2017 CA Report: Top 5 Graduation Cigars

Graduation Cigars: 5 Cigars to Celebrate Your Degree

By Fred Lunt

The time-tested tradition of lighting up on graduation is an earmark of academia and it’s no secret that new grads enjoy their stogies. Like the turning of the tassel, the cigar represents both growth and maturity as the once students now begin a new chapter of their lives. Thinking back, it doesn’t seem so long ago that I celebrated with my very own graduation cigars: My Father Flor De Las Antillas, paired with Johnny Blue. Boy, those were the days…

Buying for a young scholar isn’t as easy as it’s cracked up to be; which is why I’ve compiled my suggestions for new grads – a cigar for each degree ranging from Trade School all the way up to Doctorate’s. While your grads are holding those hot-off-the-presses diplomas, I guarantee they’ll be loving these graduation cigars before the ink’s dry.

Trade School/Vocational Degree: Alec Bradley 1633

Most folks coming out of trade schools are typically young and may be new to cigars; therefore, you’ll want a mild-medium cigar that’s not too hard on the wallet. Alec Bradley’s 1633 is a smooth medium-bodied blend of Panamanian, Honduran, and Nicaraguan long filler with a flavorful Costa Rican binder with a layering of creamy Connecticut wrapper. This creamy smoke makes for a perfect starter cigar and comes at a price that can’t be beat. The band says “First Crop”, but with any luck this won’t be the last your grad’s smoking.

Associate’s Degree: Perdomo Champagne

Achieving an Associate’s is no easy feat, whether you’re good to go with an Associate’s or using it as a stepping stone toward the full-blown Bachelor’s. Either way, this is one special occasion that calls for a toast of Champagne…Perdomo Champagne, that is. While the graduates themselves are the next class of working professionals, the Champagne was created by Nick Perdomo to celebrate his next generation of cigars. Featuring a mellow blend of aged Nicaraguan long filler and shade grown Connecticut wrapper, this premium is layered with complex flavors in a creamy-smooth medium body. While it costs a touch more, Nick Perdomo keeps even his best cigars affordable.

Bachelor’s Degree: Davidoff Thousand Series

So, your new baccalaureate recipient put, conservatively, several thousand into getting their Bachelor’s, so they might as well smoke a thousand, right? The Davidoff Thousand series is one seriously decadent smoke. Its highly rated blend features a complex yet smooth combination of all Dominican filler and binder with a flawless Connecticut wrapper, packaged in a mild body with notes of soft chocolate. While the new grad is looking at entry level jobs, he may as well smoke like a boss.

Master’s Degree: Oliva Master Blends 3

When it takes a Master to know one, Oliva’s Master Blend No. 3 has the full-flavored strength to add a classy touch to the new grad’s celebration. Master Blend No.3 comes matched up in all Nicaraguan binder and filler with a dark and sensuous looking sun grown Broadleaf wrapper. While this cigar has flown under the radar in recent years, it remains a richly full-flavored smoke with notes of chocolate, leather, and a caramel sweetness in a full-bodied yet smooth profile. This all Nicaraguan blend offers complex and subtle flavors for the educated palate, much like our new alum.

Doctoral Degree: Rocky Patel Decade

So, the doctor is in the house? There’s no doubt getting a doctorate is a big friggin’ deal, whether you fought tooth and nail over a thesis or put countless hours in labs or doing research. This is the highest degree in academia for good reason and achieving it calls for a celebration if I have any say on the matter. So, because it takes nearly a decade of schooling to get a doctorate, Rocky Patel’s Decade is a no brainer. An Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, robust yet creamy, adorns the full-flavored Nicaraguan binder and filler – making for a hugely flavorful full-bodied smoke. Decade provides a richly satisfying smoke with a doctor’s touch of pepper. Get your grad a fistful of these premium graduation cigars and send your diplomate off right.

Bonus tip-

Remember, you throw the cap in the air, not the cigar!