Want to relight a cigar that you left sitting for awhile? The best way to do this is tap off any remaining ash, then gently blow through the cigar to clear any stale air. Then, as you light it, continue to blow gently through the cigar with the flame at the foot for about three seconds before you take your first draw. Doing this simple set of actions will greatly reduce any initial sour flavor from a relit cigar.

Belicosso -- about 6 inches long and a ring gauge of 48 (~3/4 inch) with a pointed cone shaped head.
Pyramid -- about 6 to 7 inches long and tapers down from a ring gauge of 52 (~8/10 inch) at the foot and 42 (~7/10 inch) at the head with a pointed, cone shaped head. Smoking time 45-60 minutes.
Torpedo – varies in length and ring gauge. Has a pointed cone shaped head, bulge in the body, and a relatively flat foot.

Q: How do I know what size is right for me?

A: You should pick a cigar for the amount of time you have available to smoke. If you are at a sporting event or on a golf course, choose a large cigar that will last for a long time. If you are in a cigar friendly restaurant and you want to have a nice after dinner smoke, choose one that will last about 30-40 minutes. As you experiment with different sizes you will find one that you are most comfortable with.

Q: How many wrapper colors are there?

A: There are about a dozen or so, all variations of these basic ones, listed from lightest to darkest: Candela, Double Claro, Claro, Colorado, Colorado Maduro, Colorado Rosado, Maduro, and Oscuro.

The shade of the leaf used to wrap your cigar (wrapper), which can range from light green to almost jet-black, accounts for less than 20% of a cigar’s flavor. The wrapper does not necessarily indicate the kind of tobacco leaf used, and it doesn’t indicate whether the cigar is mild or full bodied.

Double claro, candela, jade, or American Market Selection (AMS) – after leaf is picked in the field it is artificially heated creating a light green hue. They are generally flavorless and bland wrappers.

Natural or claro – to protect the leaves from sunlight, which would cause a darkening of the leaf, the tobacco is grown under cheesecloth. Once fully matured, it is allowed to dry naturally and slowly, creating a light brown color. These leaves create a silky, tan wrapper with a light, delicate, and distinctly smooth taste.

Colorado claro or English Market Selection (EMS) – a slightly darker wrapper than a natural with a slight dark reddish hue. Has more flavor than a natural cigar, with a slightly spiced or nut-like taste.

Colorado – this is not a special variety of tobacco, it is usually grown in Connecticut, but the leaf has an oily reddish leaf with exceptional color and flavor.

Maduro or Spanish Market Selection – a very dark brown, oily leaf with a sweet pronounced taste known for its fullness and richness. Darkness is caused by leaving the leaf on the tobacco plant as long as possible and left to air-dry naturally. After dried it goes through a process in which it is treated with heat to draw out the oils and cook the tobacco. The oils are then allowed to retreat back into the cigar. Each time this process is repeated the leaf becomes darker and darker. The wrapper sometimes has small veins and bumps on the wrapper because of the type of tobacco used.

Double maduro, oscuro, or maduro maduro – an almost jet-black wrapper with a very rich, pronounced, spicy flavor. The leaves go through an even more extensive processing than Maduro. Expect a bumpy somewhat veiny appearance.

Q: What does Ligero, Seco, and Volado mean?

A: These are the classifications of leaf types that a single plant, regardless of its variety, will yield. Every tobacco plant for cigar applications has these three leaf types. Each is from a different part of the plant. Every cigar should have some combination of these leaves to burn correctly. The "ligero" leaves (pronounced lee-hair-oh) are taken from the top third of the plant. These offer the strength to the cigar's flavor. The leaves from the middle third of the plant are called "seco" (pronounced say-ko). These have a mild flavor, and contribute to overall aroma.

Finally, at the bottom third of the plant, are the "volado" leaves. These have little flavor, but are a necessary part of the blend due to their excellent burning characteristics. Ligero and seco leaves do not burn very well and need the help of the volado leaf to keep the cigar lit and burning smoothly. When a manufacturer is creating a blend, they will take some combination of these classifications, from various strains of plants, to produce the flavor they prefer.

Q: What does “shade grown” or “sun grown” mean?

A: These are terms applied to the growing style of wrapper leaves. Shade grown means that tapadas, which are large white fabric sheets, similar to cheesecloth, are suspended 6-10 feet above the entire crop to shield the leaves from direct exposure to sunlight.

The opposite of this is to allow the leaves to grow without any protection, directly in the sunlight. The implementation of either procedure will yield completely different wrappers, as the exposure to the sun will affect the amount of sugars and oils the plant produces, the thickness of the veins in the leaf, and ultimately, its color.

A common shade grown wrapper color is of a "Claro" color. This has a pale "coffee with cream" color. Many companies will often alternatively refer to this shade as "natural". A common sun grown wrapper color is "Maduro", which has a hue of dark or black coffee.

Q: Why are the wrapper leaves so special?

A: The wrapper is a very delicate leaf, and is only one layer thick around the cigar. It contributes a large percentage to the overall flavor of the cigar. Wrapper leaves can be grown in many places on the globe, and each variety contributes its own characteristics towards the cigar's flavor.

A wrapper leaf is evaluated on the thinness of its veins, its oily sheen, its even coloring, and most importantly, its unblemished appearance. In order to achieve and maintain these desired characteristics, the leaves are often carefully and skillfully handled several hundred times from picking, curing, stripping, aging, and rolling.

Q: How is tobacco cured?

A: Curing tobacco is a sensitive process that depends on techniques and traditions that are hundreds of years old. Following the harvest, tobacco is removed from the fields and placed in large bulk piles within a curing shed. This shed will have several barn doors in the front and rear, and many doorways running along the sides.

There are also vents on the upper portions of the structure. The purpose of all these openings is to control the interior temperature and humidity. By opening or closing the apertures, workers are able to counterbalance the effect of wind and sun exposure on the structure.

Each bulk is about the size of a large haystack. Inside these piles, heat is created as a by-product of the chemical reactions taking place. The core temperature is monitored daily and the piles are rotated inside out frequently to prevent the raw tobacco from cooking.

This part of the fermentation is referred to as "sweating". These bulks may be turned many times during the following months until this stage is complete. It is during this sweating process that the tobacco releases ammonia and other undesirable elements.

The tobacco is then put into rectangular bails, each about 150 pounds, and stored for a minimum of one year. Many producers will store it for much longer periods of 3-5 years.