If you hang around any hardcore cigar smokers, you’ll most likely hear “MCW” thrown around.

What’s it mean? Mild Cigar Weenie, a mildly derogatory term used for those people who only smoke mild cigars. As someone who eats strong cigars for breakfast, I’m here to defend those of you who enjoy a mild cigar. Mild does not always mean flavorless, they’re just a little more subtle than an “in your face” Ligero bomb and often have a light-colored wrapper, most commonly Connecticut shade.

As you guessed, it comes from the fertile growing fields of the Connecticut River Valley and is indeed mild. Really, it’s not so much mild as neutral. Often a cigar blender wants to emphasize the filler and binder in a cigar, so they use a “Conn” shade since it adds very little flavor to the overall blend and new cigar smokers can be turned off by the spicy red or black pepper tones in a Sun Grown wrapper. And you know what? That’s OK with me. While I prefer a strong cigar, sometimes it’s nice to fire up a mild, flavorful smoke that lets the cigar-maker’s carefully chosen blend shine through.

Easily the most recognizable and best-selling mild cigar is the Macanudo Café. Its green, white and gold label is found most everywhere cigars are sold. But while it’s a mild cigar, the Mexican leaf in the blend gives it an earthy, leathery flavor profile with a cedar finish. The best size is the 91-rated Hyde Park, a robusto size.

One of my favorite mild cigars is the Chateau Real from Drew Estates. It’s also wrapped in a Conn. It’s grown in Ecuador instead of the United States and is a little spicier on the tongue yet still mild. The filler and binder are from Mexico and the Dominican Republic (as in the Macanudo), but they use a little Nicaraguan leaf to add another flavor dimension. It’s a tasty stick with the Belicoso earning an 89 in Cigar Aficionado.

So go ahead and enjoy your mild smoke in peace and tell your strong cigar buddies to, well, smoke their own.

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