Cigars

How To Choose The Perfect Cigar

2009-07-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Do you know how to choose the perfect cigar? If you’re a newcomer to the world of cigar smoking, here are a few tips to choosing the perfect cigar.

First, note the texture of the cigar. Squeeze it gently. Is very soft, or rigid? Ideally, the cigar should give slightly, but not too much. Squeeze the length of the cigar to check for lumps. A good cigar will have a consistent texture.

Next, inspect the cigar for flaws. Any cracks or discolorations are the signs of a lower quality cigar. The cigar’s wrapper should be wrapped smoothly.

Finally, look at the ends of the cigar. Pay particular attention to the exposed end where cigar is lit. If you’re new to cigars, it can be difficult to gauge the quality of the tobacco. The simplest way to judge the tobacco quality of a cigar is to inspect the color of the tobacco. If you note any abrupt color changes, this may indicate that the tobacco leaves were not laid out properly. Look for a cigar with a smooth blend of tobacco.

Havana Cigar

2009-05-04T07:22:00.000-07:00

Havana Cigar

Cigars are popular and are gaining more and more in popularity. There are many cigar makers and various types of cigars. The most sought after type seems to remain the Havana cigar. The Havana cigar is a cigar made in Havana, Cuba. The Havana cigar is considered to be the best cigar in the world.

The Havana cigar is often hand made. Cuban cigar rollers have a reputation for being among the best and most skilled in the world. The Havana cigar is made using tobacco leaves found throughout Cuba. The filler and binder are made from tobacco products. The blend of tobacco used as well as the size of the tobacco leaves used helps to distinguish a specific flavor.

A Havana cigar uses this special blend of flavors that are unique to the island of Cuba. The best cigars are thought to use high quality tobacco grown in the Vuelta Abajo district on the west end of the island. This is where the climate is best for growing tobacco. The wrapper for the Havana cigar comes from tobacco.

Romeo y Julieta (cigar brand)

2009-05-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

Romeo y Julieta is the name of two brands of premium cigar, one produced on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in La Romana, Dominican Republic for Altadis SA

The Romeo y Julieta marque was established in 1875 by Inocencio Alvarez and Mannin Garcia. The brand is named for the Shakespeare tragedy, Romeo and Juliet.

SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL'S CUBAN CIGAR SUPPLIER

2009-05-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

During the Second World War, Churchill's cigar was such an important beacon of resistance that MI5, together with the nation's top scientists, tested the Prime Minister's supplies on mice rather than risk sabotage. Today Winston Churchill and his cigar remains a global icon, memorialised by a one-hundred-and-one-foot statue of a cigar in Australia, while his cigar stubs are treasured as relics. Using original archival research and exclusive interviews with Churchill's staff, Stephen McGinty, an award-winning journalist, explores Churchill's passion for cigars and the solace they brought. He also examines Churchill's lasting friendship with Antonio Giraudier, the Cuban businessman who for twenty years stocked Churchill's humidor, before fleeing Castro's revolution.

Churchill was dubbed "Man of the Century" by Cigar Aficionado in 2002 after readers voted him their favorite cover subject in the magazine's history. He adorned the cover twice, most recently on the 10th anniversary issue. His name, of course, is now also known as a large cigar size, 7 inches long by 47 ring gauge.

Cohiba (cigar brand)

2009-05-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

Cohíba is a brand for two kinds of premium cigar, one produced in Cuba for Habanos S.A., the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and the other produced in the Dominican Republic for General Cigar. The name cohíba derives from the Taíno word for "tobacco." The Cuban brand is filled with tobacco which, unique to Cohiba, has undergone an extra fermentation process; as such, it is a type as well as a brand.

Cohíba was originally a private brand supplied exclusively to Fidel Castro and high-level officials in the Communist Party of Cuba and Cuban government. Often given as diplomatic gifts, the Cohíba brand gradually developed a "cult" status. It was released commercially for sale to the public in 1982.

Cigar Cutters

2009-05-02T13:17:00.001-07:00

A cigar cutter is a device designed to cut one end off of a cigar so that it may be properly smoked. Although some cigars are cut on both ends, or twirled at both ends. he cap end of a cigar is the rounded end without the tobacco exposed, and this is the end one should always cut.

The cap may be cut with a knife or bitten off, but if the cap is cut jaggedly or without care, the end of the cigar will not burn evenly and smokeable tobacco will be lost.

