Cigar Types

A Simple Guide To The ‘Types of Cigars’…

If you are new to cigar smoking, the vast selection of styles and sizes can be bewildering at first. The first thing you should know is cigars are broken down into two categories: parejos and figuardos.

The first group, parejos, are cigars which are, for the most part, straight. Parejos are divided into three subcategories: corona, panatela, and Lonsdale. Coronas are probably the most popular and come in a variety of styles to choose from. They are known for their round head and open foot, or tip. Panatelas are longer and thicker than Coronas. Lonsdales are longer than Coronas as well, but they are the thinnest of the three.

Figurados are the second main category of cigars. Figuardos are more irregular in shape and not exactly straight, as if they are each made by hand to be only slightly off. Belicoso cigars are the smallest of the figuardos. They have small, rounded heads, and a larger foot. The Pyramid has, as the name would suggest, a pointed head which taper off to a large foot. The Perfecto cigar is tapered on the head and feet and thinner in the middle. The Diademas is the largest of the figuardos and is commonly known as the ‘giant’ among cigars as it is eight or more inches longer than any other cigar.

Real Cuban Cigars

Picking Out the Imposters…

It is widely known Cuban cigars are the most popular of all cigars, famous for their smooth, rich flavors and taste. Cuban cigars are so popular and sought after that many shady people will try to make some money selling fake Cuban cigars to eager buyers. So, how do you know if what you are getting is real or fake? The first step is to always make sure you are buying from legitimate retailers. It is always best to stick to your local tobacco store or smoke shop. Some mail order services also have a good reputation for selling authentic products as well.

But to ensure don’t buy fake Cuban cigars and if you find yourself in a position to purchase an alleged box of Cuban cigars, take some time to carefully inspect the contents of the box before forking over the cash. Below are a few extra tips to help you tell the difference between the imitations and the real deal.

The first, and most important, thing to look at is the actual box the cigars come in. If the box is an authentic Cuban cigar box, there is a green and white warranty seal on the front, left side of the box. This seal contains a symbol bearing the picture of a shield and a hat. Take a look at the upper right hand corner of the box, a diagonal sticker containing the word ‘Habanos’ should be there. Overall the box should look clean, neat, and presentable. If you see any damage, smudges, frayed ends, or marks don’t waste your time. The color should be sharp not dull. If the box is in bad shape, there is a good chance the cigars have been damaged in transit. The green and white warranty seal is located on the right hand side of the box for Cohiba, Trinidad, and Q’dorsay cigar brands.

Flip the box over and you should see the word ‘Habons’, burnt into the wood. If you suspect a rubber stamp or paper label has been used, they are not real. There should also be a code stamp from the factory on the bottom stamped in green, blue, or black ink indicated the city and date the cigars were rolled.

If allowed, open up the box and smell the tobacco. Cuban cigars have a distinct smell to them; deep and rich a true cigar enthusiast would know instantly. If the smell is weak or smells off, you probably are not holding authentic Cuban cigars. Every cigar needs to face the same direction and the top row may appear flattened which is normal. All the caps should be the same and each foot should have a smooth cut. The rings on each cigar should all look alike and arranged to all face the same direction. If you are able, press on each cigar, feeling for hard or soft spots. Each cigar should give a little, but be mainly firm.

International Havana Cigars

International Cigars : Cigars From Around the World

Most people who have ever smoked a cigar have tried the famous Cuban cigar. How can you tell if your cigar is Cuban or from some other country? For those who are just beginning to dabble in the cigar world, it’s important to note that each country produces a unique cigar. Every cigar (or international cigar) has its own flavor, taste, and character. The uniqueness of each different cigar has a lot to do with the countries quality of soil and the process of producing and rolling the tobacco.

There are significant varieties based on the region the cigar comes from. Here are some tips for learning the differences of the world’s flavors. Cuban cigars are known for their smooth, creamy flavors. They are among the most famous international cigars based on their high quality and rich flavors.

International cigars include Central American countries such as Honduras and Nicaragua have cigars. These international cigars have strong and rich flavors. Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and other Caribbean countries are known for mild flavored cigars.

You can look at the diameter and length of a cigar to further determine its overall flavor, no matter which country it comes from. Cigars with thicker diameters tend to have richer flavors. The longer the cigar the cooler the flavor will be.

