Cigar lovers should know what they can about cigars. Collecting them alone would not do for the serious cigar connoisseur. Valuable cigars are like any other collectible, they require patient care and maintenance. And most of all, cigar connoisseur must know the proper way of using them. Here are some tips that may be able to help every would-be cigar connoisseur out there.

Since you would be collecting cigars for a hobby, at least you must know how to use it. There’s always a proper way of handling a cigar. In lighting one for instance when you wish to take a puff, make sure that you make use of a butane lighter instead of a gas lighter. The cigar may absorb the fumes that is given out by most gas lighters and may affect the taste of the cigar itself.  A wooden match may also be used but wait until the sulfur on the match head has burned up before using it to light the cigar.

When taking off the cap on the head of a cigar, don’t attempt to bit it off. This might unravel the tobacco and ruin the whole cigar. Instead try to make use of a cigar cutter to take off the cap so that you can smoke it. But also make sure how much you cut off from the head of the cigar. Try to take off just a bit that does not go over the line of the cap or else, the cigar might unravel.

When you already are on the process on taking a puff of your newly lighted cigar, be sure not to inhale the smoke. It may prove to be too overpowering enough to cause you tearful bouts. Cigar smoke can be far too strong for one’s comfort. More so, the smoke may contain too much tar and nicotine due to the fact that most cigars make use of dried and unprocessed tobacco leaves. Puffing the smoke alone may be enough for the cigar lover to enjoy its taste and aroma.

When you already had puffed your cigar to your heart’s content and still with a lot to go on with, you can put it out for use the next day. And when you try to put out your cigar, just leave it on the ashtray for a while and it will extinguish itself without any help. Trying to snuff it out yourself would let the cigar emit a foul odor that may also affect its taste the next time that you use it. Also make sure that you don’t put it back in your humidor along with your other cigars. You can use a cigar savor where you can store your used cigar or you can also get rid of it altogether, depending on how you come to look at it.

These are just of the things that you should know about when you start to become an avid cigar collector and lover. Knowing the art of enjoying and collecting cigars can give you a different kind of thrill and comfort in your new hobby.

Posted in Cigars

Discovering dry cigars in your collection can be a tragic experience indeed. Dry cigars are in no way fit for smoking and at the same time fit enough to be kept any more. But fortunately, all may not be lost. There are ways that a cigar aficionado may be able to do something about dry cigars. It might still be possible to restore them.

Restoring dry cigars may depend on the extent of the damage or the condition of the said cigars. It would be good if you find your dry cigars still intact and in good shape on the outside. This means that your dry cigars may still be fit for restoration. But if you already see some of the dry cigars already cracking with some of the tobacco wrapper beginning to unravel, then (sorry to say) restoration may already be too late to achieve. Broken wrappers in your cigars is a sign that it is time that you discard them.

When trying to restore dry cigars, take note that it is a slow process. Sudden changes in humidity surrounding your cigars may be enough to damage them. Letting your dry cigars absorb moisture to restore them may take from one to nine months, depending on the condition, the size and the age of the cigars.

There are several methods available on how to restore your dry cigars. There is the Quarter Turn method where dry cigars are stored in an open cigar box and placed in a damp location. The dry cigars are made to remain in this damp area for a week or so in order to let them absorb some of the moisture, with extremely dry cigars taking longer exposure. After that, the dry cigars are then transferred to a humidor with humidity set at 70 percent. Each cigar is then given a quarter turn every two to three days. The restoration process is complete once the cigars have undergone full rotations at least twice in the given conditions.

There is also the Ziplock Bag method of restoring dry cigars where an open box of dry cigars are placed inside a Ziplock bag with little holes on it and then closed. This bag should then be placed in a larger Ziplock bag that contains a slightly damp sponge and then sealed. Every couple of days, the dry cigars are turned and also change its position from tom to bottom in order to ensure slow but even moisture absorption.

There is also the Hot Shower method where you take the open box of dry cigars with you to the bathroom. You let it stay inside a dry area in the bathroom as you take a hot shower. After you’re done with your shower, close the box in order to trap the moisture inside. The dry cigars are then carefully rotated every two to three days as you take your box dry cigars with you every time you take your hot shower for a period of two weeks. You can then place the restored cigars in a well maintained humidor to prevent them from drying up again.

