Cigar Guide

property of fanglekai Fangly's Cigar Guide

property of fanglekai property of fanglekai Cigars are definitely a fun treat, but there's a lot to learn and you'll need some cash to get started, probably over $100 if you want to do it right. In this guide I'm going to tell you what you need, and then how to properly enjoy a cigar. Be sure to buy quality items up front or you'll upgrade down the line and spend even more money.

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Things you need: 1. Humidor. A humidor is just a box lined with Spanish cedar wood that helps maintain your cigars at the proper temperature and humidity. They can have a glass window or be an opaque box. I prefer an all-wood humidor.

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Look for deals on a free one at www.cigarsinternational.com. I got one free with a $25 order. You just need a basic one. You will need to season it, a process that takes several days, before putting cigars inside. http://www.cigarbeat.net/season and http://goo.gl/QSuZp. I used a new, clean, soft sponge and distilled water to very gently wipe the entire inside of the humidor. I used very, very little water in the sponge. The goal was to remove particles and dust. I then set a mostly filled sponge in a small dish and left it there for a day. The next day I refilled the sponge and left it there for another day. After several days the humidor reached a higher humidity level, around 80-90% RH. At that point you can remove the sponge and use your humicare gel to maintain the ideal 70% RH.

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2. Humicare gel. Costs about $10. It helps maintain the proper humidity level, which is 70% RH. You can get it at cigarsinternational or anywhere on the web or even your local cigar shop. You don't need humicare gel, but it makes keeping the humidity at 70% easier.

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3. Digital hygrometer. You must keep your cigars at 70F and 70% RH (some prefer 68%, but

property of fanglekai that's unimportant. 68-70% is ideal). To do that you need a hygrometer. I like this one for $20: http://goo.gl/6QaOo

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Notice how the temp and humidity are way off. I don't smoke in the winter months, so I don't maintain my humidor very well. It gets dry here with the heater on.

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This one is pretty small and has a magnetic back. It comes with a metal plate that attaches to the inside of the top lid of your humidor. The magnetic back of the hygrometer makes it stick to the metal plate, so you have a nice, easy reference every time you open the lid. The one I linked to is the one I bought. It's accurate, easy to calibrate and only $20. If you plan on going through with this whole thing, spend the $20. You can calibrate it so it's accurate. To calibrate your hygrometer you need to do this: http://goo.gl/ykvA6 and here's another site: http://goo.gl/x5GKQ

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Reasons why you need to maintain your cigars: first you don't want your cigars to be too moist or too dry. Too moist and they won't burn, too dry and they'll taste bad and burn too fast. The

property of fanglekai second reason is because of tobacco beetles: http://goo.gl/M8Rtg. They're beetles that will eat your cigars. Most cigar companies take lots of precautions including spraying and freezing to protect cigars from beetles, but if you allow your cigars to be in an environment that's warmer than 70F and higher than 70% RH there's the possibility that any tobacco beetle eggs in the cigar will hatch and they'll eat all the cigars nearby. This means they can eat your entire humidor's inventory. Maintain your cigars at the proper temp and humidity and you'll be fine.

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4. High quality cigar cutter. The best ones are made by xikar http://www.xikar.com/main.asp. They run for $30+, usually around $50. Colibri makes decent cutters as well. I own a colibri. It cost $25 and works decently well. I think a xikar would have been a better choice, though.

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5. Heat source. Wood matches are ideal. Expensive lighters that use filtered fuels can be used as well, but matches are cheaper.

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6. Place to smoke. I do not recommend smoking cigars indoors. They will leave nasty smoke

property of fanglekai that contains high levels of carcinogens. Cigar smoke is incredibly toxic and is much, much worse than normal cigarette smoke for second-hand smoke. Ideally you should smoke outdoors, away from people who don't want to be around your smoke. Smoking indoors with your buddies on poker night is a good way to inhale a shitton of nasty smoke. I never smoke indoors, but if you want to that's up to you.

