Our top 25 cigars of 2024 list is out now. This definitive rundown of the year’s most satisfying cigars features a diverse mix of sticks to suit every smoking aficionado. We picked every entry on our list of 2024’s top cigars based on their superior craftsmanship, originality, and irresistible flavor profiles.

However, three top-quality cigars didn’t quite make the list, but we felt they still deserved some special recognition for the superb smoking experience they offer. Here, we’ll honor these noteworthy cigars and explain why they’ll make a fine addition to your humidor.

We live and breathe cigar culture and are committed to keeping you informed about the best cigars on the market. These three sticks deserve a place on our list of the best-rated cigars of 2024, but unfortunately, we published the list before they were released. We couldn’t let these exceptional smokes go by without giving them their deserved fanfare.

Each of our honorable mentions is strikingly different but equally impressive in feel, construction, and flavor. Explore each of these superb cigars and decide which one you’d like to try first.

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Connecticut Shade

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Strength: Medium

The Montecristo M is a well-rounded, medium-bodied cigar with tasteful notes of cedar, toasted bread, roasted nuts, and oak.

Complex but easy on the palate, the Montecristo M is a smooth smoke with a creamy long finish, heightened by its distinctive 20-year-old Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper. Founded by the iconic cigar craftsman Alonso Menéndez in 1935, Montecristo is a respected brand that has retained its Havana roots. Today, Montecristo produces its eclectic range in two operations in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

The Montecristo M is a testament to the brand’s commitment to tradition and its ability to produce exciting new products that satisfy smoking aficionados worldwide.

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Habano 

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Strength: Medium-Full

Founded in 2011 by former CAO International employees Jon Huber and Mike Conder, Crowned Heads is now a top choice for boutique cigar lovers.

This palate-livening 10th-anniversary edition stick is complex and brimming with contrasting flavors that work in perfect harmony. The Las Calaveras is a medium-to-full-bodied cigar with a decadent flavor profile, offering notes of leather, wood, baking spices, fruitiness, and red pepper. It’s wrapped in a savory Ecuadorian Habano leaf for a flavorful contrast that will leave you wanting more.

Crowned Heads released this exclusive stick to celebrate 10 successful years in the industry. This limited edition run of 2,500 boxes also pays tribute to four Crowned Heads’ personnel who lost their lives, with each person’s initials featured on the band.

The brand grows all its tobacco on the iconic Garcia family farm, adding to the consistent quality of its highly respected cigars. We can’t wait to see what the brand releases next.

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Strength: Mellow–Medium

A mellow-to-medium-strength cigar conjured up by master blender Reinier Lorenzo, the HVC Robusto Pan Caliente Connecticut boasts well-balanced notes of nuts, vanilla, and toasted bread.

The term ‘Pan Caliente’ translates to ‘Hot Bread’ or ‘Hot Cakes,’ and as one of the most beloved cigars in the HVC range, this perfectly crafted stick undoubtedly lives up to its name. Earthy yet decadent and fairly mellow for such a complex flavor profile, the HVC Robusto Connecticut is a fitting smoke for every occasion and a fine addition to the brand’s eclectic collection.

In under 14 short years, HVC has risen from humble beginnings to become a staple in the humidors of discerning smoking aficionados worldwide. Cigars like this have proven pivotal to the brand’s success.

Considering its quality, the Robusto is also exceptionally well-priced, making it one of our best-value cigars of 2024. For a deeper dive into this sensational stick, read our official HVC Pan Caliente Robusto Connecticut Cigar Review.