Vacation Smokes – The 5 Best Beach Cigars

Our Top Cigar Picks to Bring 'Down the Shore!’

A family tradition I can get behind. Namely, a weeklong family summer vacation in New Hampshire. I can still smell the salty ocean air of Hampton Beach. And while my cousins and I basked in the new-to-us wonders of two-piece women’s swimwear, the men of the family would enjoy premium cigars. Whether smoking solo or with a crew, having cigars on vacation is a treasured family tradition. A ritual.

Whether it’s ball busting, a round of increasingly inappropriate jokes, or just enjoying the sound of crashing waves somewhere in the distance, there’s something about smoking a couple of good beach cigars that conjures a mix of both contentment and familiarity.

Since I came of smoking age, I’ve spent decades field-testing which cigars are best for these beach vacations, I’ve discovered that not just any premium does the trick. There are several things that factor into choosing the right beach cigar; mainly, the weather conditions—which include sun, wind, humidity, or depending on the day, all of the above.

There’re only a couple rules. Maduro and sun grown wrappers tend to do better than lighter wrappers because they’re thicker, oilier, and overall, more resilient. The other one leaves some room for exploration—basically, you don’t want to smoke a cigar that’s ‘up there’ pricewise, yet you’ll want something that’s well made with a lot of flavor.

What follows are five cigars that perform well under these conditions, and why. That’s assuming you can smoke a cigar where you’re staying. Unfortunately, that’s not a given these days.

Camacho Ecuador

A hearty, full-flavored cigar with some considerable complexity makes the Camacho Ecuador Robusto a good medium-full choice. The dark, oily Ecuadorian Habano wrapper is thick enough to handle the ocean breeze, and the Brazilian Mata Fina binder also helps keep this cigar burning evenly. What I like about the Ecuador line in particular is that it’s a happy medium between the mild Camacho Connecticut, medium-bodied Camacho Corojo, and the full-bodied Camacho Triple Maduro. In other words, it offers the best of all Camacho worlds; some sweetness, some spice, and lots of earthy elements with a note of pepper. Additionally, because this Robusto comes in a tubo, you can toss a couple of these beach cigars in your bag without the worry of getting sand in them.

H. Upmann Sun Grown

I’ve enjoyed this cigar on many occasions, especially as a “first cigar of the day.” The Nicaraguan-Honduran core is nutty, earthy and woody, while the thicker Connecticut Broadleaf binder keeps the burn steady, and the Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper adds an extra note of sweetness to this well-balanced cigar that’s great for enjoying while you cool-off after that morning run along the shoreline.

JAVA Maduro (Box Pressed / Coffee infused)

When you smoke a cigar at the shore, it’s hard to avoid the people around you. I’ve had many a sour puss stare in my direction on those days when the wind was sending my cigar smoke towards an unassuming sunbather. So, if you want a really savory smoke that will be a little more pleasant to your nosey neighbors, the coffee-infused aroma from JAVA Toro Maduro, with its dense and inherently sweet Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, should do the trick. The smoke is smooth, creamy and smells more like coffee than it tastes, so you get plenty of rich, medium-bodied Nicaraguan tobacco flavor with plenty of head-turning fragrance.

Nica Rustica

Not every beach cigar has to be savored under the sun. The Drew Estate Nica Rustica El Brujito is an ideal choice for that evening bonfire on the beach. This cigar is named for “El Brujito” (“The Witch Doctor”), a pre-Columbian icon and a symbol of pride for the people of Estelí, Nicaragua. The smoke offers a well-balanced mix of sweetness, earth, spice and wood, via a blend of Nicaraguan long fillers plus a Mexican San Andrés binder, all finished in a dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with a classic Cuban pigtail cap. Pair it with a long-aged Nicaraguan rum; then stare into the fire long enough and you may just see “El Brujito” appear in the embers.

Rocky Patel Rosado

Staying within that medium-body range, the Rocky Patel Rosado Torpedo also makes for a big, satisfying vacation smoke. The 52 ring covers plenty of area, so the wind will be less of a factor, and the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper takes on an oily, mouthwatering patina as it glistens in the sun. The Nicaraguan and Dominican core of tobaccos offer notes of earth, nuts, and cedar for a relaxing, aromatic constitutional to enjoy while listening to your favorite beach tunes.