There was once a time when a man with a cigar in his mouth was held in high regard; a time when a young man toasted farewell to adolescence by igniting the end of a cigar that “just happened” to slip out of his father’s humidor. A time where the arrival of a man’s progeny was celebrated with cigars in the hospital’s waiting room. A time when one could find a guillotine right alongside a man’s trusty pocketknife.
A 21-year-old Winston Churchill, on a quest to prove his manliness, ventured to the island of Cuba. It was in Cuba where Churchill began his love affair with the cigar. He described cigars as part of his “rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite; smoke cigars and drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them.” Churchill was so renowned for his cigar habit that a cigar of especially large magnitude still carries his name today: The Churchill cigar.
There can certainly be some intimidation when you first walk into a well-stocked cigar humidor. How can you possibly tell the difference between a Montecristo and an Ashton? Does it matter if this “Romeo y Julieta” came from the Dominican Republic and not Cuba? Fear not. After reading these quick tips, you’ll have an idea on how to pick a quality cigar. You’ll also be left wondering why you ever thought picking up a pack of Swisher Sweets from the gas station was a good idea.
Anatomy of a Cigar
The head: This is the end you put in your mouth. It’s sealed off and will require cutting; a guillotine is preferred to reduce the chance of smashing the cigar; however, a sharp knife will do. But for the love of God, do not use your teeth!
The foot: This is the side that you light.
The filler: A nice, consistent blend of dried and fermented tobacco.
The wrapper: The outside of the cigar. It varies in color from light to dark. A lot of the cigar’s flavor comes from this outer layer.
Choosing a Cigar
Now that you know your head from your foot, we can move onto choosing a cigar. Check out a reputable on-line store such as www.TheCigarStore.com. There you will find an impressive array of cigars housed in a climate controlled humidor as well as knowledgeable tobacconists who will guide you through the selection process. Humidors help maintain an optimal level of moisture inside the tobacco. If it’s too humid, the tobacco will rot. If it’s not humid enough, the cigars will dry out and lose their flavor and aroma.
If this is your first time smoking a cigar, stay away from the higher-priced sticks since, at this point, you won’t be able to truly savor the distinguishing elements of an expensive cigar. Besides, price isn’t the most important factor in choosing a cigar. There are plenty of less expensive cigars out there that hold top ratings from major cigar publications.
While price isn’t that important when selecting a cigar, cigar construction and tobacco quality are. The cigars construction determines how smooth and even the draw is when you smoke it. You can test the construction of a cigar by rolling it between the thumb and index finger of your hand. As you do this, make sure the cigar’s outside doesn’t have any lumps. Also check that the body is not too soft or void of filling. You want the cigar to have a nice even consistency and fill. A rough texture or any other mark of bad construction means a less smooth draw when you inhale. With a well-constructed cigar, the ash will maintain the shape of the cigar as it is smoked.
The second important factor when buying a cigar is the tobacco’s quality. You typically can’t determine tobacco quality simply by looking at the outside of the cigar. So how do you know which brands use good quality tobacco? It’s mainly based on reputation. Ask the tobacconist or your friends for recommendations on cigars that use quality tobacco. It’s usually a safe bet to go with larger brands. The big cigar brands tend to use higher quality tobacco in their cigars because they usually have first dibs on the quality stuff. In your quest to find cigars that use quality tobacco, just remember to purchase one cigar at a time instead of buying boxes. You don’t want to be left with a box of crummy cigars you’ll never smoke.
And what if you could have a variety of cigars mailed straight to your door every month? Well, with the Cigar Of the Month Club you can try new and different cigars without leaving your house. It’s like the Fruit of the Month Club, but manlier.
It All Comes Down to Personal Preference
The cigar-smoking experience is very personal. Everyone has different tastes, so make sure to try a few different varieties in order to discover your cigar of choice. It’s similar to finding your favorite beer. You probably didn’t know it was your favorite until you experimented with some different variations: more hops, less wheat, maybe some orange zest. But when you finally found your favorite beer, you knew it was the one. Cigars are going to be the exact same way.
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