The outermost leaves of a cigar is referred to as the wrapper. Obviously, these leaves are taken from the widest portion of the tobacco plant. The wrapper of a cigar has a lot tod do with the ultimate character and flavor of the smoke. Also, since this is the exterior of the cigar, it’s color is what is most often used to describe the type fo the cigar.  as a whole. Colors are designated as follows, from lightest to darkest:

A Double Claro is the lightest cigar wrapper color. It has a slightly greenish tint to it. This wrapper color comes from the tobacco being picked early, before maturity, and then being dried quickly. This wrapper type is also referred to as Candela or Jade. Sometimes it’s called American Market Selection since the US state of Connecticut is a common source for this type of tobacco.

A Claro wrapper has a light tan or brown with perhaps a hint of a yellow tint. This color is achieved by the tobacco growers by growing the tobacco plants in a shaded location to full maturity. Claro wrappers are known for their smooth flavor and silky texture. Many fine Cuban cigars use this type of wrapper

A Natural wrapper is a light brown color. This is the natural color of tobacco grown in the full sun. This wrapper is a lot like the Claro but is darker due to exposure to sunlight.

A Colorado Claro wrapper is darker than a Claro and has a reddish hue to it. This wrapper is sometimes referred to as an English Market Selection. This wrapper has more flavor than the Claro or Natural wrappers. I would describe it as a spiced nut flavor.

A Colorado wrapper, which is also called Rosado or Corojo, has a reddish-brown color. The tobacco leaf has an oily texture and is thus very aromatic. The flavor from this wrapper is hard to describe but is known for a vibrant array of flavors during the smoke. These range from earthy to coffee to vanilla, sort of a sweet and subtle spicy flavor.

The Colorado Maduro wrapper is a dark brown wrapper still with a hint of red in it. The darker color comes from sun ripening. Like the regular Colorado this wrapper also has a full bodied flavor that offer up a tasty blend of flavors. This wrapper color is sometimes called Dark English Market Selection.

The Maduro wrapper is very dark brown wrapper and is from time to time referred to as a Spanish Market Selection. The dark color comes from extra sun ripening and higher temperature fermentation. Due to this lengthy process Maduro cigars are somewhat rarer. The Maduro wrapper imparts a full bodied, rich and spicy, flavor. It may be a bit too bold for a novice cigar smoker but connoisseurs often seek them out.

The Oscuro wrapper is an oily black. It’s processing is much like the Maduro but carried out even further. In fact, it’s sometimes called a Double Maduro. The flavor of the Oscuro is very rich and spicy and probably wouldn’t be the best choice for the cigar novice. Also, like the Maduro, these cigars aren’t as common and are often sought by cigar connoisseurs.

My first suggestion really has to go back to the humidor selection itself. Make sure you buy one that meets your needs from a size perspective. I’ve seen a number of people buy small and cheap and later regret it. You don’t want to overfill a humidor since this can cause a decline in efficiency and thus cigar flavor. Buy the right size for your smoking habit and storage needs.

Now, with that out of the way, let’s look at how to optimize your humidor for maximum cigar protection and smoking enjoyment.

Some impatient people just cut to the chase and fill the humidifier with tap water and immediately add the cigars. No, no, no! You don’t want to do that if you care about your cigar collection or your new humidor.

You shouldn’t use tap water in your humidifier. Instead, you should use a 50/50 solution of propylene glycol and distilled water. This mixture is available commercially or you can mix up your own solution. Propylene glycol is a colorless liquid that provides two benefits for our cigar humidors. First, this compound inhibits the growth of molds and bacteria in the humidifier and, secondly it helps maintain the 70% humidity level that is desirable in a cigar humidor. Distilled water is pure H2O. It doesn’t have impurities that can cause problems with your humidor over time such as mineral deposits and smells.

You begin by adding the solution to the element of the humidor. Over the next 48 hours, observe the humidity inside the humidor using a good quality, digital, hygrometer. If the humidity doesn’t begin to rise to the desired level of 70% humidity, place a small, flat, container of distilled water inside the humidor. Make that you keep the lid closed. You will leave this container in the humidor until the humidity reaches 70%. At that point, remove the container with the extra water.

Another step you can take, only if you made the wise decision to purchase a humidor made from solid Spanish cedar, is to condition the inside of the humidor with a cloth you have wet with distilled water. This seems to open up the pores in the wood and allows them to more readily blend with the cigars when you introduce them to the humidor. Of course, you would not want to do this with a lined humidor or one made with other, less desirable, materials.

