Q: I haven't smoked many cigars. What kind of cigar would you recommend for a Beginner?
A: Cigars with a mild strength profile appeal to many beginners. Here are some mild cigar brands that I can recommend. MACANUDO, Don Diego, Davidoff and Fonseca just to name a few. Over time you may be led to the stronger characteristics of a more full bodied cigar. Q: What is the white, powdery substance that sometimes I get on my cigars?
A: If the substance can easily be dusted off without leaving a residue, it is probably "bloom or "plume." which is caused by the cigars sweating oils inherent to tobacco and drying over time. It has not in anyway damaged your cigars. If so, this is a positive sign that your cigars are aging well. Excessive humidity along with high temperatures will lead to mold. Mold will damage your cigars. Mold can be identified by a deep stain look to your wrapper.
Q: How far down can you smoke a cigar?
A:Half to two-thirds of the way down is the general rule. Cigars grow hotter and more powerful the further down you smoke them. Q: If a cigar is properly stored in a humidor, how long will it last?
A: A cigar can be stored for years in a humidor. Similar to a bottle of wine, a cigar improves with age. Cigars can last 5-10 years or more with proper humidification.
Q: How do they make a box pressed cigar? A: Box pressed cigars are square in appearance. They get their shape from being packed tightly into a square shape under pressure to sustain their appearance. Fans of these cigars feel they burn more evenly with less soft spots. Some also believe that the pressing speeds up the process of harmonizing the moisture levels between the filler binder and wrapper. Q: If a cigar dries out, is it possible to save it?
A:Letting a cigar dry out is far from ideal and usually results in some irreparable damage. Cigars that are dry have lost the oils that carry the important flavor elements. When you loose those oils you can replace the moisture by rehumidifying your cigars but you can?t replace the flavor. This does not apply to cigars that have not been humidified for approximately a few days but to those that have dried out longer. But an overly dry cigar can be brought back to life, as it were, by slowly re-humidifying it. First, place your cigars inside an open plastic bag on the bottom of your humidor for four days. Next, remove the cigars from the plastic bag, keeping them at the bottom of your humidor for another two days. Finally, move the cigars up from the bottom level to the top of your humidor. It will take approximately three to five weeks to revive your cigars to proper smoking conditions. Always feel the condition of your cigar to see if it has regained the proper moister level before you smoke it. Q: What is ring size?
A: Ring size is the cigar's diameter. Measured in 64ths of an inch. A 32-ring cigar will be very thin in diameter & up to a 60+ ring size which are very thick. Catalogs that list ring sizes may deviate by a couple of points on specific cigars. Study different ring sizes that appeal to you & find out what they are called by manufactures. In general, for example, a Lonsdale will have the same ring gage for different brands.
Q: Can I use my standard lighter to light a cigar?
A: It depends on the fuel. Lighters that use the odorless butane can be used to light a cigar without jeopardizing the flavor. Many of the jet flame models are very popular especially for lighting cigars outdoors. Many cigar aficionados insist on a wood match as being the purest way to light a cigar. Lighters that use lighter fluid are not recommended.
Q: Are there common names for the cigar shapes?
A:There are some basic shapes that share common names. These shapes are given names, so that there is some degree of universality in the industry. These descriptive dimensions are approximate, but here are some guidelines: Short is less than 5.5 inches. Long is greater than 6.5 inches. Thin is less than 42 ring size. Thick is greater than 47 rings. Manufacturers also add common adjectives to the shape name. Gorda, Grande, Gran, Larga, Extra or Double, means they are adding on to the size. Petite, Slim, Finos, or Demi means some sort of reduction to the size.
Common Shapes of Cigars Ascot or Demitasse - about 3 to 5 inches long with a ring gauge between 30 and 36. Smoking time 15-20 minutes. Petite Corona - about 4 1/2 to 5 inches long with a ring gauge between 40 and 44. Smoking time 25 minutes. Robusto or Rothschild - about 4 ½ to 5 inches in length with a ring gauge between 48 and 54. Smoking time 25-40 minutes. Corona - about 5 1/2 inches long with a ring gauge between 40 and 44. Smoking time 30-45 minutes. Corona Extra- about 5 3/4 inches long and a ring gauge between 44 and 46. Smoking time 40 minutes. Panatela - about 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 inches long with a ring gauge between 35 and 39. Smoking time 35-45 minutes. Lonsdale - about 6 to 6 1/2 inches long with a ring gage between 40 and 44.Smoking time 45-50 minutes. Grand Corona - about 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 inches long and a ring gauge between 45 and 47. Smoking time 45 minutes. Churchill- about 6.1/2 to 7 1/2 inches long with a ring gauge between 46 and 48. Smoking time 45-60 minutes. Double Corona- about 6 3/4 to 7 3/4 inches long with a ring gauge between 49 and 54. Smoking time 45-60 minutes. Gigante, President - about 8 ½ to 9 1/2 inches long with a ring gauge between 52 and 60. Smoking time 60-90 minutes. Q: How do I know what size is right for me?
A: You should pick a cigar for the amount of time you have available to smoke. You may smoke different sizes for different occasions. If you are at a sporting event or on a golf course, choose a large cigar that will last for a long time. If you are in a cigar friendly restaurant and you want to have a nice after dinner smoke, choose one that will last about 30-40 minutes. As you experiment with different sizes you may find one that you are most comfortable with.
