Cigar connoisseurs and admirers believe that they provide quite a rare and immeasurable pleasure, further even rejecting stories that the cigar is a substitute for a cigarette, but a completely different thing as well. Some might even go so far as to consider cigars as a symbol of wealth. 

A skillfully made cigar is, without a doubt, an opportunity to enjoy a unique combination of subtle aromas and flavours, with which only the finest wines can be compared. If you want to buy a high-quality cigar first you have to find a shape that you like to feel comfortable smoking. All of that being said though, what should you look for in a cigar exactly?

The Difference between cigars

Before we even start talking about cigars, the first thing we have to do is to make the distinctions between different types, as you are generally going to expect different qualities from them. Each cigar consists of the following parts – the filling which is the core, the binder – an inner shell that secures the core, as well as the wrapper – the outer wrapper that gives the aroma of cigars.

The difference between Long and Short Filler is primarily in the core, which is further determined by the different ways of making. In the long Filler, the core consists of whole tobacco leaves, which is why they are made by hand. The core of the Short Filler consists of cut tobacco or a mixture of tobacco. Lastly, Short Fillers are produced by a machine, so they are far more affordable.

The Flavor 

The flavour of cigars is very important, and it really depends on taste. As online cigars selling experts explain, the best way to assess the taste is to remove the cigar from its outer wrapping, put the cigar up to your nose and take a nice deep inhale. If the smell of the cigar is appealing to you, the probability is quite high that the taste will be, too. 

Cigar smoking has its rituals. Real connoisseurs smell a cigar, caress it and enjoy it even before they light it. They say that it should be smoked slowly, never during work or on the street. The smoke should be inhaled only every minute. In this way, the “corona” will last about an hour and will be in the smoker’s mouth for only three minutes. Its smoke should neither be inhaled nor kept in the mouth.

Handmade cigars

If you are looking for quality – a good handmade cigar is the way to go. They are also called Long Filler because of their core since, unlike machine-made cigars, they consist of 3 to 5 whole tobacco leaves. These leaves come from different parts of the plant, they are usually grown in different conditions, on different plots, even in different regions for growing tobacco, which results in their unique characteristics.

By combining them, we get the so-called Blend or mixture, which, among other elements, determines the final character of the cigar: taste, aroma, the speed at which it burns, and similar. To make a premium cigar, the whole process can take several years.

Different types that you might encounter

The classification by size is the same as with machine-made cigars, so we distinguish different sizes and shapes: Robusto, Torpedo, Churchill, Corona, Lonsdale, etc. It should be noted that the dimensions are not standardized, so it is quite normal that Robusto’s two different manufacturers differ slightly in length for example.

Take a good look at the colour!

The colour of the Cigar, so, the colour of the wrapper, ranges from light brown to dark brown, almost black. The difference in colour is due to the processing of the wrapper, so it is another element that affects the character of the cigar not only visually but also the taste and aroma of the cigar.                

Humidors

It should be noted that Long Fillers must be kept in the so-called Humidors, as it heavily affects how much you are going to enjoy your cigar.

There are various humidors, from practical storage options to beautiful small wooden boxes that we keep on our desks. The basic role of humidors is to preserve the optimal humidity of cigars because they become unusable with the loss of moisture. The optimum humidity is around 70-72% at a temperature of around 21C.

If the cigar dries, it will burn too quickly and the taste will not be as pleasant as the creators imagined. Excess moisture causes cigarettes to burn more slowly, and mould can also appear.

Some pro tips

You should make sure that the wrapper (outermost leaf) is applied flawlessly, without any gaps. Good cigars should not have any weak spots whatsoever. Also, colour uniformity is an important factor when it comes to top-quality cigars. Look for a uniform colour. And avoid cigars that haven’t been kept at appropriate humidity levels.

It’s quite a well-known fact that smoking is increasingly banned and less and less popular around the world. Despite that though, smoking cigars is, in any case, more desirable due to its quality and aroma, and less harmful due to the fact that smoke shouldn’t actually be inhaled.

As General Montgomery once famously said: “I don’t drink, I don’t smoke and I sleep a lot as well. That is why I’m 100 % in shape.” To that, Churchill countered: “I drink a lot. In fact, I sleep very little and smoke cigar after cigar – and that is why I’m 200 percent in shape. “