8 of the rarest cigars in the world

Although you can shop for a fine selection of cigars online in our store, there are some cigars that are just so rare that veteran collectors and aficionados will go to the grave without ever having seen one of these beauties, let alone smoke it!

Many of these stogies are hidden in private collections, sat in an ageing room of a millionaire somewhere, or even in the suitcase that Samuel L. Jackson carries off at the end of Pulp Fiction; we’ll just never know!

Here are eight of the rarest cigars in the world, just to tantalise the taste buds a bit more:

Ashton Virgin Sun Grown BBMF

Speaking of Samuel L. Jackson, it’s almost as if he had a hand in naming this stogie, with BBMF standing for Big, Bad Mother… you know the rest! The BBMF was created by Carlos “Carlito” Fuente Sr. as an oddly shaped and unusually strong version of the Fuente Fuente OpusX. It bulges out at the foot like a traditional Salomon but has an unusual, mop-top cap at its head; something Fuente refers to as a “Cuban Tickler”.

Fuente, who also produces the Ashton VSG line in the Dominican Republic was said to have rolled some VSGs into this BBMF shape for a charity dinner, which was the first and last time they have been seen…

Fuente Don Carlos Box-Pressed Belicosos

The late Carlos Fuente Sr. used to make box-pressed belicoso for himself and every so often he would give some away, although they were never released commercially. What made them different was the slightly altered blend used to suit Fuente Sr.’s tastes, and to accommodate the unorthodox size, being box-pressed only half way.

These beauties also have the rare ability to keep an intact ash when smoked well past the three-quarter mark. They were hard enough to find when Sr. was alive, and now he has passed, they might never be produced again.

Anything From Jack And Charlie’s “21” Selection

Before the Cuban embargo, the “21” Club restaurant in New York had its own private-label Cuban cigars. They were kept in the “21” Club’s humidors and imported into America by a company called Faber, Coe & Gregg, with some special edition smokes including Jack and Charlie’s “21” Exclusive Havana Selección.

However, the “21” Club didn’t just have a house brand, with many established brands like Ramon Allones and Por Larrañaga, also made special smokes for the restaurant, which is still around today – sadly minus the cigars.

Cohiba Behike Original Release

Released to celebrate Cohiba’s 40^th anniversary in 2006, these humidors cost an arm and a leg eleven years ago, with only a few people able to buy them and even fewer deciding to break the box. Whispers soon began to circulate about “overruns” given as gifts to the rollers to produced them, but they are a mere fairy-tale!

You should also be wary of loose sticks sold online, as these are more than likely fakes. Unless you saw the humidor they came from or lifted it out yourself, authenticity cannot be guaranteed.

Dinner Of The Century Cohibas

Back in 1995, Marvin R. Shanken (the man who launched Cigar Aficionado magazine) held an exclusive dinner in Paris dubbed the Dinner of the Century. There were many great Cubans passed around, but the most exclusive were the smokes made just for the dinner; the Cohiba Piramides and the massive Cohiba “A”, which measured over 9 inches long. Subsequent Cohiba Piramides were released, but they most certainly weren’t the same exclusive blend. Six boxes of the special blend were auctioned that night in 1995, so there might be some left somewhere in the world…

Dunhill Flor Del Punto

Outside of the Dunhill proper branded cigars, there were many lines of Dunhill Seleccion cigars made exclusively for the retailer, which included the Flor del Punto. It featured the standard “white rose” band, as do the other remaining Dunhill Seleccion cigars. If you thought it was difficult to find Don Alfredos or Don Candidos cigars from Dunhill, just try tracking down a Flor del Punto!

Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Millennium

Only 1,000 of these humidors were created, with each humidor containing 100 cigars, which is a total of 100,000 cigars. These cigars were released 17 years ago in the year 2000, so after that length of time, how many are left? Your guess is as good as ours really!

Occasionally, an intact humidor will pop up, along with a few loose sticks, but they are often found in the hands of private collectors.

Cuban Davidoff 80 Aniversario

When it comes to the most sought-after smokers in the world of vintage Cubans, Davidoff cigars are right up there. They were discontinued in 1991, and every size from the larger Dom Perignon to the little Chateau Yquem will sell for a hefty sum at auction. When Zino Davidoff turned 80 years old in 1986, an almost 9-inch long Cuban cigar was commemorated to celebrate the man and his precious brand; it was named the Davidoff 80 Aniversario. All Cuba Davidoffs are quite rare, but the 80 Aniversario is even more so.