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Unless you're a die-hard smoker with a titanium guillotine cutter in your pocket, most of us view cigars as something you enjoy every now and then or on a special occasion. There are also those instances when you're with a group of guys who are all taking part and you don't want to feel like the princess in the room.
As summer approaches, there's nothing better than spending some quality time outdoors, lighting up an obnoxiously large cigar, and watching the stink eye you get from every stroller-pushing powermom who happens to walk through your mushroom cloud of smoke.
ABOUT THE BLOGGER
Tony Ricciardi is the owner of The Montecristo Room, a popular cigar shop and lounge located in Westchester, New York. Visit the site at www.montecristoroom.com for more info.
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THE BASICS
When buying a cigar, the three main things you are going to consider are origin, size, and strength.
Yes, some fancier people would include flavor as another consideration
here, but as a relative expert I can assure you that any cigar you
choose will taste primarily like [SPOILER ALERT] tobacco.
Origin
Where
a cigar is made has a lot to do with how it will taste and what
characteristics you will notice while smoking it. Currently there are
many places in the world making top-notch smokes. I'll stick with the
most common and most widely available in the United States:
Dominican RepublicHondurasNicaraguaBrazilMexicoJamaicaUSA
Each
of these regions produces what are considered world-class cigars. What
makes a cigar from Honduras different than a cigar from Brazil is
essentially the soil, and how the tobacco is grown before it is
harvested. It's why Florida oranges taste so much better than others.
The climate in these countries is perfect for the growing and
cultivating of tobacco. It also doesn't hurt to have generations of
expert rollers who know what to do with the stuff once it's been
harvested.
Size
Despite what your wife tells
you, size does matter… At least when it comes to cigars. The size of a
cigar can determine how much tobacco was used to create it, what kinds
of flavors it will give off, and how long it will take you to smoke it.
Generally, there are 10 major cigar sizes you will see. The list below
is arranged from largest to smallest.
| NAME | LENGTH | RING GAUGE |
|---|
| Double Corona | 7½–8 | 47–52 | | Churchill | 7 | 46–50 | | Torpedo | 6½ | 50–52 | | Toro | 6 | 50 | | Belicoso | 5–6 | 49–54 | | Robusto | 4½–5 | 48–52 | | Lonsdale | 6½ | 40–44
| | Corona | 5–5½ | 40–44 | | Petit Corona | 5 | 40–44 | | Panatela | 6 | 26–38 |
Choose
your size most appropriate to the situation in which you'll be enjoying
it, but UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES are you to ever smoke a Petit Corona or
Panatela. It's just not manly.
Strength
Almost
no cigar will be labeled with any information relating to its strength,
so you'll have to rely on the salesperson to help you in that
department. But generally the rules is that a darker-colored cigar is
going to be more potent than a lighter-colored one.
Now
that you have a little better understanding of what you're getting
into, here's a list of some cigars that you might want to check out
next time you're in your local shop.
Oliva Series G
These cigars are from Nicaragua, and are
medium strength and very smooth. The Robusto, which is my favorite size
of this cigar, can be found for around $5.
CAO Brazilia
These beauties are made by cigar giant CAO.
They use the finest Brazilian tobacco to produce what I think is a
delicious and reasonably priced smoke. I love the Samba size of the
cigar, which is a Torpedo. This full-bodied smoke runs about $7.
Rocky Patel Vintage 1992
These smokes from Rocky are
actually a blend from Nicaragua, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic.
They are medium strength and very tasty. I prefer the Toro size, which
will set you back about $9.50
 Padron 1964
This is what I smoke when I want to remind
myself why I smoke cigars in the first place. These cigars are
constructed impeccably from the richest and most carefully aged
Nicaraguan tobaccos. They are medium strength and have a beautiful
box-press shape to them, which makes them square around instead of
circular. They are a little harder to find, and a lot more expensive.
The Torpedo will run you in the $16 neighborhood.
 Arturo Fuente OpusX
The Fuente OpusX is one of the rarest
cigars in the world. It consistently receives the highest ratings from
industry publications, and continues to be the pinnacle of fine cigars.
This cigar is almost impossible to find, and is widely considered the
"best of the best." It is full-bodied, and the aromas in each size are
distinctly different. But the one thing each has in common is the
near-perfect taste and quality. Definitely a special-occasion smoke. If
you can find it, a Robusto will run you $35 to $40.
A word on Cubans…
Cuban
cigars are a mystery to those who are not students of the leaf. Cuba is
one of those magical combinations of having incredibly great climate,
rich soil, and expert rollers. There's just that little embargo thing
standing in the way. It's not to say that Cubans are not available to
you. There are various means of procuring a Fidel special; but since
they are all illegal, I'll refrain from detailing them here. Bottom
line is that Cubans, while good, are also slightly romanticized due to
the difficulty in obtaining them. The proliferation of fake Cuban
cigars is also a huge problem, and one that you should think carefully
about the next time you get offered a "great deal" on a box of Cohibas
by a guy walking up the beach. Just say no. |
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