Cigar Guides

Every cigar guide we have written, in one place. They are written by Katherine Espinal at Sun of a Gun Cigars & Spirits, a walk-in humidor and J.C. Newman Diamond Crown Cigar Lounge at 1651 S Arizona Ave in Yuma, Arizona, and they draw on the makers' own specifications, Cigar Aficionado, halfwheel and our own shelf. Product pages always show the current price and live stock, and the newest Rare Shelf Report lists every allocated cigar we counted in late October 2026.

Start here

• Opus X Cigars: Sizes, Releases and How Allocation Works: every Fuente Fuente OpusX release, and why it is so hard to find.
• Padrón Cigars Buying Guide: the 1964 Anniversary, 1926 Serie, Family Reserve and Padrón Black, line by line.
• Liga Privada Guide: Every Line Compared: No. 9, T52, H99, Unico Serie and 10 Aniversario.
• How Opus X Allocation Works: how allocated cigars reach an authorized retailer and how to buy them.
• How to Smoke a Cigar: A Beginner's Guide: cut, toast, puff and let it go out, step by step.
• Cigar Gifts and Gift Sets: samplers, travel humidors, boxes and accessories, by budget.

Opus X and allocated Arturo Fuente

• Opus X Prices: What Every Fuente Fuente OpusX Costs: singles, tins, boxes and collector sets.
• Opus X Lost City: The Cigar Grown for a Film: every size with dimensions and tasting notes.
• Opus X Heaven and Earth: BBMF, Big B, El Escorpión, Rare Black and Rare Purple.
• Opus X 20th vs. 25th Anniversary: the blue band and the green band.
• Opus X Gold & Bullet: the second OpusX Society cigar, its size, production and pre-order.
• The Fuente Sharks: Opus X Baby Shark, Añejo Shark No. 77, Destino al Siglo Shark and Eye of the Shark.
• Allocated Opus X: Authenticity, Storage and How We Ship It.
• Cigars Like Opus X: what to smoke when it is sold out, ranked by what each shares with it.
• Opus X vs. Padrón: Dominican puro against Nicaraguan, round against box-pressed.
• Arturo Fuente Rare Pink: Carlito Fuente's Vintage 1960's figurados and all six sizes.
• Casa Fuente Cigars: the blend made for Fuente's Las Vegas store, every size and similar Fuente cigars.
• Arturo Fuente Añejo: the cognac-barrel Broadleaf Maduro wrapper and every size.
• Arturo Fuente Don Carlos: the Cameroon-wrapped blend and Edición de Aniversario.
• Arturo Fuente Hemingway Cigars: every size, from the 4 x 49 Short Story to the Masterpiece.
• Arturo Fuente Cigars: Opus X, Hemingway, Don Carlos, Añejo and Chateau Fuente compared.
• God of Fire Cigars: Carlito, Don Carlos, Serie B, Serie Aniversario and KKP.
• God of Fire KKP: Special Reserve vs. Never Back Down.
• Luxury Cigars: What Makes a Cigar Rare, Allocated and Worth It.
• The Most Expensive Cigars: What They Cost and Why: estate wrapper, aging and allocation.

Padrón

• Padrón Cigars Explained: Prices, Every Line and Where to Start.
• Padrón Cigars: A Guide to the 1964 Anniversary, 1926 Serie and Family Reserve.
• Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series: sizes, Natural vs. Maduro and where to start.
• Padrón 1926 Serie: the No. 9, the 40th Anniversary and the rest of the line.
• Padrón Family Reserve: Ten-Year Tobacco, Explained.
• Padrón 1964 vs. 1926: aging, strength and where to start.
• Padrón Natural vs. Maduro, and the sizes that match across lines.
• Padrón Size Chart: every line compared, size for size.
• Padrón Anniversary Cigars: the 40th, 50th, 60th, 80 Years and Black, explained.
• Padrón Black No. 99 and Family Reserve No. 95 Natural: sizes, history and lineup.

Liga Privada, Drew Estate and flavored cigars

• Liga Privada No. 9: Price, Sizes, the Blend and How to Smoke It.
• Liga Privada No. 9 vs. T52: how the two blends differ and which to buy first.
• Drew Estate Cigars: Liga Privada, ACID, Undercrown, Kentucky Fire Cured and more.
• ACID Cigars: Kuba Kuba, Blondie and Drew Estate's infused line.
• Flavored and Infused Cigars: ACID, Java, Deadwood, Tatiana and CAO compared.
• Backwoods Cigars: every flavor and what to try next.

La Flor Dominicana

• La Flor Dominicana Cigars: Double Ligero, Chisel, Air Bender, Oro and the Andalusian Bull.
• LFD Andalusian Bull 10th Anniversary Maduro: size, blend and release.