Cigar Ashtray

Check Out That Cigar Ashtray

Is there a way to know if your cigar is high quality? There is actually, check the ashtray, the left over ashes can tell a lot about the quality of the cigar they came from. Below are listed some guidelines to follow in order to figure out the quality of your cigars.

The first thing to look for is how quickly your cigar burns. Cigars that burn fast and leave ashes that are easily broken apart, signifies low quality. Take a look at the ashes, if they seem messy and stick together too much this also is a sign of a low quality cigar. One last thing to check is the color. The ash color should not change, if it does, the mixture of tobacco leaves might be a poor, low quality.

A high quality cigar is one that is firmly packed, burns slowly, and has stiff ash. This stiff ash should stay intact and build up to two or three inches long, staying on the cigar and not breaking apart. A high quality cigar will burn clear down to the nub. The taste will change the closer to the nub the cigar burns. You can often let the cigar burn on its own for a bit, to get past the bitter spots.

One Way To Light A Cigar

4 Tips On How to Light a Cigar

If you are new to smoking cigars lighting up can be an intimidating task. Here are four guidelines to follow geared to making you look like a pro, even if it is your first time.

1. Cedar matches work best; however, if you’re more comfortable with a lighter, it should be butane to keep strong odors at bay.
2. Slowly, warm up the foot of the cigar (the open end), over the flame, but don’t let it touch the fire. Allow a black ring to shape around the end.
3. Placing the cigar in your mouth, slowly inhale. Keep the cigar over about half an inch over the flame, but don’t touch the fire. Continue to inhale until a flame appears on the end of the cigar. Slowly, spin the cigar around the flame so it burns evenly.
4. As soon as the cigar appears lit, remove it from your mouth and take a look at the burn around the end. You want the burn to be even, so if it is not even blow on any unlit areas to pull out the burn. You may need to take a couple pulls from the cigar to establish an even burn.

Learning how to smoke a cigar is important if you want to enjoy the full flavor of one. If you will be smoking it around other people then you don’t want to seem inexperienced in this area. You need to start out by making sure you understand the right way to cut one. You want to cut the head of it no more than 1/8 of an inch. This way your cigar doesn’t unravel as you smoke it.

Lighting it up is another important aspect of how to smoke a cigar. It isn’t the same as lighting up a cigarette. A butane lighter is the best source of accomplishing this with ease. With the cigar in your mouth you want to place the flame right under it. You never want the flame to actually come into contact with your cigar. Instead you are going to puff and at the same time rotate the cigar with the flame underneath it.

This process can take about 30 seconds to complete so don’t rush it. You want to continue the process until the rim is lit and you can see smoke coming from it. You can relax once it is lit and enjoy your cigar to the fullest. You want to continue to rotate it and to puff on it for about one minute. Make sure you don’t inhale the smoke during this process. If you also smoke cigarettes that can be an instinctive habit and one that you definitely don’t want to take part in when you are smoking a cigar.

You want to consume your cigar slowly and savor the flavor of it. When you are smoking it too fast the heat will destroy the flavor that is offered. Many people wonder how far down to smoke a cigar. This is a personal choice and not something you need to worry about with how to smoke a cigar. Most people though will leave the last 1 inch to ½ inch of the cigar.

It does take some time to learn how to smoke a cigar. If you are intimidated to do it in front of others, practice at home in front of a mirror. Before you know it you will have the process down. You will also be doing it in a manner that allows you to get the full benefit of any cigar you happen to choose to smoke.

Here’s How to Roll a Cigar…

Learning how to roll a cigar can be fun and it doesn’t have to be time consuming once you get the hang of it. Many people do this so that they get the exact flavor that they want from cigars. This process also is less expensive than buying them already made. Part of how to roll a cigar though involves making sure you use high quality products. Otherwise the end results will be a disappointment to you.

How to Roll a Cigar Step 1: Keep in mind that different tobacco has a different strength to it. You will want to use a different type of tobacco for your filler, your binder, and your wrapper. Choose the type of tobacco leaf you want for your cigar and moisten it. Seal it up in a plastic bag for an hour or two. Gently squeeze the contents inside of the bag so that they will squeeze together. You want to let it sit in that format for another hour or two. Then you can remove it from the plastic bag to dry out.

