How to Assess Premium Cigars vs An Off the Shelf Low Quality Cigar

Cigars are just like any organic product. What separates good quality from something that you probably don’t want to light up is/are a finite group of variables that are defined by the raw materials (tobacco and flavoring agents, if any) to how stringent the advertising process is.

Five Elements Every Premium Cigar Must Have

• Great source of filler tobacco

Every premium cigar is defined by the filler tobacco used to make up the body of the cigar. Lower-cost cigars made with inferior tobacco are always going to be inferior to premium cigars that are made with high-quality filler tobacco. And, this tobacco today can be from just about any country under the sun, not just Cuba.

• A good quality wrapper

The wrapper does more than just hold your cigar together. It should be well matched to the filler tobacco in taste, color, and overall appearance. Some inferior brands just slap on a wrapper that’s lower cost and not well matched to your source tobacco. A wrapper should be intrinsically matched to the source (filler) tobacco so it complements the taste of the tobacco.?

• Good overall construction.

A cigar should have a wrapper that holds the cigar together as you smoke it, the tip of your cigar should lend itself to being cut without causing the cigar to fall apart in your hands (this can and does happen with lower-cost cigars), and the draw of the cigar as you smoke it should be effortless, the burn characteristics of your cigar should be good with no “runs” down the side of the cigar as you smoke it.?

• Burn characteristics that go smoothly.

As just above, a lower quality cigar won’t burn well, the tobacco will burn with a run down the side of the cigar, it won’t burn evenly, it will go out as you smoke it, and the draw will be inconsistent (not smooth) as the cigar burns and the taste will be somewhat inconsistent as you burn through elements in the filler tobacco that are not good quality.?

• The appearance of the cigar should be high quality.

“Quality” means the wrapper color is consistent, it’s not blotchy with dark and light colors that appear to be out of place, the tobacco should be not too shiny or dull, and it should have a natural appearance. It’s hard to define “natural” but you will know it when you see it, especially when you buy a box of cigars. Look for a lack of consistency as you look at the box.

Seven Newby Cigar Mistakes You Don’t want to Do (ever)!?

• A premium cigar, a cigarillo, whatever should not be chewed,

ever under any circumstances. Chewing on it is just going to crimp the flow of smoke, and swell the tobacco (impacting the draw negatively). Tars bill build up in the unsmoked portion of your cigar giving you a not-too-good taste experience and giving you a nicotine rush you don’t want.

• Slow is always good when firing up a stick

Take your time, smoking quickly is just going to cause your cigar to burn too hot which can give you a bitter taste. Also, a hot burn disturbs the delicate balance between the filler, binder, and wrapper leaves – they are simply not burning in sync. You want to puff on a good cigar as you smoke it.

• Cigars are not meant for inhaling under any circumstances

You don’t want cigar smoke in your lungs, the flavor should be felt inside your mouth which is attuned to differences in flavors and texture. If you want to have a deeper experience with the smoke let it hang in your mouth for a few seconds and then exhale slowly.

• Smoking a premium cigar is just like savoring a good scotch or glass of wine!

Take your time and enjoy the experience – if you are hurried then hold off on smoking a premium cigar. Embrace the ash. Cigar ash at the end of your stick gives you instant information on the smoking experience and quality of the tobacco and it’s critical to ensuring you get a good smoking experience. The ash cap at the foot of your cigar helps to prevent oxygen from reaching the burning coal.?

• A premium cigar is never a good thing to use a pointer

Don’t wave a stick around, you will look like a rank amateur – if your first name is Winston and you are English then you get a free pass on this one and you can point that stick in any direction you want to. But for the rest of us, don’t ever point a premium cigar – it’s a newby mistake you don’t want to make.

• Believing price is always the determinant of a good premium cigar

Yes, price is part of the equation when you are buying a box of premium cigars. But, you can buy a box of Rocky Patel Cigars that are affordable, lower in cost versus more expensive premium cigars, and not spend the proverbial arm or leg and still get a great taste.

• Think your box of premium cigars will improve with age

They won’t – this is just not the case. Yes, they will last years in a great cigar humidor but all cigars like any consumer product have finite shelf space and they are not fine wine and won’t get better with age. That’s not to say you can’t save a great premium cigar in a good quality cigar humidor – you should protect your investment by storing your cigars in a good quality humidor with the humidity set properly.

You have come to the right place if you are looking for premium cigars, machine-made cigars, or RYO tobacco. We have over 2,500 tobacco-related products here at Windy City Cigars, And, with ten years of experience helping customers select the right type of cigars, pipe tobacco, and smoking accessories, you are in good hands shopping with us here at Windy City Cigars.