16 November 2012
How to Spot a Quality Cigar
Buying Cigars can be an expensive business and the different types typically available to consumers are mild, medium and full bodied.The manufacturing process of cigars gives cigar smokers a unique insight into cigar quality and whether a cigar is handmade or machine made can make all the difference to the smoking experience. The discerning cigar smoker is aware of the type of tobacco they need to reach a desired impact but the novice does not and it is the balance between tobacco and the property of the cigar that holds the key to a sublime cigar smoking experience.
Machine Made Cigars
Machine made cigars are often created with short fillers which are thought to be of inferior quality compared to handmade cigars which are typically made with long fillers. What are fillers? A filler is the term used to describe the tobacco in the cigar and the shorter the filler the higher the probability that the filler will burn fast and reach its optimum cigar quality faster. In turn the longer the filler the longer lasting the cigar and this is why handmade cigars are a lot more expensive than machine made counterparts. When the cigar burns to halfway that means all the filler has permeated the cigar wrapper and binder which holds the cigar together and it will lose its intensity and desired effect.
Handmade Cigars
Machine made cigars can also contain paper preservatives and other chemicals which can hinder the cigar smoking experience. A handmade cigar consists of a filler, a binder which holds the filler and wrapper together, which is often made of pure tobacco leaves. The people who make handmade cigars are often artisans of their craft and employ various techniques to enhance the cigar smoking experience as well as using higher quality tobacco filler in the process. Cuban cigar rollers known as “torcedores” are the most highly skilled cigar rollers in the world according to cigar experts and it is easy to see how the high quality production of Havana cigars gave Cuba the name “Cigar Capital of the World”.
Wrapper Quality
It does not matter whether the wrapper is handmade or machine made as the wrapper leaves are ultimately responsible for the cigars appearance and perception of quality. A healthy shine is what you are looking for in a wrapper and any multi-tone colours, veins or stains can give you a unique insight into how well the tobacco was grown and treated in the fields. However a few white spots on a Cuban cigar is often seen as a signature, so this really shows that experience is the best guide for cigar quality of all.
"Cigar maker at work" by www.flickr.com/photos/drljohnson
License available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en_GB
Machine Made Cigars
Machine made cigars are often created with short fillers which are thought to be of inferior quality compared to handmade cigars which are typically made with long fillers. What are fillers? A filler is the term used to describe the tobacco in the cigar and the shorter the filler the higher the probability that the filler will burn fast and reach its optimum cigar quality faster. In turn the longer the filler the longer lasting the cigar and this is why handmade cigars are a lot more expensive than machine made counterparts. When the cigar burns to halfway that means all the filler has permeated the cigar wrapper and binder which holds the cigar together and it will lose its intensity and desired effect.
Handmade Cigars
Machine made cigars can also contain paper preservatives and other chemicals which can hinder the cigar smoking experience. A handmade cigar consists of a filler, a binder which holds the filler and wrapper together, which is often made of pure tobacco leaves. The people who make handmade cigars are often artisans of their craft and employ various techniques to enhance the cigar smoking experience as well as using higher quality tobacco filler in the process. Cuban cigar rollers known as “torcedores” are the most highly skilled cigar rollers in the world according to cigar experts and it is easy to see how the high quality production of Havana cigars gave Cuba the name “Cigar Capital of the World”.
Wrapper Quality
It does not matter whether the wrapper is handmade or machine made as the wrapper leaves are ultimately responsible for the cigars appearance and perception of quality. A healthy shine is what you are looking for in a wrapper and any multi-tone colours, veins or stains can give you a unique insight into how well the tobacco was grown and treated in the fields. However a few white spots on a Cuban cigar is often seen as a signature, so this really shows that experience is the best guide for cigar quality of all.
"Cigar maker at work" by www.flickr.com/photos/drljohnson
License available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en_GB
