Be a Cigar Smoking Professional

Even before you know what you’re doing, you can ‘look the part’ of an accomplished cigar smoker.  These are the four essential items you will want to have.

1. CIGAR CUTTERS

There are just some things a cigar smoker can’t do without. This is one of ‘em.  Sure you can chew off the end of your cigar (like they do in the movies) and just spit it out, but nothing says you’re a true connoisseur better than pulling out your own personal cigar cutter.  (Also see How to Cut a Cigar). Read more

How are Cigars Made?

Let’s start at the beginning…

Fun fact:  Two tablespoons of seed can produce 10 acres of cigar tobacco!

First comes the harvesting of the leaves, in itself a thoughtful and careful process.  Leaves that are harvested from the bottom of plants (Valdo) have the mildest flavor.  Middle level leaves (Seco) which are the largest leaves and some say best tasting, deliver milder flavor, while the top leaves (Corona) have the greatest exposure to the sun, and therefore the most pronounced taste.

Fun Fact: Valdo, Seco, and Corona only apply to Sun Grown tobacco. In Cuba, wrapper tobacco that is grown in the shade (under cloth) is called Ligero (light), Seco (dry), Amarillo (yellow), and Viso (Glossy).

These pre-sorted leaves are re-sorted according to size and texture.  They’re bundled and hung to dry (cure) for 6-8 weeks.  During curing, the tobacco leaves must be able to release moisture and (sweat or ferment) rid themselves of toxins like ammonia and other chemicals that develop during the process.  If proper fermentation has not occurred during curing, the resulting tobacco will not burn steadily and will have a harsh, bitter taste.

In preparing premium cigars, the blender will carefully sort and strip the three components of a smoke – the filler, the binder and the wrapper.  All this must be completed prior to the creation of the unique combination (recipe) of tobacco and wrapper that will result in a perfect smoke.

The blender assembles a special combination of tobacco leaves to make the filler.  Depending on the type of cigar, its size and ring gauge, there may be as few as two and as many of four tobacco leaves in the mix.  Blending is an art unto itself.

The next art is shaping, and the ‘hand’ of the expert is revealed in a consistent shape and texture.  A buncher forms the filler leaves into a neat cylindrical shape.  A binder leaf comes next.  Then, the entire cigar is placed into a mold to gently and slowly ‘massage’ it into a perfect cigar shape.

When the shape has been achieved, a roller applies the outer wrapper leaf of tobacco and voila – cigar perfection…almost.

After the cigar maker has ‘introduced’ the elements of the cigar to one another, the stogies are placed in the “marrying room” for a 3-week (minimum) honeymoon together.  The ‘marrying room’ is actually a tobacco aging room, usually made of cedar, in which temperature and humidity are carefully controlled. During this time, Nature brings the various tobacco components together to synthesize their best qualities into the richly layered taste of a fine cigar.  Lots of things go into how cigars smoke with this being an important step! It is not uncommon for some growers to skip this process – a serious mistake to true cigar connoisseurs.

How to Refresh a Dry Smoke…

It takes only a few weeks for a cigar to become dry in adverse conditions, but it takes a few months to restore them.  And although dry cigars could be brought back to an acceptable smoking condition, they will probably never be as good as they originally were.

So an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Don’t let a good cigar go bad.  Read up on humidors and storage options on this website. Read more

How to Size up a Cigar

Not sure what size is what?

Click on this handy chart!

How to Blow Smoke Rings

The term “blowing a smoke ring” is something of a misnomer and probably the reason many cigar smokers fail when attempting their creation.  Most people think they have to exhale to form a ring when, in fact, just the opposite is true. Read more

How Long Does it Take to Smoke a Cigar?

This is a surprisingly common question I get but it is an almost impossible answer. My friend Tommy laughs when I can make a smoke last as long as the “recommended smoke time.”

In a nutshell, the bigger they are the longer they smoke (like you had to go to a Cigar site to figure that out, huh?). Ok, ok, here are few benchmarks…

Presidente (8” – 10”) – about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Double Corona, Churchill, Lonsdale (7 ½” – 8”) – about 45 minutes to an hour.

Corona Grandes, Corona Extra, Rubusto, Belicoso, Pyramid (5”-7”) – about 30 – 45 minutes.

Petite Corona, Culebra, Ascot – under 30 minutes.

How to Age a Cigar

Whether or not you choose to age your cigars – in a humidor, a tupperdor, an igloodor, or a ziplock freezer bag — is strictly a matter of personal choice.  Cigars are like wines – some people like the simple bright taste of the latest Beaujolais Nouveau, while others favor the deep, rich flavor of a vintage Cabernet Sauvignon.  It’s a matter of taste – YOURS. Read more

How to Cut a Cigar

 

Here’s the skinny on using a simple, single-blade cutter:

A cigar has two ends – the Foot (already cut) and the Head (sealed and uncut). You will be cutting the head. Read more

Hold the Mold!

Mold!

Horrors!  You open your humidor to grab and smoke and what do you find?  Mold!  To break the “mold-cycle,” you’ll need to get all potentially contaminated cigars out of your “regular” system while you clean it out.  

While you’re cleaning your humidor, you’ll have to find temporary quarters for your cigars.  First, wipe off the contaminated cigars with a clean paper towel, slightly moistened with distilled water. (Be careful – you don’t want to get the cigars any soggier than they already are!)  Separate the cigars you know were contaminated from the others. Smoke them as soon as possible. Read more

Thank You for Ordering Cigar Secrets

Thank you for ordering the Cigar Secrets eBook. Typically we will email you the book the same day but always within 24 hours. If you do not receive it in that time, please contact me directly at Fred@Diversifiedinvestment.com

All the best,

Fred