How to Roll a Cigar Step 2: When your leaf tobacco is ready, lay out the binder you are using. Then get the filler and spread it out in a line the length of the size you want your cigars. You will also need to pay attention to how thick you want it to be. This is one area of how to roll a cigar that you will need to experiment with. As time goes by you will have a better idea of how much tobacco leaf you need for each cigar you wish to make.

How to Roll a Cigar Step 3: Your binder and filler will be very brittle so you need to be careful with it. You want to place them into the oven for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. This will be the process for drying them out. To help your cigars keep their shape you want to have a cigar block which you can either make or you can purchase.

How to Roll a Cigar Step 4: After they cool from the oven you are ready to add the wrapper. For the best results you want to have a thin wrapper. You will find that different types also have a different texture to them. You may want to try out a couple of wrappers so you can make up your mind which you like the best. To keep your wrapper in place you can use glue or even egg whites to keep it securely in place.

Through the process of trial and error you will get better with how to roll a cigar. You will find what works well for you and what doesn’t. You can also experiment with different combinations of tobacco to develop a taste you enjoy very much from your cigars.

Nothing is more disappointing than realizing your cigars have dried out. Before you toss them out though you need to know there are ways that you can remedy the situation. With a bit of effort you can learn how to put moisture back in dry cigars. Since cigars will slowly lose their moisture, that is the way you want to put it back – through a slow process. If you do it all at once you will only further ruin your cigars.

How to Put Moisture Back in Dry Cigars Part 1: One of the best ways of how to put moisture back in dry cigars is to use a humidor. This is a type of box that will be able to retain moisture and that you can buy for a very reasonable price. They come in a variety of sizes. Some of the humidors out there will hold about 10 cigars. Others though will hold several thousand so it depends on what your needs are.

This will allow them to get about 70% humidity. However, the length of time they will need to go through this process will vary. It depends on the types of cigars, the size of them, and how long they have been dried out. You want to handle your dried out cigars as little as possible too. If you handle them too much they will crack and that can result in damage that can’t be repaired even when more moisture is added to the cigars.

How to Put Moisture Back in Dry Cigars Part 2: There are some other home methods that you can use for how to put moisture back in dry cigars. However, they generally aren’t going to give you the same results as the humidor. If you don’t have one though you can try these other methods. Placing the dry cigars in a plastic bag with all but a corner sealed can help. You will want to place a small piece of apple or a small corner of a clean sponge with water in the bag to offer the moisture.

Within a couple of days your dry cigars should have the right amount of moisture in them again. Many people believe that the taste has already been ruined but you will find that isn’t the case when you re-introduce the moisture slowly through that process. It is a great way to avoid tossing out cigars that you spent money on or you took the time to make.

If you are interested in how to make a cigar blunt, you will be interested to learn there are some effective methods for doing so. Many people assume that the process is just too difficult or time consuming. Yet once you get the hang of it the process is quite simple and it won’t take very long to complete either.

Many retailers that sell cigars also offer blunt wraps which come with a slit at the top where you can easily put the tobacco in. Many people like this process of how to make a cigar blunt. However, it can be hard at first. You want to make sure you use less tobacco than the diameter of the blunt wrap. This way you have room to seal it up. You also want to use dry blunt wraps as they are easier to work with than the moist ones.

Another option of how to make a cigar blunt is to buy any brand of cigars that come with a wooden tip on them. With a sharp blade cut the cigar lengthwise. Carefully remove the tobacco that is in there and fill it up with what you want to have in it. Use some glue or egg whites to seal it back up. Keep in mind that the type of cigar you use for this is going to greatly influence the overall flavor you get with the new tobacco you have placed inside of it.

To make the process of how to make a cigar blunt easier, you need to look for a couple of things. The cigars you cut open don’t have to be expensive as some people believe. However, they do need to be fresh and they need to be moist. If they are old and dry they will crumble as you cut them and remove the tobacco. You also won’t be able to get them to seal up again properly.

You definitely want to take your time though with how to make a cigar blunt. If you don’t’ do a good job with that process it won’t matter how good of quality the tobacco inside of it is. That is because it will be very difficult for you to smoke it. With some practice though you will get better at it. Before you know it your cigars will be looking nice and be perfect for you to enjoy smoking them.