Q: What are tobacco beetles and how can I prevent infestation? A: Tobacco beetles are bugs that feed on tobacco. They are rare but to those whom they have infected can be very serious, destroying many or all of your cigars in your humidor.They lay their eggs inside the tobacco hatching under certain conditions. They can easily be recognized by the tiny holes that can be found on the outside of your cigar wrapper. Eggs can only hatch at temperatures higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit, so it is important to prevent your humidor from raising higher that that temperature. One of the best methods of prevention is to inspect your inventory often so you can quickly contain any problem. What does Shade Grown Or Sun Grown Mean?
A: These are terms applied to the growing style of wrapper leaves. Shade grown means that tapadas, which are large white fabric sheets, similar to cheesecloth, are suspended 6-10 feet above the entire crop to shield the leaves from direct exposure to sunlight. The opposite of this is to allow the leaves to grow without any protection, directly in the sunlight. The implementation of either procedure will yield completely different wrappers, as the exposure to the sun will affect the amount of sugars and oils the plant produces, the thickness of the veins in the leaf, and ultimately, its color. A common shade grown wrapper color is of a "Clara" color. This has a pale "coffee with cream" color. Many companies will often alternatively refer to this shade as "natural". A common sun grown wrapper color is "Maduro", which has a hue of dark or black coffee.
Q: Why is the wrapper leaf so special?
A: The wrapper is a very delicate leaf, and is only one layer thick around the cigar. It contributes a large percentage to the overall flavor of the cigar. Wrapper leaves can be grown in many places on the globe, and each variety contributes its own characteristics towards the cigar's flavor. A wrapper leaf is evaluated on the thinness of its veins, its oily sheen, its even coloring, and most importantly, its unblemished appearance. In order to achieve and maintain these desired characteristics, the leaves are often carefully and skillfully handled several hundred times from picking, curing, stripping, aging, and rolling.
Q: How is tobacco cured?
A: Curing tobacco is a sensitive process that depends on techniques and traditions that are hundreds of years old. Following the harvest, tobacco is removed from the fields and placed in large bulk piles within a curing shed. This shed will have several barn doors in the front and rear, and many doorways running along the sides. There are also vents on the upper portions of the structure. The purpose of all these openings is to control the interior temperature and humidity. By opening or closing the apertures, workers are able to counterbalance the effect of wind and sun exposure on the structure. Each bulk is about the size of a large haystack. Inside these piles, heat is created as a by-product of the chemical reactions taking place. The core temperature is monitored daily and the piles are rotated inside out frequently to prevent the raw tobacco from cooking. This part of the fermentation is referred to as "sweating". These bulks may be turned many times during the following months until this stage is complete. It is during this sweating process that the tobacco releases ammonia and other undesirable elements. The tobacco is then put into rectangular bails, each about 150 pounds, and stored for a minimum of one year. Many producers will store it for much longer periods of 3-5 years.
Q: Can I over-humidify my cigars. A: It is a common mistake many people make. Over-humidification will cause premium cigars to become soggy, wrinkled and difficult to draw. To prevent this, monitor the humidity level of your humidor. The optimal humidity level should be 70%. Hygrometers help in monitoring your humidity with most digital units measuring temperature too. Inspect & feel your cigars to also sense their condition. They are a great quick way of telling you of your humidor environment. Q: What does Corojo mean?
A: Corojo (pronounced: kawr-oh-ho) is the name given to a specific variety of tobacco plant that was originally developed in the VueltaAbajoValley in Cuba. It is named after the plantation that first grew it, called El Corojo Vega. The leaf?s thin, oily texture, along with its small thin veins, make it the pinnacle for a wrapper leaf on the highest rated of the Cuban brands. This farm had a unique combination of mineral content in the soil, irrigation, drainage, and exposure that allowed the plant to thrive. The plant is very temperamental and delicate, and only survived when planted in the valley of its origin. Most attempts to relocate the seeds to other tobacco growing regions in both Cuba and other Caribbean nations are met with crop failure. Within the last 5 or 6 years, there have been only two growers, both in a valley in Bonao, Dominican Republic, who have been able to harvest successful crops of the Corojo variety. The characteristics of this valley duplicate those of the original Cuban plantation. The wrappers cultivated from this plant are often designated as "Rosado" shade, which is a very rare, reddish tint.
Q: Are the leaves really grown in Connecticut?
A: Absolutely. The Connecticut RiverValley region, located in the northeast corner of the state, and extending into lower Massachusetts, grows a good portion of the "Claro"or natural wrappers. Another type of Connecticut wrapper is the Broad leaf variety. This will have a darker, Mauro shade to it. Q: How do you know where a cigar is from?
A: A cigar's country of origin is classified by where it was rolled, regardless of where the wrapper, binder, or filler is from. Typically, the filler tobacco is usually grown in the same country as where the cigar is made. This is not an absolute rule, as cigars rolled in the US, (typically, Miami or Tampa regions) must import all of their filler. Many cigars companies are now expanding their composition to include up to 7 different varieties from all parts of the worlds growing regions. Another exception is Honduran and Nicaraguan cigars, as their native grown fillers are often too harsh to be used exclusively, and are typically blended with Dominican filler in order to produce an acceptable smoke.