Structure of a Cigar

A cigar has three parts: filler, binder and wrapper.

The Filler gives a cigar its essential flavor. There are three different types of tobacco leaf that are normally used for the filler.

Ligero leaves, from the top of the plant, are dark and full in flavor. They have to be matured for at least three years before they can be used in cigars. Ligero tobacco is always placed in the middle of the cigar, because it burns slowly. If it is placed too near the wrapper, the cigar will burn unevenly.

Seco leaves, from the middle of the plant, are much lighter in color and flavor. They are usually used after maturing for around 18 months.

Volado leaves, from the bottom of the plant, have little or no flavor, but they have good burning qualities. They are matured for about nine months before use.

The Binder encloses the filler and gives the cigar its proper shape and size. Binders usually come from the bottom part of the plant, where the leaves are thicker and more robust.

The Wrapper is the outermost leaf of a cigar. Because its appearance is especially important, the quality of the wrapper is crucial in any cigar and generally, can account for up to 70 percent of the value of the tobacco. A good wrapper should have flavor and steady-burning qualities. Smokers examine a cigar for its appealing appearance, texture and aroma and this is where a good wrapper justifies its high cost.

Handmade vs. Machine-made

The essential difference between handmade and machine-made cigars lies in the fact that, on the whole, most machine-made cigars aren't made with long fillers (fillers which run the whole length of the cigar) but with short fillers, which make the drawing and burning quality significantly inferior (they burn faster and become hotter). The quality of wrappers on machine-made cigars is also usually inferior to those used on the best handmade cigars.
Handmade cigars are so much more expensive than machine-made cigars quite simply because they take longer to make, are labor-intensive, and use much more expensively produced and matured leaves. The hand making process also leads to some waste.

The difference between cigar types

Machine-made: The filler is made from scraps of leaf.

Handmade: Filler, binder, and wrapper. Note the long filler that runs the length of the cigar.

Making a Cigar

Rolling

The first step is to put the filler and binder, called the bunch, together. Filler leaves are crimped in an accordion style so they lie neatly and flatly over one another. This ensures even disbursement of the tobacco and creates horizontal air canals, which allow for an easy draw. It is also important that there is no soft spots that would make the cigar burn unevenly. Too much tobacco in the filler will prevent an easy draw, while too little tobacco will make the cigar burn too hot. Binder leaves complete the bunch and give the cigar its shape. They should be elastic enough to comfortably hold the filler tobacco.

The next step is to place the bunch into molds to ensure that they retain their shape.

The molds vary in size according to the shape desired. The bunches are then turned in the molds and pressed for another 10 minutes.

The finishing touch to a cigar is the addition of a wrapper. The leaf should be elastic and very thin, and must be carefully trimmed in accordance with the size of the cigar.

Storage
Cigars that meet all requirements are stored for several weeks to establish the ideal humidity level and allow the exchange of flavors between the different tobaccos used in the blend.

How to Choose a Cigar

Introduction
Like any of life's great pleasures - eating, drinking and smoking - the final word on cigars is, to each his own. Experts might make general pronouncements - for example, that a certain size or strength must be smoked at a certain time of day: a mild cigar in the morning, a medium one after lunch, a stronger one after dinner. But that is truly a matter of taste and preference.

The great Zino Davidoff offered the last word on choosing a cigar: "What is most important is to be sure of your taste. You can understand now why my response to the usual question, "Monsieur Davidoff, what do you suggest?" is always so evasive. After all, you select according to color, shape, brand name, and eventually you will be attracted to one or two cigars that seem right.

Cigars at Various Times of Day
Whether different cigars are suitable for a different time of day is again a matter of preference. Usually an aficionado will smoke small, mild cigars during the day before enjoying a large, rich cigar in the evening.

Cigars and Beverages
A wide choice of beverages can complement cigars. Cognac, a traditional companion, can add greatly to the smoking experience. "Light" alcohol such as wines and champagnes or stronger alcohol such as Single malt Scotches, whiskeys, ports, Armagnacs and brandies. Some nonalcoholic drinks pair well with cigars, including fine coffees (cappuccinos and espressos) and tea. Experiment with different drinks while smoking, and decide what's most enjoyable to you. But be careful that what you drink is not stronger than what you smoke or it will "kill" the aroma of your cigar.