Now that you have allowed the humidity inside the humidor to acclimate, you may being adding cigars to it, slowly. Add your cigars gradually and watch the humidity inside the humidor closely. If it drops, you may need to add a little bit of distilled water to the humidifier element and wait before adding more cigars. It is simply a waiting game to insure the balance inside the box is just right for your prized smokes.

You can expect that the new humidor will need extra water during the first few weeks of operation. This allows the inner surfaces of the humidor to absorb the water and season the box. Just make sure that you monitor the humidity and temperature closely during this time, adding distilled water as required. As the humidor matures, you’ll need to add less and less water to it. A mature humidor will be ready to provide a great place to age your prized cigars.

In 1963, soon after the communist revolution that brought Castro to power and the failed, CIA sponsored, Bay of Pigs invasion fiasco, the cigar embargo began. Ever since them it has been illegal to import Cuban cigars into the United States except under some very strict circumstances. Unfortunately, you can expect things to stay this way as long as Castro and his crew are in charge of Cuba and the US Presidential election can be decided by a hanging chad on a ballot in south Florida. It remains to be seen if Castro’s decision in February 2008 to no longer be the head of the Cuban government will affect this situation positively or not.

For now, the only legal way for someone to import a cigar from Cuba into the US is to bring them back from an officially sanctioned visit to the island nation. US law limits the returning visitor to only $100 worth of cigars and these cigars must be intended for personal use and not for resale on the open market. Reselling such cigars is illegal.

Of course, many a cigar aficionado is willing to take the risk of violating the law to get their hands on some of the world’s very best cigars. Now, I don’t want to tell you that you should violate the law but the way the law works is that it does not make it illegal to possess these cigars, only to trade, buy or sell them. So, coming by them in a legal gray area is the key.

What you don’t want to be caught doing is buying and selling them within the US. This can expose you to significant legal risks including hefty fines and even imprisonment. Don’t do this! If you’re going to skirt the fine edges of the law, do it for your own enjoyment. If that’s the case, usually the worst that will happen is that your cigars get confiscated as contraband.

I also don’t recommend buying Cubans from someone you don’t know. Many people take advantage of others by selling them replicas from elsewhere in world. Since you’re engaging in an illegal transaction there is no legal recourse if you are duped by a con man. And, believe me, there are plenty of con men ready and willing to take your money in exchange for a box of counterfeit cigars.

One of the easiest ways to get some genuine Cuban cigars is to take a little vacation to Canada, Mexico or another country where there is no embargo. There you can enjoy a fine Cuban cigar without violating US laws.

If you want to bring some back, well, be careful. Customs agents do inspect cigars and will confiscate any Cubans they find. Some are even savvy enough to detect repackaged ones. Don’t fall for the suggestion that simple repackaging will fool busy inspectors. Face it, anything more than a few cigars, even a single box, might bring unwanted customs police scrutiny upon you. You can probably slip a few back into the States if you’re careful and discrete but don’t try to line your pockets or supply all your smoking buddies. You may end up in more trouble than you counted upon.

You can, of course, buy vintage cigars that have been professionally aged. This even includes pre-embargo Cuban cigars that are at or near 50 years of age. As you might imagine, this pleasurable smoking experience will set you back a few dollars.

If you want to age your own cigars, you can try this as well, provided you have the patience to wait for your cigar to age properly.

Most experts believe that you will need to age a cigar approximately a year. Within this length of time the subtle flavors and complex character of a fine cigar will emerge as long as the cigar is stored properly.

Naturally, you don’t want to waste your time doing this with a cheap cigar. In my experience, they only get nastier over time, not better. As they say, you can’t polish a turd.

Instead, you should only bother aging a quality cigar. In most cases, a fine cigar will yield a delightful reward at the end of the aging process. You will find that aging brings out qualities that you might have overlooked in a new cigar. The process can help mellow out cigars that have too intense of a flavor or that are very odorous when new.

As you are probably aware, you will need to have a good quality cigar humidor in order to properly age your cigar. This provides a stable environment that is necessary for aging a cigar.

The proper humidor setting for aging a cigar is what is known as the 70/70 rule. This rule means that you should keep the humidity at 70% and the temperature at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This is crucial to aging it. If the environment is too hot or moist, mold will develop on the cigar, ruining it. If it is too cool and dry, no aging will take place and this may even hurt some of the flavor of the cigar.

As you may be aware, you must maintain this stable environment. Any frequent fluctuation of temperature or humidity can cause damage to a cigar. Extremes can ruin a cigar by cracking the wrapper through expansion and contraction. Even minor swings can thwart the aging process or make the flavor less than ideal.

As I have mentioned before, a humidor should be lined with cedar, preferably fine Spanish cedar. Since cedar is a very aromatic and oily wood it interacts over time with the tobacco. The cedar oil mellows out the flavor of a cigar, particularly strong ones, and brings out the wonderful flavors you can only find in a properly aged cigar.

