Cigars 101 - A Guide For The Cigar Novice (And What to Buy a Cigar Lover!)

Cigars and cigar smokers have been around for many years. But how many people know enough about cigars to really get the best from their habit?

Perhaps you are just learning about cigars or you love the smell of a cigar in the background. If you want to take part is this art form (because it is more than just a habit) learn about it thoroughly. Perhaps you have a cigar lover in your family to buy for. If that is the case, you can find some excellent options by just learning more about cigar smoking and the passion that smokers have about it. 

Since the 1800s, we have always heard of Cuban cigars with nothing but high praise. Anyone that started smoking cigars would automatically want "Cuban cigars" because of their reputation for their exquisite taste. Another appeal of the Cuban is the illicit appeal - the fact that due to the cigar embargo, most of them are actually illegal in the United States. Forbidden things are always more attractive, unfortunately, and it seems cigars are no exception!

With all the problems the Cuban government and tobacco industry has had to deal with through the years, the Cuban cigar industry has declined to an almost completely nonexistent state. Many avid and dedicated cigar smokers have determined that the Dominican, Honduran and Nicaraguan premium cigars have everything that the Cuban cigars do – and for less money to boot! So nowadays, there are still many places that sell Cuban cigars, but they no longer control the market so to speak, as they used to as far as taste and quality were concerned.

As with cigarettes, most cigar smokers have their own certain favorite brands, but will also smoke a cheaper brand for everyday if they like the taste. What many cigar smokers don't realize is that in order for the cigar to taste its best, they do require a certain kind of maintenance. Just as perishable food will spoil if not refrigerated, so will cigars spoil if not kept in a proper container - a humidor. Many people mistakenly feel that a humidor is just a box for storage – any old box! A humidor, however, is much more than just a box, it's to your cigar what a refrigerator is to your fresh food.

When a cigar is rolled, it is made up of many layers of tobacco leaves rolled together. If the humidity is not right, it will affect the flavor of the cigar. The importance of a humidor is that it keeps the inside of the cigar at the required environment - 70 degrees Farenheit, and 70% humidity. If the humidity starts to lessen, the outside of the cigar will dry out, but the inside will still remain damp at first. The result will be the outside layers will shrink, and the inside tobacco will swell - causing the dry outside to split open. This causes a cigar to lose its flavor. By having the proper humidity levels that a good quality humidor provides, you will get better burning speed, less heat and therefore ultimately more flavor. It is also important that the humidor be in good condition, so that it closes properly without letting air get inside.

Therefore, cheaper cigars can possibly taste as good as less well-looked after more expensive ones, if they are properly stored and taken care of. It's a known fact that the longer cigars are kept in a properly shut humidor, the more flavor they will develop over time.

There are so many different brands of cigars; it's hard to choose what type to smoke. After doing a little research and talking with friends that smoke cigars, you can learn a little about cigars, prices of cigars and flavor. Most people do say you can get really good flavor from a cheap cigar.

If you're just beginning to smoke a cigar and aren't sure what brand you are going to like, don't go out and spend a couple of hundred dollars on cigars you may not want or enjoy, just because someone tells you they are the "best Cuban cigars" or some similar statement. Resist the temptation to follow recommendations too strictly – this is like food, a matter of taste!

Here are a couple of cheap cigars you can get easily and try until you decide what you really want to stick with. Keep in mind that cheaper prices for cigars are usually available if you buy them by the box rather than individually or in small packs.

• Arturo Fuente Curly Head is a Dominican hand-made cigar, that is available for around $1.50 per stick. They don't have bands on them, but have a mild flavor and consistent draw. Arturo Fuente makes many kinds of cigars, with some of them rated the best in the world. Cigars with their brand name on are not likely to be poor, even if they are economical in price. The Curly Head is one of their cheaper cigars (do not confuse with the Curly Head Deluxe…), but is a great buy, considering it's a Fuente brand.

• The Excalibur No. 5 is a cigar made in the Honduras by Hoyo de Monterrey, and many expensive cigars don't taste as good as this $3.25 cigar. The size is 6 ¼ x 45 (ring gauge). The Excalibur also makes other cigars in this number group (No. 1, 2,3,4,6 and 7), with the difference being in the dimensions. The No. 5 has a very tasty mild to medium flavor, and will only get better as it ages in the humidor.

