If you're interested in cigars and want to buy and smoke them like you know what you're doing, here are 14 things to remember:
1. Does the cigar feel firm? Don't buy it. It's either packed too tightly or hasn't been stored properly and has dried out. A cigar with a firm draw will make you feel like you're trying to suck a milkshake through a drink stirrer. If it's dry, the wrapper will peel and unravel as it burns.
2. Good cigars are handmade and have three parts: long filler, a binder to hold the filler, and a different type of tobacco for the wrapper. Avoid cheap, machine-made, short-filler cigars.
3. Not all cigars are created equal. Mild, medium and full are the classifications. The full-bodied ones are the most flavorful, but they can make you feel woozy if you're not used to them.
4. Size isn't an indicator of strength, nor is the color of the tobacco leaves used as the wrapper. The lightest wrappers are double claro (light green) and claro (tan). The darkest wrappers are maduro (dark brown) and oscuro (black).
5. The bigger the ring size (circumference) of the cigar, the longer it takes to smoke. The size is measured in 64ths of an inch. So 50-ring cigars like a "Churchill" or "robusto" are 50/64ths of an inch in diameter. Extra-large cigars (larger than 50) are frowned upon as cartoonish.
6. Don't take a cigar and dip it into whatever you're drinking. All this does is taint the flavors of your cigar and your drink.
7. Cubans aren't the industry standard anymore. There are exceptional Cuban cigars—especially if they contain tobacco from the Vuelta Abajo region—but other tropical countries like the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras make great cigars, too. And, unlike Cubans, they're legal to buy in the United States.
1. Does the cigar feel firm? Don't buy it. It's either packed too tightly or hasn't been stored properly and has dried out. A cigar with a firm draw will make you feel like you're trying to suck a milkshake through a drink stirrer. If it's dry, the wrapper will peel and unravel as it burns.2. Good cigars are handmade and have three parts: long filler, a binder to hold the filler, and a different type of tobacco for the wrapper. Avoid cheap, machine-made, short-filler cigars.
3. Not all cigars are created equal. Mild, medium and full are the classifications. The full-bodied ones are the most flavorful, but they can make you feel woozy if you're not used to them.
4. Size isn't an indicator of strength, nor is the color of the tobacco leaves used as the wrapper. The lightest wrappers are double claro (light green) and claro (tan). The darkest wrappers are maduro (dark brown) and oscuro (black).
5. The bigger the ring size (circumference) of the cigar, the longer it takes to smoke. The size is measured in 64ths of an inch. So 50-ring cigars like a "Churchill" or "robusto" are 50/64ths of an inch in diameter. Extra-large cigars (larger than 50) are frowned upon as cartoonish.
6. Don't take a cigar and dip it into whatever you're drinking. All this does is taint the flavors of your cigar and your drink.
7. Cubans aren't the industry standard anymore. There are exceptional Cuban cigars—especially if they contain tobacco from the Vuelta Abajo region—but other tropical countries like the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras make great cigars, too. And, unlike Cubans, they're legal to buy in the United States.
by Ron Kaspriske, Golf Digest | Read more:
Image: Sam Kaplan
