How to Choose a Quality Cigar

Enjoying a quality cigar is always a unique, relaxing experience from start to finish. Once you’ve smoked a top-quality cigar, you’ll measure other cigars by its standards. But what are those standards? You may be asking yourself this question if you’re new to cigar smoking or want to present cigars as a gift. Here are some tips on how to choose a quality cigar, and how scent, look, feel and size come into play. 

Cigar Aroma

Taste and smell are two senses that are closely linked when choosing cigars. You’ve encountered this when you eat, something that smells great will probably taste great as well. Cigars are no different.

To get an idea about a cigar’s aroma you can start by consulting a tobacconist for suggestions, or by reading cigar descriptions online or in print magazines. Recommendations from friends about good cigars are also helpful. Nothing, however, can beat smelling a cigar for yourself. Trust your nose. A cigar with a sweet aroma will give you a smoother, lighter taste than one that is described as nutty or spicy.

Cigar Appearance

Cigars have three components: wrappers, binders and fillers. The wrapper is the outside of the cigar, and this is what you want to check. The wrappers on the best cigars are smooth with no tears, gaps or other visual damage.

The Squeeze Test

A fine cigar is not dry, it should feel like it has maintained the freshness and humidity level of the tobacco’s origin. You can test the moistness of a cigar with a simple squeeze test. Very gently, touch the cigar and put it close to your ear. If it crackles a lot, you’ll know it’s too dry.

The Size of the Cigar

Cigars come in two varieties: Parejo (regular) and Figurado (irregular). Regulars are uniform at both ends while irregulars can have one pointed end or two pointed ends. Cigars are also measured by length and diameter.

There is really no distinction between the size of the cigar and its quality. Generally, though, the rule is that the larger a cigar, the slower the smoke.

Quality Cigars Require Quality Tools

It all comes down to this: picking what cigar to buy is a personal decision, dictated by scent and taste just as someone may prefer a blended scotch over a single malt. What you do want to avoid are stale, dry or damaged cigars. 

Once you’ve made your choice, you can look to us at Cigar Star, where we appreciate a fine cigar and stock a fine line of products that make caring for cigars easy like hand-crafted humidors and humidification products.