Here’s why. Humidors are used to store and protect cigars. After all, a crushed cigar isn’t useful to anyone. Beyond just protecting the cigar physically, they are also used to keep cigars at a constant temperature and humidity. By maintaining this environmental consistancy the cigars remain in a state that preserves their peak flavor. 

The ideal temperature for a cigar humidor between 68 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and around 70-72% humidity. While I’m not this anal about it, some aficionados maintain even closer environmental control to insure that the cigar is at just the right fraction of a degree. They claim that they can tell the difference between a cigar that was stored at 68 degrees versus one that was stored at 70. I guess I’ll just have to take their word for it.

However, it is important to note that if a cigar is stored at a lower temperature it will tend to age the cigar somewhat and change its flavor. Humidors are intended to preserve a cigar, they are not meant to age or otherwise change the cigar. Keeping it at a constant temperature  and humidity is key to maintaining the character of a cigar, its integrity, flavor and color.

What You Should Look for in a Humidor

A well constructed humidor lid should close tightly. This is important in order to properly protect the cigars from the ambiant environment. You particularly want to avoid any unwanted moisture from creeping in or losing moisture to the atmosphere.

The seams of the humidor should be smooth. Cheap, poorly built ones, will have rough seams and will tend to develop problems over time, perhaps resulting in damage to your valued cigars.

Of course, the humidor you select should fit your favorite cigar brand and size. You don’t want one that is too small or too large since this can result in damage to your prized cigars.

Cedar is the preferred interior wood for humidors. Cedar and cigars just go together so well. The finest humidors are made with Spanish cedar. The exterior isn’t as important although some wilder options may not be practical.

You begin by examining the head of the cigar. This is the name for the closed end of a cigar. This is where you will be clipping it.

Examine the head and you should see what is known as the cap. This is the place where a tobacco leaf was used to close the cigar. Once you have noted where the cap is and determined it’s length you will know where to cut. Be careful though. Should you cut any further than the cap it is likely that the cigar will unravel in your hands. You don’t want that to happen!

This is important. You should always use a quality clipper to cut the head off at the cap. If you use a cheap cutter or something that’s not really intended to cut cigars you are likely to have a frayed or split cut. This can reduce the enjoyment of the cigar. Don’t try to save money here!

When you’re ready to cut your cigar, hold it at eye level. They you make a fast and decisive cut just above the cap. Always remember measure twice, cut once. It is easier to deal with making a second cut if the first one wasn’t enough than a cigar coming apart due to a cut that was too deep.

First of all, you will get the best results if you use premium cedar matches. This prevents adding strong odors to the cigar that can happen if you use cheaper, plain, matches or many lighters. However, should you prefer or need to use a lighter instead, I recommend that you use a butane lighter. This helps you to avoid bringing strong, unpleasant, odors into the cigar.

A cigar doesn’t light up light a cigarette, just apply the flame and you’re done. What you need to do is warm the open end of the cigar. This part of the cigar is commonly called the foot of the cigar. You should do this slowly over the flame but never allowing the cigar to come directly in contact with the fire. As you do this, you will notice a black ring forming around the end of the cigar.

Once you have warmed the foot of the cigar you then place the cigar in your mouth and draw upon it slowly. As you do this you hold the cigar over the flame roughly about a 1/2 inch or so above it. Do not let it touch the flame though. You continue to do this until the cigar begins to flame. As this happens, slowly spin the cigar around in order to establish an even burn.

Once the burn begins, take the cigar out of your mouth and check and make sure that you have established an even burn. Should the burn not be even, then you should blow on the unlit part of the tip of the cigar so that it draws the burn. When you’ve done this, take a couple of draws from the cigar to insure that you have reestablished an even burn.

That’s all you need to do in order to properly light a cigar. Now go and enjoy your smoke.

Our first step is learning how to light up the cigar. You being by using a specially designed cigar clipper to clip off the edge of the head of the cigar. The head is the part of the cigar you put in your mouth.  The part you light is known as the foot.

The best way to light a cigar is with a premium cedar match designed specifically for cigars. You do not want to use a standard cigarette lighter. They can actually ruin a fine cigar! If you find that you must light up with a lighter, try to use a butane lighter. This usually, but not always, helps prevent a nasty, lingering, odor. Use a cedar match if at all possible

So, you ask, “How do I light up a cigar?” Here’s how you do it. Hold the edge of your cigar (aka ‘foot’) over the flame.You must avoid touching the cigar directly to the flame. All you need to do is simply hold the cigar over the flame and begin to draw deeply on the cigar until it is lit.