• The Baccarat Luchadores are very mild cigars, with a smooth draw and sweet taste at the beginning. The bad part is they tend to burn too fast, and start to lose their flavor halfway through. They do have an excellent taste though, and at under $2 each, they may still be worth getting. They also don't seem to benefit from a humidor, but taste great straight from the box (which just happens to be great news if you don't actually own a humidor yet!).

• Punch Grand Cru Robusto is a shorter cigar with a larger ring gauge (5 ¼ x50), with a mild to medium taste and excellent construction. They are Honduran cigars with good tobacco, that need to be in humidors for a few months to bring out the maximum flavor. They are available in smaller ring gauges, but the wider gauge gives the cigar better draw, as well as more flavor. Many cigar smokers recommend Punch as an excellent brand of cigar.

• Flor de Oliva Torpedo made by Oliva, only costs about $1.50 a stick, and has a mild to medium flavor that is slightly sweet. The Oliva Company has been making cigars for years, with tobacco used by many premium cigars. The Torpedo is an excellent buy for a good taste.

• Punch Bolos are a small cigar (4 3/16 x36) that are made in Honduras, and sell for about $1 each or $29 per tin of 30 cigars. Again, it's a Punch brand like the Grand Cru Robusto, and included here as having good value and great taste. Although small, they have a very good taste that is medium to full flavor. This cigar is recommended for the more experienced cigar smoker. With its small size, you won't have a long smoke, anyways!

• Mr. B Lonsdale Maduro is a cigar made in Nicaragua, that retails for about $13 a bundle - for 20 cigars. Their size 6x43 are the least expensive, but probably the best value for an everyday cigar. They have a mild to medium flavor, that gets mellower after aging a few months in the humidor. They are a little rustic looking, but the draw and taste make these a great choice for the cigar smoker not wishing to spend a lot of money, yet wanting good flavor.

Many smokers want to graduate to more expensive cigars, some for the taste, others because they feel they are getting a better cigar because it's a little more expensive. So here are some slightly more upmarket recommendations:

• The Bolivar Royal Corona is a smaller cigar (4 1/7x 50) that's a full flavor, full strength cigar. It is known for its spicy as well as woody taste. They average around $9 per stick, so you may want to make this last. It was named Cigar of the year in 2006 by Cigar Aficionado magazine. It's definitely not a cigar to be smoked on an empty stomach or first thing in the morning, though! Overall, it always receives excellent reviews by smokers.

• The Cohiba is a newer cigar that was introduced in 1969 and was supposed to be for the Cuban officials, but they began being marketed publicly in 1982. Many of these have been aged for a couple of years, and have a very robust and aromatic flavor that only the experienced cigar smoker can enjoy. The Cohiba has an entire family of cigars, with each one offering something a little different as far as flavor, size and strength. These are expensive cigars with a price of around $216 (U.S.) for twelve cigars.

• One of the Cohiba brand cigars, the Edicion Limitada 2003 Prominentes was rated as the #1 cigar in the world in a recent review. It sells for about $20 each, but serious cigar smokers feel it's worth the price, with its great flavor. It has an earthy and nutty taste that seems to mature and get better the longer it stays in the humidor. Some of the participants in the reviews of this cigar claimed this was the best cigar they had ever smoked.

As we mentioned earlier, you may want to try a couple of these cigars before you rush out and purchase an entire box. Many of the premium cigars are very expensive and have an excellent taste. However, you may also find one you like at a cheaper cost, too. If you go to a store that sells cigars, they may recommend different brands for you. An excellent idea is to check out all the excellent sites on the internet that will have reviews and ratings of cigars, as well as a description of each one. Many cigar companies online will sell samplers. That's a great way for you to sample the different cigars in small quantities, for what is usually a lower cost as well.

There are many available cigar accessories for the serious cigar smokers. The purpose of the cigar accessories is to enhance the pleasure of cigar smoking. Some of the more common accessories include a cigar box for storing the cigars when not in the humidor. Many people might remember the old cigar box from a grandfather. You probably used it for storing baseball cards or change. A cigar cutter is another important cigar accessory, used for cutting into the cigar. There is a correct way to slit the end of the cigar to give you the maximum in flavor. Cutters come in different styles, depending on the cigar, and how you wish to use the cutter. The double-bladed cigar cutter is the one most recommended for optimum flavor of your cigar. With cigar smoking, flavor is what it's all about.

by Julie-Ann Amos, professional writer, and owner of international writing agency www.ExquisiteWriting.com

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