Most people associate Jeffrey Redding Chicago police officer for 20 years with security and peacekeeping, but he also enjoys his stogies. A cigar provides a simple, occasional pleasure with flavor and scent. You can envelop your senses for the duration of the smoke.

So, what makes a cigar the ideal treat? The flavor and smell depend on the tobacco inside as well as the wrap that encases the tobacco. Since a well-made, superior quality costs a bit, most people save these top-of-the-line options for holidays and other special occasions. Starting at about $10 per cigar, the typical connoisseur on a budget only smokes the cigars on this list on special occasions for that reason. If you want to shell out $10 to $25 to enjoy a cigar that qualifies as an experience, not a smoke, choose one from this list, says Jeffrey Redding Chicago cigar lover.

Top Cigar Picks from Jeffery Redding

1. Padron Family Reserve 46 Years Maduro

The Padron family stopped keeping these smokes to themselves and now offer their Family Reserve cigars for sale, joked Jeffrey Redding Chicago cigar aficionado. It combines a coffee and leather flavored tobacco aged for 10 years with earthy tones.

2. Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro

Rafael Nodal and A.J. Fernandez bring you this Nicaraguan masterpiece of dark chocolate and woody flavors paired with toasted almonds and caramel. Its rich flavors make this Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. product an ideal choice as the first from its humidors to enjoy.

3. Ashton Virgin Sun Grown (VSG)

The VSG creates consensus amongst cigar aficionados for its piquant flavors stemming from its six Dominican tobaccos blended within an Ecuador Habano leaf. Receive a rush of chocolate and cedar complemented with earthy tones smoking this cigar, says Jeffrey Redding Chicago cigar lover.

4. Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro

The Oliva family pays tribute to their founding forebearer with this cigar that wraps earthy flavors with semi-sweet chocolate, pepper, coffee, and spices into an oily San Andres maduro wrapper. It is worth the expense to taste this classic, says Jeffrey Redding Chicago security consultant.

5. Warped Serie Gran Reserva 1988 Robusto

Another product of Nicaragua, this cigar blends Aganorsa grown tobaccos to create a flavorful burst of earth, coffee, and malted chocolate. The numerals in the name refer to the birth year of the current owner of the company, Kyle Gellis, while the robusto refers to the taste, explains Jeffrey Redding Chicago security consultant.

6. Plasencia 1865 Alma Fuerte

Think of this Alma Fuerte smoke as an investment in understanding what makes a cigar great, says Jeffrey Redding Chicago security consultant. Crafted from Nicaraguan tobacco circa 2008, this nutty sweet cigar provides nearly two hours of pleasure. Its flavor notes follow one another rather than blending together. First, you taste the chocolate, followed by cedar. You move onto the flavor of roasted nuts and end with a sweet tobacco blended with spices.