Cigar Lighters

2009-05-02T12:05:00.001-07:00

The first lighter, Döbereiner's lamp, was invented by Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner in 1823. It stayed in production until 1880.

The development of lighters accelerated during World War I. Soldiers used matches to find their way in the dark, but the intense initial flare of matches revealed their position. From this need for fire without a large initial flare fostered the lighter industry. By War's end lighters were being mass produced.

How To Make Cigar

2009-05-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

Step
1

Shred your tobacco. You can use a variety of methods to do this including scissors, a sharp knife or a grinder. Try to keep the tobacco uniform in size.

Step
2

Spread your tobacco on a clean, flat surface, and and very lightly mist with water. Use only clean, filtered water. Don't use water straight from the tap and do not oversaturate as this can ruin your cigar.

Step
3

Lay the binder leaf on a flat, clean surface and begin sprinkling the shredded tobacco. Be careful of how much you add. If you over stuff the cigar it can easily rip or be too hard to smoke, while too little will create an uneven cigar that is unsatisfying.

Step
4

Wrap the binding leaf closed and check for a consistent density. This will tell you if you need more or less filler, and if it is distributed evenly throughout the cigar. Gently start squeezing it at one end between your thumb and index finger and work your way down to the other end.

Step
5

Seal the binder. You'll need to use a specific kind of glue, such as bermacol powder that you mix with water. Run a light coat of glue along one edge of the binder leaf and gently press against the rest of the cigar.

Step
6

Add a wrapper leaf around the binder and seal in the same fashion as in Step 5. This wrapper is both for appearances and to add flavor to the cigar

Make Cigar

2009-05-01T13:07:00.001-07:00

Use a thin tobacco leaf for the wrapper (that's the outside covering). Monte Calm Yellow is good; it handles well and has a smoother texture than the other types. You may also like to smooth out the wrapper leaf prior to rolling it by pressing it with a warm iron as this will give a smoother finish.

First trim off the centre rib or stems with a pair of scissors or blade, at all times ensure the leaf is flexible and not dry. Cut out a rectangle and lay this strip diagonally from left to right as in the picture to the right. Ensure the fine ribs in the leaf are vertical (going away from you). The vein ribs are more pronounced on the underside of the leaf, so, have the underside uppermost so the veins are hidden when the cigar is made. This will give a smoother finish to your cigar. Use a small amount of glue (egg white, tragacanth, guar gum etc) along the edge of the wrapper.

Now roll your cigar away from you, leaving an overlap at the left hand edge. Your option now is do you close off the ends or leave them open. Covering the end of the cigar with the leaf can be messy; think, how often do you buy a cigar that needs the end cut away? Not often. The solution is to overlap the ends when putting the wrapper on, and trim off when dry. Only practice will close off the ends of your cigar, I have yet to succeed in producing a finish I am proud of, but then I am rubbish at wrapping a parcel!
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Most Expensive Cigar

2009-05-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

When Altadis of Spain launched their “Behike” cigars, they were the most expensive cigars in the world.

A mere four thousand of the limited edition Cohiba brand cigars have been released and each box includes forty expensive cigars and allegedly retails for around $18,846. Yes, the expensive cigar will cost you $420 for each smoke.

Rightfully touted as the most expensive cigar in the world, these cigars aren’t just made with premium tobacco—they’re also infused with a generous portion of Louis XIII Cognac in a process that retains the flavor of the tobacco. Louis XIII Cognac, as you may know, is one of the finest cognacs on the market today.
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Cohiba has released last year for its 40th anniversary the most expensive cigar box in the history. The price of 40 cigars container is 15000 Euro. Cohiba produced 4000 cigars only, all numbered.

Cigar

2009-05-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

A cigar is a tightly rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco which is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth.
Cigars are composed of three types of tobacco leaves, whose variations determine smoking and flavor characteristics:

A cigar's outermost leaves, or wrapper, come from the widest part of the plant. The wrapper determines much of the cigar's character and flavor, and as such its color is often used to describe the cigar as a whole

Cigars are commonly categorized by the size and shape of the cigar, which together are known as the vitola.
Cigar tobacco is grown in many places throughout the Americas and Caribbean, but certain cigars manufactured in Cuba are widely considered the best cigars in the world. Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar. As expensive cigars are symbols of wealth and success, the world’s most expensive cigars may hold far more value than their price tag suggests.