From Beginner to Connoisseur
As a general rule, cigars with larger ring gauges tend to be fuller flavored (there is normally more ligero and less volado in the blend), smoke more smoothly and slowly, and heat up less quickly than those with small ring gauges. They also tend to be better made than the smaller ones. Cigars with small ring gauges often have little or no ligero tobacco in the filler blends. Large ring gauge cigars are almost always the preferred choice - if there is no hurry - of connoisseurs or experienced cigar smokers.

The beginner; however, is advised to choose a relatively small cigar, say a trés petit corona or panetela, and then move up to the bigger sizes of a mild brand. A Lonsdale is probably the best cigar above the corona size to move up to when you feel you have gone beyond the beginner stage.

The color of a cigar's wrapper (the part of the filler that you can see) will give you more clues, though it is not infallible since the filler blend is the key, to its flavor. As a rule of thumb, the darker a cigar, the more full-bodied and (since darker wrappers contain more sugar) sweeter it is likely to be. Cigars, if properly stored, continue to mature and ferment in their cedar boxes. This aging process, during which a cigar loses acidity, is not unlike the maturing of good wine. Fuller bodied cigars, particularly those with big ring gauges, tend to age better than milder ones.

Storing Cigars

Like fine wine, a fine cigar must be kept in an environment that protects it from changes in humidity, temperature, light and intrusive odors. A humidor case is the best solution for storing cigars. A lot of humidor makers have developed humidors with built in regulators, that automatically maintain the interior of the case at a relative humidity of 70%-72% and temperature of 21°C.

The Band

Whether or not to remove the band is a matter of controversy. Since cigar bands are manually put onto most hand-made cigars, there is always the chance that these bands will stick to the wrapper and damage the cigar. Therefore, it is highly recommended to leave the band on for at least the first third of the cigar so that the glue gets hot to make it easier to remove without damaging the wrapper.

Ring Gauge

A standard industry measurement for the diameter of a cigar in 64ths of an inch. A cigar with a 52 ring gauge, for example, measures 52/64ths of an inch in diameter. The ring gauge for figurados shaped cigars may be written as 46/49, as they are not straight-sided, or have a tapered head or foot.

Cigar Bugs

Although all tobacco should be fumigated, it is still sometimes possible for cigar bugs to escape fumigation and lie dormant in the leaf of your cigar. The only way to deal with this problem is to throw out all damaged cigars and then to thoroughly clean and aerate your humidor. Place all undamaged cigars in a plastic ziplock bag. After sealing, put it in the freezer for three days. Then remove the cigars and thaw them out slowly, preferable in a refrigerator first and then at normal room temperature, until the whole body of the cigar has reached room temperature. But don't thaw them too quickly; otherwise, the wrapper will split. If done properly, your cigars will be back to normal and the dreaded enemy will have been destroyed. However, remember, this should be the first and last time that you should put your cigars in a refrigerator.

Art of Making a European Hand-made Wooden Humidor (Davidoff, Elie Bleu, Avo...)

The selection and preparation of the solid wood used are of great importance. Indeed, before it can be used, the wood must cure for at least ten years in open air, sheltered from bad weather. It must neither be cracked nor warped. It must be uniform and have a fine grain.

The beauty of an "objet de luxe" also depends on the way the essences of the precious wood veneer are used. Certain natural imperfections in the wood, such as knots, dark spots, holes, cracks, are part of most veneers, notably burls. Only the most beautiful grained veneers are chosen to avoid what the uninitiated might consider a "defect."

Marquetry is made by assembling and gluing together different essences of geometrically cut precious wood, creating, through their varying tones and forms, a multitude of motifs.

Numerous fine coats of varnish are applied to every one of the creations. Their inimitable brilliance and transparency are obtained by the successive sanding and polishing eight times by hand.