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7. A drink to go with your cigar. Cigars will dry out your mouth and throat. I like to pair my cigars with good beer or whiskey. What you choose is up to you. You can't go wrong with Maker's Mark, Knob Creek, or Buffalo Trace. For beer, I usually go with a hoppy brew (IPA or Pale Ale) or a dark beer like a porter or stout.

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8. Free time. People often forget to mention this. Good cigars will burn upwards of 2 hours. Of course this depends on the shape, but a regular churchill or torpedo cigar will burn for well over an hour and a half, depending on frequency and duration of drawing on it and whether it's windy outside, etc. I always plan 2 hours for a smoke. Now that you have everything except your cigars, let's learn some more.

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Cigar basics: The parts of a cigar are divided into four basics: the cap (or tip); the head; the body and the foot. The foot is the part you light and the tip is the part you cut off. A cigar is made up of three components: the filler; the binder and the wrapper. The filler is the "stuffing." There are two kinds of filler. Lower end cigars contain bits of tobacco leaf, known as short-filler, which are crammed together and shaped to fit a specific cigar size. Higher end or premium cigar filler is made up of whole leaves rolled into a tube. The ends are then cut to match the cigar size required. All premium cigar filer is made this way and will be labeled hecho a mano which means "made by hand." http://goo.gl/rroY7

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Types of cigars: Cigars are classified by shape, size, body (mild, medium, full) and by region. You need to know about these things before purchasing a cigar. If you're inexperienced, pick a mild or mild-medium cigar. A full bodied cigar will probably make you feel sick or lay you flat on your ass from the high nicotine content.

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Medium cigars have more flavor than mild, and they're not as heavy as a full bodied cigar. Full bodied cigars can be high in nicotine and produce a lot more smoke. They might have tons more flavor than medium or mild cigars, but not necessarily. Here's a lot of useful info I'm going to paste because it's correct and I don't feel like putting it into my own words: Strength Strength is a measure of nicotine only... it's a cigar's "kick." Most smokers, even experienced ones, get a nicotine kick or buzz from strong cigars.

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Depending on your condition (e.g., thin, over-weight, over-tired, just ate, empty stomach, drunk, etc., etc.) a very strong cigar can produce either very pleasant feelings or very unpleasant ones.

Aside from its heady kick, nicotine can frequently be noted as a peppery or warming tingle on the lips and tongue, even before the cigar is lit. To enhance to your smoking experience, you might want to make a practice of tasting a cigar right before you light it up, for 15 seconds, or so. Just let your lips and tongue moisten the wrapper and the filler in the freshly clipped foot of your cigar. It's a quick way to judge the strength of the smoke to come.

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Flavor A full-flavored cigar is not necessarily a strong cigar. Flavor does not equal strength, even when the cigar is very flavorful. Aside from the particular SEED VARIETY (e.g., Cuban Seed, etc.), it's the SOIL and CLIMATE where the leaf is cultivated that contributes most to a cigar's distinctive flavors as does when and how the leaf is harvested and fermented. Other "flavor factors" include: aging, blending, construction, storage and the density, length and girth of a cigar.

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Body First a word of caution... this is heavily debated territory. I use the term body to describe the aggregate impression you get while smoking a cigar. However, Body it does NOT incorporate Overall Quality. Body is a subjective composite of the combination of: •FLAVOR (nutty, smoky, coffee, bitter, woodsy, sweet, etc.), •DEPTH of flavor (bland, hints, overtones, massive, etc.), •TEXTURE (creamy, smooth, biting, etc.), •VOLUME of smoke per puff (thin, generous, thick, etc.) •AFTERTASTE and its persistence on your palate (a cigar's "length" or "finish"), •and to a much lesser degree, IMO, STRENGTH (or nicotine). A "full bodied cigar" is usually a stronger cigar with masses of flavor, volumes of smoke and a lingering aftertaste. It is full in so many dimensions, that many smokers refer to this complex set of sensory impressions as "lush" or "chewy" or "huge". http://goo.gl/B2DMI

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Cigar shapes and sizes: Everyone will have their own preference on this. I prefer torpedos and churchills most of the time. Common sizes: • • •