Posted in Cigars

Of course, cigars are meant to be smoked. There are not just made to be collected for years and years in humidors. Cigars are made and are meant to be smoked and enjoyed. There is always that thrill in going through the motions of enjoying one. From cutting a bit off a cigar, trying to light it and puffing off from it while trying to savor the flavor and aroma that it invokes- these actions require proper procedure and are governed by certain guidelines. Yes, there is a proper way of enjoying a cigar. Here are just some of them:

Cutting 
The first step in the process of enjoying a cigar is the cutting. You must have a good cigar cutter in order to make sure that you cut it in a way to prevent the whole cigar from unraveling. The cut should be clear and regular. Before cutting, you must be able to know on which side you need to cut, which is the head. The head of the cigar is the part that you are supposed to put in your mouth. This is also the part where the cap, or the round piece of tobacco that is used to keep the wrapper together, is glued. The cap’s end is marked by a distinct line on the head of the cigar. Make sure that you cut some of the head a good 3 to 4 millimeters before the said distinct cap line in order to prevent tearing the cigar wrapper.

Lighting
There is also a proper way of lighting a cigar. The type of instrument you use to light it may also affect the cigar in some ways. Always remember to make use of a butane lighter to light up your cigar instead of a gasoline lighter. Using a gasoline lighter may affect its taste. You can also use any ordinary match to light up your cigar. Make sure that you leave the match stick to burn for awhile to get rid of the sulfur residues on it before using it to light the cigar. Also make sure that you light the foot of the cigar in a slow fashion. Hold the cigar horizontally at the flame and then rotating in around the foot of the cigar until it starts to burn.

When the cigar is being lighted, try to give it a few puffs. Then try exhaling over the foot of the cigar to give that burn a good start. Try to make sure that the burn is regular around the cigar foot to avoid one side from burning faster than the other. And when you puff on a cigar, avoid inhaling or swallowing the smoke. Just puff it right out of your mouth and enjoy the lingering aroma and aftertaste from the cigar. The cigar smoke has a high alkalinity level, high enough to make you cough if you inhale it. One can easily enjoy the flavor of cigars without inhaling its smoke. Try also not to puff in the cigar too frequently or it will spoil the taste. Cigars are meant to be enjoyed ever so slowly. A puff every minute should be good enough.

Posted in Cigars

Cigars are generally categorized by their shape and size. Although this might sound simple, it can also get a bit confusing. Most cigar manufacturers have been making cigars using traditional cigar shapes for many years. The problem with this is that it may be different from brand to brand, making it all the more difficult for people distinguish one from the other.

It is usually the dimensions of the cigar that is used to more accurately categorize them. Measurement in terms of a cigar’s length and diameter helps standardize cigars and how they are made. In the US length is measured in inches while the diameter is measured by ring gauge, which is equivalent to a measurement divided into 64th’’s of an inch. For example, a cigar that has a ring gauge of 44 has a diameter of 44 divided by 64th’s of an inch. In some other countries, the length and diameter may be measured in centimeters and millimeters. Here are the common names for the different cigar sizes and their shapes:

Coronas are considered the traditional standard from which all the other cigars are measured. Coronas are usually made with an open foot for lighting and a closed and rounded head which is cut prior to smoking. Coronas are further divided into several types. There’s the common Corona cigar that is made with a length of 5 1/2 to 6 inches and has a ring gauge of 42 to 44. There’s also the Petite Corona which only has a length 4 1/2 inches with a ring gauge of 40 to 42.

There’s also a large corona format called the Churchill that follows a traditional dimension of 7 inches with a 48 ring gauge. A smaller Churchill format called the Robusto is also available that has the traditional dimensions of 5 to 5 1/2 inches with a ring gauge of 50. The Corona Gorda follows the long Robusto format. Its traditional measurements are 5 1/2 with a 46 ring gauge.

There’s also the Double Corona which follows the standard dimension of 7 1/2 to 8 inches and with a 49 to 52 ring gauge. The panatela is shaped like a longer and thinner corona with a varying length between 5 to 7 1/2 inches and with a ring gauge that can vary from 34 to 38. Then there is the Lonsdale which is a bit thicker than a panatela and longer than a corona. Its standard size is 6 3/4 inches in length and may have a ring gauge from 42 to 44.

Aside from the standard sizes of cigars, there are others that are known for their novel shapes. These cigars are generally called Figurados. There is what is called the Pyramid which is a cigar that is sharply tapered with a closed head. There’s also the Torpedo which is a cigar that has a closed foot, a pointed head that has a bulge in the middle. The Perfecto is much like the Torpedo but with a rounded head rather than a pointed one. The Culebra is more unique. Its exotic shape is made up of three panatelas braided and banded together to form one cigar.

Posted in Cigars