by reputation, then maps each one to a US-legal alternative that captures the same character. The ranking reflects industry consensus over the past decade. The order is not absolute; different palates rank these differently. This article does not endorse circumventing the US embargo.
What Are the Best Cuban Cigars?
The 10 most-respected Cuban cigars by industry consensus are: Cohiba Behike (the Medio Tiempo flagship), Cohiba Robusto (the reference robusto), Montecristo No. 2 (the iconic pyramid), Partagas Serie D No. 4 (full-body Cuban), Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill (refined classic), Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 (smooth medium), Trinidad Reyes (boutique Cuban), San Cristobal de la Habana El Principe (mild Cuban entry), Bolivar Royal Corona (full-body peppery), and H. Upmann Magnum 46 (refined medium). All are made by Habanos S.A. in Cuba and illegal to import to the US under OFAC's Cuban Assets Control Regulations since the September 2020 reinstatement. Since Habanos raised prices worldwide in May 2022, most of these picks cost $25 to $115 per single abroad, and Cohiba Behike sells for several hundred dollars per cigar. Personal possession of pre-September 2020 cigars that entered the US legally is permitted; new imports are not. US-legal Nicaraguan and Dominican alternatives are listed alongside each pick.
How Is This List Ranked?
Three factors determine each ranking:
Industry consensus. The cigar publication track record over the past decade. Cigar Aficionado annual lists, Halfwheel reviews, and Cigar Coop reviews all weigh into industry consensus.
Smoker reputation. What experienced cigar smokers consistently name when asked their favorite Cuban cigars. This is not the same as best-selling; some popular Cuban cigars (Romeo y Julieta No. 4) do not appear on top-tier lists.
Production reliability. Cuban cigar quality control has improved through the 2010s but still varies. Brands that produce more consistent boxes get higher ranking.
Cuban prices below reflect post-2022 Western retail; US prices for the alternatives come from the retailers we track daily, benchmarked against our quarterly cigar price index.
1. Cohiba Behike (BHK 52, BHK 54, BHK 56)
The reference Cuban premium. Made with rare Medio Tiempo tobacco, a top-priming leaf that appears on only 10 to 15 percent of tobacco plants. Three sizes, all with the same blend: BHK 52 (4.7 x 52), BHK 54 (5.7 x 54), and BHK 56 (6.5 x 56). The line launched in 2010, and Cigar Aficionado named the BHK 52 its Cigar of the Year that same year at 97 points. The magazine has since described Behikes as nearly impossible to find at retail for the past decade, so expect allocation lists, not shelves.
- Profile: Smooth, complex, refined. Cedar, cocoa, espresso, balanced finish.
- Price abroad: $400 to $750 plus per cigar at current UK retail; box rates soften that only slightly.
- US-legal alternative: Padron Family Reserve (refined Nicaraguan luxury) or Davidoff Royal Release (refined Dominican luxury).
The dedicated Cohiba Behike guide covers Medio Tiempo and the BHK lineup in depth.
2. Cohiba Robusto
The industry's reference robusto. Released in 1989 as part of Cohiba's Linea Clasica.
- Profile: Medium body. Cedar, cream, light coffee, subtle pepper.
- Price abroad: $50 to $115 per cigar since the 2022 Cohiba repricing.
- US-legal alternative: Davidoff Aniversario Special R (a 4.9 x 50 robusto, closest in profile) or Padron Family Reserve No. 50.
The dedicated Cohiba Robusto guide covers the line and substitutes.
3. Montecristo No. 2
The iconic pyramid (torpedo). Created in 1935 and still the benchmark for the shape; Cigar Aficionado named it Cigar of the Year in 2013 at 96 points.
- Profile: Medium body. Cedar, cream, light coffee. The pyramid shape concentrates smoke at the cap.
- Price abroad: $30 to $65 per cigar.
- US-legal alternative: Davidoff Aniversario Special T (a 6 x 52 torpedo with the same tapered head) or Padron 1964 Belicoso (5 x 52).
The Montecristo No. 2 guide covers the iconic vitola in detail.
4. Partagas Serie D No. 4
Full-body Cuban robusto with Partagas's signature peppery character.
- Profile: Medium-full body. Black pepper, cedar, leather, cocoa. Bolder than Cohiba or Montecristo.
- Price abroad: $25 to $55 per cigar.
- US-legal alternative: My Father Le Bijou 1922 (similar full-body punch; its Torpedo Box Press was Cigar Aficionado's 2015 Cigar of the Year at 97 points) or Padron 1964 Maduro.
5. Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill
Larger format Romeo y Julieta with elegant burn time.
- Profile: Medium body. Cedar, cream, light pepper, smooth Cuban classic profile.
- Price abroad: $30 to $60 per cigar.
- US-legal alternative: Romeo y Julieta 1875 (the US Dominican version) or Macanudo Cafe Prince Philip (a 7.5 x 49 Churchill).
6. Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2
Smooth medium-body Hoyo with refined character.
- Profile: Medium body. Cedar, cream, light cocoa, balanced finish.
- Price abroad: $25 to $55 per cigar.
- US-legal alternative: Macanudo Cafe Diplomat or Ashton Classic.
7. Trinidad Reyes
Trinidad began in 1969 at the El Laguito factory as a diplomatic-gift brand that only Fidel Castro could hand out. It went commercial in February 1998, and the Reyes size joined the line in 2003. A refined Cuban classic in a small format.
- Profile: Medium body. Cedar, cream, sweet finish, refined Cuban character.
- Price abroad: $30 to $45 per cigar.
- US-legal alternative: Davidoff Aniversario Special R.
8. San Cristobal de la Habana El Principe
Launched in 1999 and named after Havana's original 16th-century name. Its founding vitolas honor the colonial fortresses that guarded the harbor: El Morro, La Fuerza, La Punta, and El Principe. The El Principe, a 4.3 x 42 minutos, is one of the smoothest Cuban entry points and burns about 30 minutes.
- Profile: Mild to medium body. Cedar, cream, light pepper, smooth finish.
- Price abroad: $10 to $25 per cigar.
- US-legal alternative: Romeo y Julieta 1875 or Macanudo Cafe.
9. Bolivar Royal Corona
Full-body Cuban with significant pepper. Cigar Aficionado named it Cigar of the Year in 2006 at 94 points.
- Profile: Full body. Black pepper, leather, cedar, complex spice.
- Price abroad: $25 to $45 per cigar.
- US-legal alternative: My Father Le Bijou 1922 or Aganorsa Guardian of the Farm (a Warped and Casa Fernandez collaboration rolled from Aganorsa-farm tobacco).
10. H. Upmann Magnum 46
Classic Cuban Upmann line. Medium body with refined profile. The brand's No. 2 torpedo, a different vitola, took Cigar Aficionado's 2022 Cigar of the Year at 98 points, the highest score among Cuba's four wins.
- Profile: Medium body. Cedar, cream, light cocoa, smooth finish.
- Price abroad: $25 to $50 per cigar.
- US-legal alternative: Davidoff Grand Cru or Ashton VSG.