Corona - 5.50 X 42 Double - Corona 7.50 X 54 Robusto - 5.00 X 5.00

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property of fanglekai • • • • • • •

Churchill - 7.00 X 50 Torpedo (tapered one end) - 6.25 X 52 Half Corona – 4.25 X 42 Rothschild – 4.50 X 50 Lonsdale – 6.50 X 44 Toro – 6.00 X 50 President – 8.50 X 52

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Resting cigars: Cigars can be aged, but that's a separate issue from what's called resting them. When you buy a cigar from a local smoke shop, it's been sitting in a humidor for a long while. It's already been at the proper temp and humidity for a long time, so it's rested. It's ready to smoke immediately. If you aren't going to smoke it immediately, put it in your humidor. If you buy online, like I do, it's cheaper than your local shop. However, you have to rest the cigars before smoking them. They've been in the mail, subjected to changes in temperature and humidity, and they need to be restored before smoking them to ensure they're at their peak. All you have to do is leave them in your 70F/70%RH humidor for 3 days. If they feel and smell right, they're ready to go. If they still feel dry, leave them in for another few days. If you want to be on the safe side, rest them for a week.

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You can store cigars in their cellophane wrapper or remove the wrapper. I leave the wrapper on so the cigars don't all absorb each others' flavor and so that the humidor doesn't impart too much cedary flavor.

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property of fanglekai You can store cigars in the freezer in an airtight container. If you do this, remember to put them in the fridge for 2 days or so when you want to thaw them. People freeze their cigars if they suspect tobacco beetle infestation and also it's a great way to store them if you aren't going to use a humidor.

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Humidor maintenance: Remember to open your humidor as infrequently as possible. You want it to maintain its humidity and temperature, so leave it alone. However, you should open it once a week to make sure the humidity is right and to adjust it accordingly with humicare gel or whatever method you use, and you should also check for tobacco beetles. Look for tiny, 1-3mm holes in each cigar. You might like to rotate your cigars, but that's not necessary.

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Choosing a smoke: Decide the shape you want and if you want mild, medium or full bodied. Pick a decent brand. Decide on your price range. You can get decent cigars for $3 each online. Once you've purchased your cigars and rested them, decide which cigar you want before you open the humidor so you don't have to keep it open for very long. Pick one that'll go with your drink.

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Ready to smoke: Your cigar is rested, you checked for tobacco beetle holes, you have 2 hours and a drink ready to go. You're ready to smoke. Remove your cigar from its cellophane wrapper, and cut it using even pressure and one fluid motion. Once it's cut, I like to use my finger to very gently pat the freshly cut tip to remove any tobacco particles that would otherwise go into my mouth upon the first draw.

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Smell the cigar. Look at the wrapper. Enjoy the gorgeous color of the wrapper leaf and the lovely smell. See what you can smell. These are hints of flavors to come. If you left your cigar in your humidor for a month or longer it should have a nice cedar odor as well. Once you've cut the tip, let that freshly cut part rest in between your lips for 15-20 seconds. Your lips might tingle or you notice a peppery taste. This is from the nicotine. You can get a hint of how strong the cigar is by doing this.

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I use a wooden match to toast the foot of the cigar, puffing a few times and turning the cigar to ensure even burning. Take a few puffs and then let the cigar burn a for a minute or two on its own. It'll burn slowly this way. How frequently you puff on the cigar will determine how long it lasts. I like to let mine burn slowly by puffing from time to time, but not too fast. Having a drink nearby helps.

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Do not inhale the smoke. You should draw it into your mouth and then exhale. Do not inhale into your lungs. If you do, you'll see why it was a bad idea. What to look for: Smoke volume, various flavors, even burning, quality cigar construction (no gaps or holes in the tobacco leaves inside), and whether or not you like it.

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I only smoke in the warm months, and then maybe one a week tops. It's something to enjoy, for me at least. I don't ever feel nicotine cravings, and the risk of cancer is greatly reduced by smoking less often and smoking outdoors. Enjoy your smoke! Good resources: http://www.puff.com/forums/vb/ www.cigarsinternational.com

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