16 Plump Cigars That Will Inspire You to Light Up – Cigar Aficionado
Thick cigars can go by many names: gordas, gorditos and even gran toros. Here at Cigar Aficionado, we categorize anything 60 ring gauge and over as “grande.” Like many things in the cigar industry, there is no standard nomenclature. One thing is certain—cigars that hover around 60 ring gauge or higher are incredibly popular.
In our recent 2020 Cigar Insider Retailer Survey, 17.2 percent of all retailers named the 6 inch by 60 ring gauge size as their top seller, making it the third most popular vitola in America. This is quite remarkable given that the size is relatively new. What was once viewed only as a trend is now normal, but as managing editor Gregory Mottola wrote in his 2017 article Supersize My Cigar, “The trend didn’t happen overnight.”
In the eyes of cigar lovers, many view these extra-thick smokes as a “love ‘em or hate ‘em” size, a lightning rod of a vitola that is the topic of many heated debates in cigar circles around the world. Purists will scoff at the look of a 60 ringer and call them non-traditional, while big cigar fans will defend them as just the next evolution in the wide world of cigars.
Whether you enjoy fat smokes or are simply looking to experiment, we’ve highlighted 16 grandes below that, regardless of size, are simply great cigars.
Every cigar rated by Cigar Aficionado (and Cigar Insider) is smoked blind by our panel of editors. (For more on our tasting process, check out How Cigar Aficionado Tastes Cigars).
Cohiba Majestuoso 1966 (94 points, Cuba, 5 7/8 inches by 58 ring gauge): One of the thickest cigars ever to come out of Cuba, this Cohiba was specially rolled for a line of limited humidors released by Habanos S.A. to commemorate the 50th birthday of Cuba’s most treasured cigar brand. It’s a rare and expensive smoke, but delicious if you can track one down. See full tasting note.
Plasencia Alma Fuerte Generacion V (93 points, Nicaragua, 7 by 58): This strong smoke is rolled entirely with Nicaraguan tobaccos grown by father-and-son team Nestor Plasencia and Nestor Plasencia Jr. A Top 25 cigar when it was released in 2017, this perfecto with a bulbous foot tapers towards the head so it’s a bit more comfortable in the mouth. See full tasting note.
Arturo Fuente Rosado Sungrown Magnum R Vitola “Super Sixty” (92 points, Dom. Rep., 6 by 60): While all the sizes in this line measure more than 50 ring gauge, this smoke is the fattest. Like the rest of the line, this cigar is rolled with wrapper leaves that the company says are eight to 10 years old. See full tasting note.
Casa Turrent Serie 1942 Gran Toro (92 points, Mexico, 6 by 62): Nearly an inch thick, this smoke uses mostly Mexican tobaccos in its blend, save for the Nicaraguan filler. It’s covered in a ruddy, colorado-maduro wrapper grown by the Turrent family, who also own the brand. See full tasting note.
La Antiguedad Toro Gordo (92 points, Nicaragua, 6 by 60): This smoke is a great example of a large cigar done right, which is one of the reasons it earned the No. 20 spot on our Top 25 cigars of 2019, the only 60 ring gauge smoke to make the list. It’s packed with loads of tasty tobaccos grown by the Garcia family, who also own the brand. See full tasting note.
The Oscar Habano Sixty (92 points, Honduras, 6 by 60): Honduras may often be an overlooked cigarmaking region, it still produces plenty of top smokes. This one is crafted by Oscar Valladares, a relative newcomer to the industry. See full tasting note.
Alec Bradley Project 40 06.60 (91 points, Honduras, 6 by 60): If you’re in search of not only a great cigar, but also a deal, look no further than this thick smoke from Alec Bradley. Project 40 was inspired by the popular research-based initiative of the same name and the entire line, including this cigar, retails for less than $6. Can you say “bang for your buck?” See full tasting note.
Eiroa Dark 60×6 (91 points, Honduras, 6 by 60): This smoke from cigarmaker Christian Eiroa is rolled only with high-priming, Corojo-seed tobacco from his family farm in Honduras. This means the cigar is a bit more costly than others on this list, but if you want a genuine Honduran tobacco experience, look no further. See full tasting note.
Nestor Miranda Collection Habano Gran Toro (91 points, Nicaragua, 6 by 60): This hefty and delicious cigar is draped in a dark, oily wrapper from Nicaragua. It also features a touch of Brazilian and Dominican leaf in the filler that lend to the cigar’s rich and earthy notes of coffee bean, vanilla and leather. See full tasting note.
Rocky Patel A.L.R. Second Edition Sixty (91 points, Nicaragua, 6 by 60): First released as a limited edition in 2018, this cigar was completely overhauled from the blend to the packaging. Now a dark, Mexican wrapper covers the cigar’s Nicaraguan binder and filler, but most importantly, the cigars saw extra aging time after they were rolled. See full tasting note.
Surrogates Animal Cracker (91 points, Nicaragua, 6 by 60): Though not the longest smoke in this line from Tatuaje brand owner Pete Johnson, it is the fattest. Like other Surrogates cigars, this blend is unique to its vitola and is a mix of dark, Ecuadoran wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and filler. See full tasting note.
JFR Lunatic El Chiquito Maduro (90 points, Nicaragua, 4 3/4 by 70): By far the thickest cigar on this list, if this smoke were a little longer it could play offensive line in the NFL. Carrying the ironic name of “chiquito,” which means “tiny” in Spanish, this odd-shaped cigar uses Nicaraguan filler and binder and is covered in a Mexican wrapper. See full tasting note.
La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Valentino (90 points, Nicaragua, 6 by 60): The fattest smoke in the highly praised line from Ashton is also the only one of the sizes not to be box-pressed. The core of Nicaraguan tobaccos is covered in Mexican wrapper. See full tasting note.
La Palina Nicaragua Oscuro Gordo (90 points, Nicaragua, 6 by 60): This chunky cigar is made for brand owner Bill Paley by A.J. Fernandez in Nicaragua. One of La Palina’s first lines rolled in the Central American country, the smoke wears a dark, Ecuadoran wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler. See full tasting note.
MUWAT 5 x 60 (90 points, Nicaragua, 5 by 60): The name for this collaboration between Nicaragua’s Drew Estate and Joya de Nicarugua was inspired by a lyric in the song “Public Enemy No. 1” by hip-hop group Public Enemy. It stands for My Uzi Weighs a Ton and is made with Mexican (San Andrés wrapper, Ecuadoran Connecticut shade binder and a filler mix of Brazilian Mata Fina and Nicaraguan tobaccos. See full tasting note.
Psyko Seven Nicaragua Gordo (90 points, Nicaragua, 6 by 60): A big cigar with a big band, this smoke is entirely Nicaraguan, made only with tobaccos grown by the Ortez family. Cigarmaker Indiana Ortez helped with the blend, too, and the cigar is rolled at Agroindustrial Nicaraguense de Tabacos S.A. in Condega, which is owned by Omar Ortez, her father. See full tasting note.