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Prices updated

One Tier Under Classic — And Far Easier To Buy

Outstanding-Rated Cigars: CigarScore 7.3-7.9 (2026)

Outstanding is the band from 7.3 up to Classic: roughly the top 15% of everything we score, and about ten times as many cigars as the tier above it. This is where critical acclaim stops being scarce, so it is usually the most productive place to shop — the same corroborated quality signal, across enough of the catalog that price competition actually exists.

Score Range

7.3 to 7.9, on the 0-10 CigarScore scale

Typical Strength

Every profile — mild through full

Signature Notes
Critic ConsensusSmoker-RatedCorroborated
Recommended Pairings

Whatever you were going to open anyway

Top Picks

Compare Prices on Outstanding-Rated Cigars

Ranked by CigarScore, then priced across 26+ verified online cigar merchants:

H. Upmann Miami Deco
7.9

H. Upmann Cigars

H. Upmann Miami Deco

Best online price:

$10.30 / cigar

View price
AJ Fernandez Cigars Ramon Allones
7.9

AJ Fernandez Cigars

AJ Fernandez Cigars Ramon Allones

Best online price:

$8.50 / cigar

Compare 9 stores
Black Label Trading Co. Cigars Dreadnought
7.9

Black Label Trading Co. Cigars

Black Label Trading Co. Cigars Dreadnought

Best online price:

$10.00 / cigar

View price
Warped Cigars The Devil's Hands Limitada
7.9

Warped Cigars

Warped Cigars The Devil's Hands Limitada

Best online price:

$3.30 / cigar

Compare 2 stores
Dunbarton Red Meat Lovers
7.9

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Cigars

Dunbarton Red Meat Lovers

Best online price:

$12.70 / cigar

5% below next store
Compare 11 stores
AJ Fernandez Cigars San Lotano Requiem Connecticut
7.8

AJ Fernandez Cigars

AJ Fernandez Cigars San Lotano Requiem Connecticut

Best online price:

$5.13 / cigar

9% below next store
Compare 13 stores
Arturo Fuente Hemingway Maduro
7.8

Arturo Fuente Cigars

Arturo Fuente Hemingway Maduro

Best online price:

$9.24 / cigar

Compare 16 stores
Arturo Fuente Cigars Fuente Fuente OpusX (Original)
7.8

Arturo Fuente Cigars

Arturo Fuente Cigars Fuente Fuente OpusX (Original)

Best online price:

$22.49 / cigar

10% below next store
Compare 11 stores
Warped Cigars Maestro del Tiempo
7.8

Warped Cigars

Warped Cigars Maestro del Tiempo

Best online price:

$10.44 / cigar

7% below next store
Compare 5 stores
Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Cigars Mi Querida
7.8

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Cigars

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Cigars Mi Querida

Best online price:

$9.05 / cigar

Compare 12 stores
E.P. Carrillo Triumph Trilogy
7.8

E.P. Carrillo Cigars

E.P. Carrillo Triumph Trilogy

Best online price:

$12.32 / cigar

Compare 3 stores
Liga Privada Único Serie Dirty Rat
7.8

Liga Privada Cigars

Liga Privada Único Serie Dirty Rat

Best online price:

$16.96 / cigar

Compare 21 stores
Aging Room La Bohème
7.8

Aging Room Cigars

Aging Room La Bohème

Best online price:

$11.37 / cigar

29% below next store
Compare 12 stores
Plasencia Alma Fuerte
7.8

Plasencia Cigars

Plasencia Alma Fuerte

Best online price:

$13.42 / cigar

Compare 20 stores
Foundation Cigar Co. Highclere Castle Senetjer
7.8

Foundation Cigar Co.

Foundation Cigar Co. Highclere Castle Senetjer

Best online price:

$29.75 / cigar

Compare 8 stores
AJ Fernandez Cigars Nasser The Goat
7.8

AJ Fernandez Cigars

AJ Fernandez Cigars Nasser The Goat

Best online price:

$12.60 / cigar

3% below next store
Compare 5 stores
Rocky Patel TAVICUSA
7.8

Rocky Patel Cigars

Rocky Patel TAVICUSA

Best online price:

$11.05 / cigar

Compare 5 stores
Black Label Trading Co. Cigars Macabre
7.8

Black Label Trading Co. Cigars

Black Label Trading Co. Cigars Macabre

Best online price:

$12.15 / cigar

Compare 8 stores
Padron Cigars Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Natural
7.8

Padron Cigars

Padron Cigars Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Natural

Best online price:

$12.92 / cigar

8% below next store
Compare 20 stores
HVC First Selection (Broadleaf)
7.8

HVC Cigars

HVC First Selection (Broadleaf)

Best online price:

Check price / cigar

View price
La Aroma de Cuba Reserva
7.8

La Aroma de Cuba Cigars

La Aroma de Cuba Reserva

Best online price:

$10.66 / cigar

Compare 8 stores
Oliva Serie V Maduro
7.8

Oliva Cigars

Oliva Serie V Maduro

Best online price:

$5.82 / cigar

Compare 21 stores
Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary
7.8

Rocky Patel Cigars

Rocky Patel Fifteenth Anniversary

Best online price:

$5.28 / cigar

34% below next store
Compare 17 stores
Warped Cigars Gran Reserva 1988
7.8

Warped Cigars

Warped Cigars Gran Reserva 1988

Best online price:

$6.84 / cigar

27% below next store
Compare 9 stores
Plasencia Alma del Campo
7.8

Plasencia Cigars

Plasencia Alma del Campo

Best online price:

$16.10 / cigar

1% below next store
Compare 19 stores
H. Upmann 180th Anniversary
7.7

H. Upmann Cigars

H. Upmann 180th Anniversary

Best online price:

$11.90 / cigar

Compare 8 stores
Dunbarton 10th Anniversary Jubilee
7.7

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Cigars

Dunbarton 10th Anniversary Jubilee

Best online price:

$16.84 / cigar

Compare 9 stores
Liga Privada Único Serie Feral Flying Pig
7.7

Liga Privada Cigars

Liga Privada Único Serie Feral Flying Pig

Best online price:

$21.02 / cigar

2% below next store
Compare 21 stores
La Aroma de Cuba Small Batch
7.7

La Aroma de Cuba Cigars

La Aroma de Cuba Small Batch

Best online price:

$22.50 / cigar

5% below next store
Compare 4 stores
Rocky Patel Conviction
7.7

Rocky Patel Cigars

Rocky Patel Conviction

Best online price:

$89.50 / cigar

Compare 15 stores
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Frequently Asked Questions About Outstanding-Rated Cigars

How the CigarScore is built, what a tier means, and what it does not.

How is Outstanding different from Classic?

Only by score band. Classic is 7.9 and above; Outstanding runs from 7.3 to just under that. The bands are exclusive, so a cigar appears on exactly one of these pages — the same tier its badge shows everywhere else on the site.

Should I buy from this tier instead of Classic?

Usually, yes. The Classic list is about twenty cigars and several of them are allocated or expensive; Outstanding is a couple of hundred, which means far more of them are stocked by several retailers at once — and a price comparison only helps where there is more than one price.

Which critics feed the CigarScore?

Eighteen publications, including Cigar Aficionado, Halfwheel, Blind Man's Puff, Developing Palates, Cigar Dojo and Cigar Coop. Each one's raw score is calibrated against its own full body of reviews before it is combined, so a critic who rates generously does not outweigh one who rates strictly.