Brand guides, A to Z

• AJ Fernandez: New World Connecticut, Puro Especial and Dorado.
• Ashton: Classic, VSG, Cabinet Selection and more, and Ashton VSG vs. ESG vs. Classic.
• AVO: Classic, Heritage, XO and Syncro.
• Camacho: Corojo, Connecticut, Triple Maduro and more.
• CAO: Flavours, America, Cameroon, Flathead and MX2.
• Cohiba: Red Dot, Black and Connecticut.
• Davidoff: Grand Cru, Millennium, Nicaragua and Escurio.
• Diamond Crown: Classic, Maximus, Julius Caeser and Black Diamond.
• Gurkha: Cellar Reserve, Ghost, His Majesty's Reserve and The Beauty.
• H. Upmann: the 1844 Reserve, The Banker and Vintage Cameroon.
• La Aroma de Cuba: Mi Amor, Edición Especial and more.
• La Gloria Cubana: Serie R, Serie R Estelí and Serie S.
• Macanudo: Café, Inspirado and Crü Royale, and Macanudo Inspirado White, Orange, Black and Red.
• Montecristo: the White Series, Espada and the No. 2.
• My Father: every line and its three Cigars of the Year.
• Nub: Connecticut, Habano, Maduro, Cameroon and Nuance.
• Oliva: Serie V, Melanio, Serie G and Master Blends.
• Perdomo: the 20th Anniversary, Champagne and Double Aged lines, and Perdomo 20th Anniversary Connecticut, Sun Grown and Maduro.
• Plasencia: Alma del Campo, Alma Fuerte, Cosecha 149 and Reserva Original.
• Rocky Patel: Vintage, Decade, The Edge, Sun Grown and Java.
• Romeo y Julieta: the 1875, Reserva Real and Romeo.
• San Cristóbal: Elegancia, Quintessence and Revelation.
• Best Cigar Brands: what the Cigar of the Year winners show, and every cigar brand we carry, A to Z.

Choosing and buying cigars

• How to Choose a Premium Cigar: strength first, then size, then wrapper.
• Good Cigars for Beginners: where to start and what to buy.
• Best Cigars by Category: our picks for every occasion.
• How Much Are Cigars? Single, 5-pack and box prices.
• How Many Cigars Are in a Box? What 853 box listings show.
• Ordering Cigars Online: What to Look For.
• Cigar Deals: Where to Find Value in the Humidor.
• Why Are Cuban Cigars Illegal in the United States?
• What Are Cigarillos? A guide to small cigars.
• Pipe Tobacco Guide: types, blends and how to get started.
• It's a Boy Cigars: how to celebrate the birth of a son.

Sizes, shapes, wrappers and terms

• Cigar Sizes and Ring Gauge Chart: every standard shape explained.
• Toro vs. Robusto: size, smoking time and how to choose.
• Types of Cigars: shapes, sizes, wrappers and strengths.
• Cigar Wrapper Types: Connecticut, Habano, Corojo, Cameroon, Maduro and more.
• Maduro vs. Natural Cigars: what the wrapper changes.
• Cigar Terminology: a glossary of cigar terms.
• What Is a Stogie?
• Close But No Cigar: Meaning and Origin.

How to smoke a cigar

• How to Cut a Cigar: straight cut vs. V-cut vs. punch.
• How to Cut a Cigar Without a Cutter: thumbnail, knife, punch and more.
• How to Light a Cigar: a step-by-step guide.
• How to Hold a Cigar, Retrohale and Ash It: cigar etiquette basics.
• Do You Inhale Cigar Smoke? What cigar smokers do instead.
• How to Put Out a Cigar, and whether to relight it.
• How to Get Rid of Cigar Smell: car, clothes, home and breath.

Storage and humidity

• How to Store Cigars: humidity, humidors and Boveda packs.
• Cigar Humidor Guide: sizing, seasoning and humidity.
• Boveda Packs for Cigars: how they work and which to use.
• What Is a Hygrometer? How it works and how to calibrate one.
• How Long Do Cigars Last?
• How to Rehydrate Dry Cigars, and how to tell if one is too dry.
• Tupperdor: how to make a Tupperware humidor and a coolidor.
• Cigar Mold vs. Plume, and tobacco beetles: how to tell and what to do.

Cigar accessories

• Cigar Accessories: cutters, lighters, humidors and more.
• How to Choose a Cigar Lighter: torch, soft flame and butane.
• How to Refill a Butane Lighter: a step-by-step guide.
• Can You Bring Cigars on a Plane? TSA rules for cigars, lighters, cutters and butane.
• Cigar Ashtrays: design, materials and ash etiquette.

Pairing cigars with whiskey, bourbon, Scotch and wine

• Cigar and Whiskey Pairing: a practical guide.
• Bourbon and Cigar Pairing: proof, mash bill and body.
• Scotch and Cigar Pairing: regions, styles and peat.
• Wine and Cigar Pairing: Port, reds and Champagne.
• Allocated Bourbon in Yuma, Arizona: how allocation works and the VIP Bottle List.
• Our Cigar and Spirits Pairing Menu: house suggestions from the lounge.

Rare Shelf Reports

A dated count of every allocated cigar in our humidor, with stick counts and prices on the day each was written. For today's shelf, see Rare Cigars In Stock Now.

• Rare Shelf Report, Late-October 2026
• Rare Shelf Report, Mid-October 2026
• Rare Shelf Report, October 2026: Arturo Fuente Rare Pink Arrives
• Rare Shelf Report, September 2026
• Rare Shelf Report, September 2026

Shipping, the lounge and Yuma

• Cigar Shipping: how orders leave our Yuma humidor, and cigar delivery to every state.
• International Cigar Orders Through a U.S. Forwarding Address.
• The Cigar Lounge Experience in Yuma, AZ: what to expect at Sun of a Gun.
• Things to Do in Yuma, AZ: history, the river and nights out.
• Yuma Events Calendar: November 2026 to January 2027.

Common questions

Who writes the Sun of a Gun cigar guides?

Katherine Espinal, Expert Tobacconist at Sun of a Gun Cigars & Spirits in Yuma, Arizona. Her author page lists the guides she has written.

Where should a new cigar smoker start?

With How to Smoke a Cigar, then Good Cigars for Beginners and How to Choose a Premium Cigar.

How do I see what is in stock today?

Each product page shows live stock and a Notify me sign-up when a size is sold out. Rare Cigars In Stock Now lists every allocated cigar on our shelf today, and you can call 928-276-3500.

Are the prices in the guides current?

The product page always shows the current price. Prices quoted in a guide are a reference for comparing lines and sizes.