Cigars

A cigar is a tightly rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern United States.

Tobacco

Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as an organic pesticide, and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, it is used in some medicines. In consumption it most commonly appears in the forms of smoking, chewing, snuffing, or dipping tobacco, or snus. Tobacco has long been in use as an entheogen in the Americas. However, upon the arrival of Europeans in North America, it quickly became popularized as a trade item and as a recreational drug. This popularization led to the development of the southern economy of the United States until it gave way to cotton. Following the American Civil War, a change in demand and a change in labor force allowed for the development of the cigarette. This new product quickly led to the growth of tobacco companies, until the scientific controversy of the mid-1900s.

There are many species of tobacco, which are all encompassed by the plant genus Nicotiana. The word nicotiana (as well as nicotine) was named in honor of Jean Nicot, French ambassador to Portugal, who in 1559 sent it as a medicine to the court of Catherine de Medici.

Because of the addictive properties of nicotine, tolerance and dependence develop. Absorption quantity, frequency, and speed of tobacco consumption are believed to be directly related to biological strength of nicotine dependence, addiction, and tolerance. The usage of tobacco is an activity that is practiced by some 1.1 billion people, and up to 1/3 of the adult population. The World Health Organization reports it to be the leading preventable cause of death worldwide and estimates that it currently causes 5.4 million deaths per year. Rates of smoking have leveled off or declined in developed countries, however they continue to rise in developing countries.

Tobacco is cultivated similarly to other agricultural products. Seeds are sown in cold frames or hotbeds to prevent attacks from insects, and then transplanted into the fields. Tobacco is an annual crop, which is usually harvested mechanically or by hand. After harvest, tobacco is stored for curing, which allows for the slow oxidation and degradation of carotenoids. This allows for the agricultural product to take on properties that are usually attributed to the "smoothness" of the smoke. Following this, tobacco is packed into its various forms of consumption, which include smoking, chewing, sniffing, and so on.

How to select a single cigar?

 Just squeeze gently up and down the length of the body, checking for lumps or soft spots. A good cigar shouldn't have any. The cigar should have some give, but not be too soft. Rolling it between your fingers can damage the wrapper; just squeeze gently.

The wrapper should be smooth and tight and the ends should be undamaged. Check the size of the veins - smaller veins usually smoke smoother. Check the tobacco in the exposed end. Most cigars are made from a blend of tobaccos, so some color variation is normal, but extreme or abrupt color changes could indicate an inferior leaf, or that the leaves weren't laid together properly in the bunching process.

  How to cut a Cigar?

 Examine the "head" of the cigar - this is the closed end to be cutted. Most cigars have what is called a "cap" - a bit of tobacco leaf used to close of the end. Inspect the cigar to determine how far down the length of the cigar the cap goes (this is betwen 1/4" - 3/8; sometimes less, and on figurado shapes sometimes longer). Where the cap stops is your cutting limit, If you cut beneath this, or even too close, your cigar will start to unravel.

Try to cut as minimally as possible while still opening approximately 75%-85% of the end. This might mean cutting as little as 1/32" down or as much as 3/8" - it depends on the cigar's roll and cap.

When using a guillotine cutter, line up your cigar at eye level and clip it quickly. This method will almost always guarantee satisfactory results.

 Lighting a Cigar

When using a match, wait until the sulfur burns off before placing it to your cigar. Many smokers prefer long cedar matches called a cedar spill. A cedar spill is a long, thin strip of Spanish cedar which is lit first and then used to light the cigar. This method is often observed at fancy cigar dinners, as it is a rather elegant way to light up, but not all circumstances lend itself to this method.

Butane lighters seem to be the lighter of choice. Many smokers complain that gasoline based lighters impart an unpleasant flavor. Zippo (who manufactures such lighters) claims that if the flame is allowed to burn a few seconds first, the disturbing odor will dissipate.

 How to safely store your Cigars?

  Humidors are a specially designed box for holding cigars. It's most often made of Spanish cedar and contains a hygrometer to maintain a constant humidity. A constant and proper humidity is essential to keep cigars from drying out or from being too moist and developing mold. A consistent temperature of 68°-70° F and a relative humidity of 70-72% keep your smokes in perfect shape. Proper storage at the appropriate humidity and temperature is the most critical factor in maintaining the quality of cigars.

