Choosing a cigar is a very personal thing. There are many variables
such as personal taste, availability, and budget. When buying cigars
online or at a store it is easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number
of different brands and types of cigars available. If you are fortunate
to be experienced choosing the perfect cigar should not be a problem but
if you are new to cigars these suggestions may help you find a great
cigar you’ll love. See suggested products at the bottom of the page.
The composition of a cigar is pretty simple. The core of a
cigar which lends all of its taste is the filler. The binder, composed
of coarse tobacco, holds everything together, while the wrapper is the
outer layer is composed of silky leaves. The quality of a cigar is often
noted in the look of the head or cap. This is the part that you will
need to cut off in order to smoke it.
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e size is often referred to as the ring size. The combination
of ring sizes and length identifies most common cigars like the double
corona - the biggest, the churchill, the robusto, the corona, and the
petit-corona, one of the smallest. A basic rule of thumb is the bigger
the ring size, the cooler the cigar smoke will be. It's often
recommended that inexperienced cigar smokers start with smaller size
cigars for instance a Corona or perhaps a Petit Corona, to build up the smoking skill. You also have to establish a taste for them before attacking the big ones that would take up to one hour to smoke.
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The cigar industry has made a vocabulary to describe the color, from double claro to maduro obscuro. Cigar tastes are diverse for example claro (gentle), colorado (average), maduro and oscuro (quite rich). A novice need
s to begin with a gentler flavor like a claro or perhaps a
colorado at the very most, as the maduro or oscuro are often too robust
for a beginner. Don't rush into purchasing a whole box of cigars simply
because you like how they look or smell, or simply because you like the
container they are available in. Keep in mind that the region the place
where a cigar is made has an effect on its flavor. For example, cigars
from Cuba taste different from cigars from Nicaragua.
The first thing anyone should dowhen buying a cigar is make sure it's
fresh. Cigars tend to dry up in less than 24 hours after their removal
from the humidor. The easiest way to know if a cigar is fresh is to
pinch it with two fingers; the wrapper and the binder should be tender.
If the cigar is hard and the wrapper cracks, it's a sure sign of its
poor condition. While looking in a cigar box, you should notice the
color of all the cigars, not just one. Since quality cigars come in the same shade, discoloration is another sign of a bad stogie.
The second step is to cut the cap of the cigar. Cutting the cap will
permit you to have a good draw; cutting too little makes the cigar hard
to smoke, and cutting too much makes the wrapper unwind. There are many
techniques to cutting a cigar, the use of a single or double-blade
guillotine being the most common. Xikar Cigar Cutters
available at Gotham Cigars are a great option. It's also possible to
puncture or make a pinhole with special tools.
Third, but not the least, never light a cigar with paper matches or a
gas burning Zippo, since both of them may give the cigar a bad chemical
taste. The best way to light a cigar is with wooden matches or a butane
lighter.
The question of the paper band is complicated, nobody seems to agree
on whether to leave it or not. A band should only be removed while the
cigar is lit, because the warmth of the smoke eases its removal and can
break the brittle wrapper.
You are now ready to enjoy a good cigar. The smoke of a cigar should not be inhaled, but rather tasted like a fine cognac.
Smoking a cigar should imply not chewing on it or holding it with your
teeth. The tip of the stogie should remain dry for a better draw. It is
recommended to smoke your first cigar on a full stomach and not to
swallow too much of the tar filled saliva, which could cause stomach
cramps.
The secret is to keep the cigar at a slow burn in order to
avoid tar build-up which makes the taste of the cigar too strong to
enjoy. Cigar connoisseurs favor a hand rolled cigar “hecho a mano”, over
a machine made cigar. To maintain the freshness of your cigars, they
must be kept in a humidor, or in a Ziploc bag with a damp paper towel.
Cigars should always be kept at 70% humidity with a temperature of 70
Fahrenheit.
There is no secret to finding a good cigar. Tobacconists and
online stores such as Gotham Cigars are always a good source of
information for any novice cigar smoker. You can now smoke with your
head up high and enjoy the taste of a good old stogie.
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