A common mistake cigarette smokers make with cigars is allowing it to burn down to a nub. You don’t want to do this. Instead, leave about two inches on your cigar. The problem is that even very fine cigars will have a tendency to get quite bitter if you allow them to burn down all the way.

As for your ashes, you should not knock the ashes off of the cigar. Instead of knocking off the ashes, simply allow the cigar to rest in the ashtray when you are not smoking it. Allowing the ashes to fall off naturally helps preserve the natural aroma of the cigar and allows for a more enjoyable smoking experience.

When smoking a cigar, you should hold the cigar between your thumb and fingers. Many consider holding it in other ways in poor taste.

Cigarette smokers should be aware that you don’t inhale cigar smoke. It should never be brought into your lungs. Cigar smoke, being closer to raw tobacco and unfiltered can be quite bad for your health as compared to cigarettes. Breathing it in too deeply can cause nausea, something that you won’t find enjoyable.

Another cigarette smoker faux pas is rushing through a smoke. You should always relax and enjoy a cigar, particularly if it is a fine cigar. You should always savor it, particularly after a fine meal. It is always an added pleasure to relax with both the cigar and a nip of brandy or a taste of fine scotch.

Lastly, it is important for you to be considerate of those around you. Many people don’t tolerate cigar smoke well. Therefore, it is usually best to enjoy your cigar alone or with the company of other cigar smokers. It can be quite relaxing enjoying a fine cigar with friends and a favorite adult beverage at the end of a long day.

The outside of the cigar is called the wrapper. It is a layer of tobacco and is often the first thing many smokers notice about a cigar. The cigar’s wrapper provides much of the flavor of the cigar. This is because only best quality tobacco leaves are employed to create the wrapper in a quality cigar. Wrapper leaves are graded by color going from from very clear (claro) to very dark (oscuro).

The part of the cigar that holds the tobacco filler together is know as the Binders. Sometimes these are referred to as the intermediate leaves. The binders can vary a lot from cigar to cigar and especially from brand to brand.

The last part of the cigar is the filler. This is, of course, the tobacco found in the center of the cigar. The filler can be long or short. A long filler is made up of whole tobacco  leaves. Some consider this way to be best. A short filler consists of tobacco scraps. This can be OK although you can tell it when a maker skimps on the filler.

As for the other parts of a cigar, the head is the end of the cigar that is closed. This is the part you clip. The foot is the opposite end of the cigar. This is the end that you light. On the head, you will see the cap. This is where a tobacco leaf was used to close the cigar.

Cigars, according to historical research, were most likely first produced in Spain. The habit of cigar smoking quickly become popular in other European countries. Today, many different countries produce cigars. However, Cuban cigars have long been thought of as being the most flavorful of all cigars. Some believe that this quality is due to the regional microclimates that provide the right conditions to grow the best tobacco. Others credit the skill of Cuba’s cigar makers. Others believe that while the quality of the cigars is good, much of their superiority it is simply hype brought on by scarcity in the United States due to the trade embargo. There are other countries that produce significant quantities cigars. These countries include Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Honduras,, Dominican Republic, Cameroon, Indonesia and the United States.

Perhaps you have wondered why cigars have captured the attention of so many people? The most common consensus is that the basic attraction of cigars has a lot to do with the way a cigar is manufactured. All cigars of high quality are wrapped by hand, not a machine. Also, unlike cigarettes, cigars undergo a long aging process. This is comparable to how wine and fine whiskeys are created. This fermentation process results in subtle and highly individual flavors and textures being imparted upon the cigar.

Because of the way they are made, the taste of cigars is considerably more complex than that of cigarettes. Three different layers of tobacco leaves are wrapped together to make most cigars. The best quality cigars often contain long, nicotine rich, leaves as a filler. Others may contain a combination of different scrap tobaccos. As you might guess, this results in subtle variations in the texture and flavor of the cigar. Each cigar has its own individual character. They simply aren’t a massed produced, machine made, commodity product like cigarettes. Sometimes additional flavorings are added to cigars. If you search you can find vanilla, chocolate and even fruit or coffee flavored cigars

Unfortunately, in spite of their smooth and complex flavors, cigars and cigar smoking does come with a significant health risk. The simple fact is that cigars contain nicotine, a highly addictive stimulant. The problems with nicotine consumption are well know. Also, tobacco and the smoke produced by burning it contains various toxins, carcinogens, and irritants. While most cigar connoisseurs don’t inhale the smoke, this doesn’t relieve them of the long term risk of developing oral and larynx cancers. I hate to rain on the parade but it is important to know and understand the risks of an activity before you engage in it whether it’s smoking a cigar or driving a car.