 Cigar Parts 

Wrapper
The wrapper is the outside part of tobacco and gives a cigar one of its primary flavor components. Wrappers are usually very high quality leaves, available in colors ranging from Claro (the lightest), to Oscuro (the darkest). Wrappers are very important when it comes to the taste of the Cigar.

Binders
The intermediate leaf used to hold the filler tobacco together. Binder leaves vary from one manufacturer to the next.

Filler
The bunch of tobacco the forms the center of the cigar. Generally, filler is responsible for determining how strong a cigar smokes. There are two types of filler: long filler (which contains the whole leaf running from the head to the foot of the cigar) and short filler (comprised of scraps of tobacco - often the trimmed ends of long fillers).

Cigar Wrappers

 Cigar Classification

What are the most common tools used to cut cigars?

 Cutters: A cutter is a guillotine style device used to slice the cap off of the cigar. It is the most common type, and is available as a single, double, and even triple blade. The single and double blades are the most common. Most double blades cutters are more expensive than the single blades, but they will last far longer, as they are self-sharpening. Most single blade cutters are disposable, and should be thrown away once they have stopped making a clean, sharp cut. If you buy an expensive gold or silver single blade cutter, be sure that the blade is replaceable, or else you will have just spent a lot of money on a disposable cutter.

Scissors/Clippers: These scissor-action clippers work the same way that the double blade cutter does. However, they are not self sharpening, and can crush or tear the head off the cigar if they are not kept at peak sharpness. They do not fit comfortably in a pocket, and therefore the lack of portability makes them attractive for home use only.

Wedge Cutter: These cut a "V" down the center of the cap, about an 1/8-1/4" deep. Typically, they work very well on thin (less than 40 ring size) and tapered (torpedo shaped) cigars. They do not give a clean cut on the thicker heads.

Punch: A punch cuts a small circle into the cap. A well designed one can have an ejection spring to push out the cut tobacco. The punch does not work well on thin cigars. It works well on thick cigars, especially the oversized ones of 54 ring gauge or more. Often a guillotine cutter can not accommodate these mammoths. Also, the punch hole in these giants relieves you from having to put the whole cigar in between your lips, which can be uncomfortable on the jaw. Rather, you can "sip" the smoke through the punch opening.

Poker/Piercer: This is a pin-like rod that just pokes a hole in the cap. It does not allow a good draw, which can cause the cigar to burn improperly, or provide its full flavor. It also causes a build up of bitter tars at its opening, once you have been smoking the cigar for a while. Therefore, a piercer is not recommended on anything larger than a short, thin cigar.

Q: Why does my favorite cigar taste different than described in reviews?

A: The same cigar can taste different to different smokers, and can also taste different to the same smoker at different times. We all have different tastes, so there is no need to explore that question any further. However, many factors can affect how the same cigar (even cigars from the same box) can taste to the same individual during different smoking sessions.

Consistency of Cigar Tobacco and Manufacture

Cigars are made by hand, and not only do different rollers have different skill levels, the same person rolling cigars for eight hours per day will make some cigars better than others. In addition, all tobacco leaves are somewhat unique, even those coming from the same farm (and even from the same plant). And just like wine, every year brings a new crop or harvest, and every harvest is different from the previous year. It is amazing how some brands of cigars can maintain a relatively high level of consistency, year after year. And, it is also understandable why some brands can be somewhat inconsistent.

Storing and Aging Cigars

Proper care of the finished cigars after they leave the factory is also important. Improper shipping, handling, or storage can affect the quality of the cigar before you remove the packaging and put the cigar in your humidor. At this point, it is up to you to maintain the proper conditions inside your humidor. Most premium cigars will improve dramatically by aging them for at least a few months to a year, in a properly maintained humidor.

Rating a Cigar That Is Changing

It is hard to hit a moving target, especially when you are moving, too. It is even harder to consistently rate the same cigar when your palate is changing, and the cigar was manufactured under different conditions and aged for different periods of time. Not only will a cigar smoker's palate develop over time, but other factors, such as what beverage you drink while smoking the cigar, will influence your opinion of that particular smoke. Therefore, it is not unusual to enjoy your favorite cigar to different degrees at different times.

