Cigars 101: Introduction

<So you want to try cigars?

It can be hard to know where to start when choosing a first cigar.  Many people start on a gas station brand of cigars such as Swishers.  This is the bottom of the barrel with cigars, and not representative of the full enjoyment one can receive from cigars – to believe that one is having the Cigar Experience with a gas station brand is like believing one is having a quality lager experience from a Budweiser.  For the beginner, this introduction is for you, so you can have some idea of what to look for in cigars as begin to grasp an appreciation for the finer points.

A much better place to start out at is at your local tobacconist shop (“cigar store” for the layman), or some place sporting a proper humidor, such as some restaurants, clubs and bars.  A proper humidor is at minimum a cabinet or box properly humidified, and will more likely be a separate, climate-controlled room.  Things to avoid are plexiglass boxes on counters, racks, and jars with cigars in them.  In such items, even quality cigars will have dried out and will not give you a representative smoke, but will instead give you an acidic, acrid smoke.

There is a slew of terminology for cigars which can be intimidating for someone just casually interested in trying a cigar.  Luckily, knowing a great depth of the nomenclature is unnecessary, and even cigar enthusiasts will rarely know most of the terms.  To choose a cigar, one can simply walk into a tobacconist and ask for their opinion, but it is helpful to have some idea of what to ask about.

Basic Cigar Nomeclature – Wrapper (Strength/Color)

Claro:  The lightest cigars, both in color and flavor and the tobacco is generally grown in shade.

Natural:  These aren’t as light as Claro wrapped cigars, but are still not the dark brown of stronger cigars.  The Natural is a good cigar for starting out on, as the stronger punch of darker wrappings can be overwhelming for the beginner.

Maduro:  Dark brown in color, the Maduro has a strong punch and generally has a high nicotine content.  Some people have a hard time smoking these standing up.

Oscuro (Double Maduro):  The Oscuro isn’t for the feint of heart, as they pack a serious punch.  The wrapper is black and can sometimes appear oily.

Beginners Cigar Nomenclature – Size

 Whether your choice of cigars is small, medium, or ludicrous is up to you, but the factors to keep in mind are that the size of the cigar affects how much smoke you get out of each puff, how much smoking time is involved before the cigar becomes too hot to smoke further, and, let’s not forget, the overall aesthetics of cigar smoking.  

Cigar sizes are given in first in length then diameter of the cigar, ergo you may see a box labelled with 6 ¾” x 43.  The diameter is given in the ring gauge which are in 64ths of an inch, so our example cigar box likely contains cigars roughly 6 ¾” long and 43/64ths of an inch in diameter.

The most popular cigars are medium-sized, and include the Corona, Toro, Robusto, and Churchhill.  These cigars tend to give a satisfying amount of smoke, letting you taste the flavor of the cigar, and are good for blowing good sized smoke rings, if you’re so inclined.

Corona:  Ah, the corona.  The stately patriarch of the medium-sized cigars.  This is the cigar-proper, with many offspring.  Technically, the Toro, Robusto and Churchhill are all types of Coronas, but when you look at a cigar in a box labelled “Corona”, your probably looking at a cigar about 5 ½” x 42.

Churchhill (Julieta):  This regal cigar is by far my personal favorite.  Sized at 7″ x 47, it gives a satisfying smoke for 90+ minutes, and is a good cigar for sucking on all weekend long.  No wonder Winston was so fond of them!

Beginners Cigar Nomenclature – Shape

When people refer to a “cigar-shaped” object, they normally picture a conical tube, bulging slightly around the middle.  Most cigars don’t look like this.  Your basic cigar is a cylinder known as a Parejo, though most people don’t think of a special term for them, learning the terms for more tarted up shapes instead, like the Torpedo, the Presidente, and the Plucky Grouse.  Okay, I made that last one up, but here are the basic need-to-know shapes.

Parejo (“Plain”):  The Parejo, as stated above, is a round tube with a straight cut at either end – in short a cylinder.  These normally come rounded slightly at the end you stick in your mouth.  For preparation, Parejos are fine to cut, punch, pierce, stab or even uncouthly biting the end off.  These are by far the best to use in cigar-holders.

Torpedo: These are similar in shape to the Parejo, except that the end you stick in your mouth is conical, shaped almost like (gasp!) a torpedo!  Definitely a cigar to use a cutter on, as punches mangle the end, piercing cigar-holders have a shoddy grasp, and stabbing or biting tend to quash the draw of the cigar, giving an uneven burn.  Oh, and don’t bother trying to finesse Torpedos into a cigar-holder.  The shape is too ill-suited.

Presidente: This cigar is shaped much like a Torpedo, but with a closed foot (the end you stick in your mouth).  This is the sort of cigar a latin-american revolutionary smokes, both deep in the jungle and in the mansion while drinking brandy.  These should be treated like Torpedos when preparing the cigar to smoke.

Perfecto: When people think of cigars, these are what comes to mind.  Bulging in the middle, with no doubt as to which end you stick in your mouth.  Definitely a cigar for cutting or biting the end off ad sticking straight in your mouth.  This is the cigar of the construction crew foreman as they build the Empire State Building.  This is the cigar of Pete as he chases Mickey Mouse.  This is the cigar of stage and screen.  This… is the Perfecto.