“Short and Sweet” is a common phrase used by many. It’s to refer to a pleasant experience in a short amount of time. Whether it’s referring to a tasty snack, a speech you have to make that you don’t want to, or in our case, these five cigars we are about to review.

For most of us, we are approaching frigid temperatures and short days that the winter brings. Every now and then there are those days that reach forty to fifty degrees, and that’s when you may take advantage by enjoying a nice smoke during that time.

For this week’s Top 5 list, we have the Top Short Smokes you can enjoy to end 2020. Don’t forget to check out our limited time sampler in the link below. You can also check out Nick’s Top 5 Short Smokes of 2019 to see what he enjoyed this time last year.

Meaning “magically delicious” in French, the Ashton VSG Tres Mystique is not in fact “lucky charms”, but there is something mystical while enjoying an Ashton. Blended exclusively by Carlos Fuente Jr., the VSG uses five-year-old tobaccos that were grown on private land owned by the Oliva family.

This 4.38 x 44 Parejo is cloaked in an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, with binder and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic. This full-bodied smoke has rich flavor notes of mocha, nuts, and caramel that would pair nicely with a cup of hot cocoa. If you’re looking for a powerful smoke with intoxicating flavor notes then the Ashton VSG Tres Mystique is the cigar right up your alley.

Crowned Heads seems to be the king of themed cigars. Whether it’s the Las Calaveras line paying homage to “Day of the Dead” or sticking to their musically themed cigar lines they’ve created over the last few years. One of their more popular “musically themed” smokes pay homage to the “Man in Black”, Johnny Cash, and that is the Jericho Hill.

The Jericho Hill is a 4.75 x 52 box-pressed beauty that’s cloaked in a San Andres wrapper, with Nicaraguan tobaccos that make up the binder and filler. This medium to full-bodied smoke has an abundance of flavor notes. Once lit, you’ll taste earth, cedar, red pepper, and cocoa. However, on the back end, you’ll taste a plethora of nuttiness and it really opens up after the first fifteen minutes of smoking this gem. If you haven’t had a chance to try the Jericho Hill by Crowned Heads, then the time is now!

First debuted as an “event only” cigar, the Foundation Menelik still remains a limited production release and is one of the most creative smokes from Nick Melillo and Foundation Cigars. “Menelik” means “Son of the Wise Man” as well as it is the given name to King Solomon and Queen of Sheba’s son as well.

I find it creative due to the fact Nick Melillo has released the Wise Man under Foundation years prior to the Menelik. Personally, I find it fun connecting the dots to the themes Melillo and Foundation seem to have with all their lines under their company.

Presented in a 4.50 x 52 Parejo, the Menelik is cloaked in a Mexican San Andres wrapper, while Nicaraguan Corojo 99 tobaccos make up the filler and binder. Flavor notes you may detect while smoking the Menelik are coffee, roasted peanuts, spice, and chocolate. This full-bodied smoke also has a pigtail at the top of this box-pressed gem, as if it’s presented to the consumer as a gift with a nice bowtie top things off.

Being one of the world’s most sought-after cigars, the Arturo Fuente Hemingway in the Short Story size, Fuente decided to pay homage by naming this line after one of the most renowned novelists, Ernest Hemingway. What’s even more creative is naming this 4 x 49 perfecto. Another smoke that is very creative within keeping a theme for his smokes under this line.

Cloaked in an African Cameroon wrapper, with a binder and filler from the Dominican Republic, this medium-bodied smoke with velvety smooth flavor notes for you to enjoy any time of the day. Arriving in a cedar chest of 25, the Short Story has delicious flavor notes of spice, walnuts, cocoa, and sweet cocoa. After arriving on the cigar scene in 2013, the Short Story is a smoke most cigar lovers enjoy smoking any time of year.

The Sobremesa is a special line for Dunbarton, due to the fact it was the first brand launched after Steve Saka stepped down as the CEO for Drew Estate to pursue other endeavors within the industry.

Now a “Short Churchill” may sound contradictory for a cigar, but leave it to Steve Saka from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust to pull it off! Blended by Saka, the Sobremesa Short Churchill catches the most idealistic aspect when it comes to smoking a cigar. “Sobremesa” is a phrase for an after-meal sit down that is to be enjoyed with family and friends.

Sobremesa Short Churchill is cloaked in an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, with a binder from Mexico, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the United States. This medium to full-bodied smoke has an abundance of delicious flavor notes such as earth, sweet spice, leather, and coffee. This 4.75 x 48 parejo would be a great addition to your humidor as well as a good smoke to enjoy after a hearty holiday meal.