Rating a Single Cigar

This brings us to an interesting conclusion about those of us who rate cigars. Most of us cannot smoke a couple boxes (or more) of the same cigar under different conditions over a period of time before we write a review. Otherwise, we could only write a couple of reviews per year. When judging a single stick, the reviewer should have aged the cigar for at least several months to a year before smoking. However, with a review based on only one smoke, the effect of aging on that particular cigar is missed completely. I have purchased many boxes or bundles of cigars over the years, and have noticed differences between various brands. For example, in my opinion, the Baccarat Luchadores and the Roly #2 Maduro taste great right out of the box, but seem to lose some of their unique characteristics after aging. This is rare, because most cigars improve after they are aged. My solution was to store these two brands in my humidor inside of the cello tubes.

Aging Cigars in a Humidor

By aging most cigars in a properly maintained humidor, the general rule is that the flavor of the cigars will continue to improve for up to ten years. After that amount of time, cigars will no longer show any significant amount of improvement, although they still require proper storage in a humidor to preserve their integrity. However, since most of us do not have the patience to wait ten years before lighting up our sticks, we conducted a series of cigar rating and aging experiments to find out how much time a particular bundle of cigars should be aged before the taste improved enough to make the effort worthwhile. Although every box or bundle of cigars ages differently, the results of this test were consistent with previous experiences with other brands.

Most cigar tobacco is cured, processed, fermented, aged, etc. for at least a couple of years after it is harvested, and before it is used to make cigars. After cigars are rolled, finished cigars are then aged for an additional amount of time. The amount of time varies, depending on the manufacturer and other factors affecting the marketing of the cigars. Some finished cigars may not be aged at all, or for too short a period of time, which does not allow the different tobacco leaves in the blend to marry, and for bitter elements in the tobacco to dissipate. This is especially true of lower priced bundled cigars, but it can also be the case with more expensive boxed cigars, including some popular national brands. In addition, after leaving the factory, cigars may be shipped and stored under different conditions, making it even harder to determine if they should be smoked before spending some time in your humidor. (When aging cigars in a humidor, remove any cellophane, tubes, packaging, etc.)

Therefore, we have reached the following conclusions relating to the importance of aging your cigars in a properly maintained humidor before smoking them:

·         Aging most brands of cigars for at least two or three months prior to smoking will greatly improve the taste.

·         Age your cigars for a year (or more) to obtain a significantly noticeable mellow flavor.

·         A bad cigar, or a brand that you just do not like, will not transform into a good cigar by aging, even over a long period of time. However, a good cigar that initially tastes bad out of the box (or bundle) can improve dramatically after aging.

·         Inexpensive bundled cigars may require more initial aging (after purchase) than premium boxed cigars.

·         Fuller bodied cigars will continue to mellow and improve more with long term aging, compared to milder cigars.

·         Cigars purchased from a local tobacconist's humidor are more likely to be ready to smoke immediately (or with less aging), as opposed to cigars purchased online or via mail order.

·         Every cigar ages and tastes differently, even cigars in the same box or bundle.

There are some exceptions to these general conclusions. For example, it is possible that you may like a certain brand of cigars right out of the box, without any (additional) aging. This may be somewhat uncommon, but it is certainly possible. Also, artificially flavored cigars do not require aging, but they must still be stored under the proper conditions. Never mix flavored cigars with other cigars in the same humidor. If a flavored cigar comes in a sealed tube, leave it in the tube.

What are fillers?

Filler is a term to describe the tobacco inside of a cigar. Filler is bunched together and bound inside of a cigar with a binder tobacco leaf. In hand rolled cigars, the filler usually consists of several blended varieties of long tobacco leaves, and is called long filler. In machine made cigars, short filler is usually used, which contains chemicals and other substances in addition to short pieces or remnants of tobacco leaves.

Depending on the particular cigar, filler is responsible for about half of a cigar's flavor. The outer wrapper leaf of tobacco, which wraps around the binder, is responsible for the balance of the cigar's flavor. The binder has little or no flavor

What is the binder in a cigar?

The binder is a tobacco leaf, usually having little or no flavor, which is used to bind and contain the filler tobacco inside of a cigar. Another tobacco leaf, called a wrapper, is wrapped around the outside of the binder to complete the cigar. Sometimes, to give a cigar more flavor, a cigar manufacturer will use a wrapper leaf as a binder. Since wrapper leaf is the most expensive tobacco used in a cigar, expect to pay more for a cigar which uses two wrappers.