4 Cigars to Honor Those Who Served on Veterans Day

Whether you support American military actions or not, there is one thing about which we can all agree: many veterans have truly gone through Hell and back. On Veterans Day, we honor them by remembering what they have gone through, the sacrifices they have made, and the lasting legacy they have left for all of us.

So let's light one in recognition of those who have served. And while we're at it, how about buying a veteran a nice cigar?

Below are five decent choices for Veterans Day cigars. A few of them go to benefit soldiers through a program called Cigars for Warriors. CFW is an organization that sends cigars to troops stationed abroad. You can contribute not just by donating funds but by donating cigars as well (there are tons of drop-off locations nationwide). Donate some good ones for good karma—don’t just stick the troops with your least favorite cigars!

Okay, America. Let’s roll out and move on to our cigars.

CAO America

We are kicking off Veterans Day with the CAO America, which is part of the CAO World Series. This patriotic stogie has the Stars and Stripes on the band but also features a striped barber pole wrapper for added effect. It’s a genuine, double-American wrapper made with a background of Connecticut broadleaf and an enhancement of Connecticut shade. Inside, much like America itself, you get a huge mix of tobacco from all around the world.

Cigar Aficionado gave this Veterans Day cigar a 92-point rating, noting flavors like roasted meat, sweet cedar, and chocolate. CAO recommends pairing it up with a porter. If you’re in Florida like us, Veterans United Craft Brewery has a Paratrooper Porter that should fit the bill quite nicely. If you’re close enough to Jacksonville, you can visit the taproom and try an Ice Block Imperial Smoked Porter.

Southern Draw IGNITE

Southern Draw’s vision for IGNITE is to continually produce new cigars that can be used to fundraise for charitable causes. It’s an impressive goal, and we’re looking forward to seeing what they come up with as they navigate an industry that puts a lot of obstacles in the way of new product releases.

Thus far, we’ve seen IGNITE blends that benefit Cigars for Warriors and the Navy SEAL Foundation. So does Southern Draw owner Robert Holt. He is himself an Army vet, so any Southern Draw blend makes a great Veterans Day smoke. For now, the 2019 IGNITE blend is our choice for this November. A portion of the proceeds from each purchase goes to support the Navy SEAL Foundation, which provides support and resources of all kinds to SEALs.

Available in Connecticut, Habano, and Corojo, you can enjoy the 2019 IGNITE blend in whichever way you like. Each one offers a unique blend of tobacco from places like Nicaragua, Honduras, Ecuador, and Brazil. Like our troops, these cigars have to travel worldwide to get the job done.

This one comes in a sturdy canister, too, and would make a fine addition to any care package for a soldier stationed overseas.

Alec Bradley American Classic

This Veterans Day cigar brings back all the flavor of old-school Tampa hand rolls. Alec Bradley’s American Classic features Nicaraguan long-filler tobacco and a rich Honduran Connecticut wrapper for that traditional taste that will remind anyone of the cigars that your granddad might have smoked in years gone by.

Alec Bradley is another homegrown American cigar company based in Chicago. For decades, the brand has grown and shown what an American entrepreneur can do with persistent effort, joining the likes of Drew Estate and others. These teams have shown us one of the things that are worth protecting in this great nation of ours: the freedom for almost anyone to accomplish anything they set their mind to.

On Veterans Day, we’ll smoke to that.

Caldwell Long Live The King Maduro: Cigars for Warriors Edition

One last plug for a charity that actually puts cigars in the hands of troops. It’s nice if you smoke your own in honor of the military service of others, but we’re almost 100% certain that the best way to show support is to send them some stogies!

Caldwell’s Long Live the King Mad MoFo was produced in a limited edition with all proceeds going to Cigars for Warriors. Not a portion, not a share—the whole thing. Caldwell doesn’t make money on these. Instead, they’re just a way to give back and support our cigar-loving buddies abroad, who would literally take a bullet so we can keep on puffing away in peace and prosperity.

Here’s to the vets. We appreciate you on November 11 and every other day we get to breathe freely as Americans.

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