Cigar Information

Cigar Diagram:

Cigars:
Good cigars are made from Cuban Seed or Piloto Cubano from places such as Habano/Havana, Partido and Vuelta Abajo. Each cigar is made up of 3 basic things which together are called a 'blend'; first you have the 'filler' which contains anywhere from 3-5 different types of tobacco leaves, second you have 'binder leaves' which hold the filler leaves together and third you have 'wrapper leaves' which give cigars there different outward appearance. For a list of cigar terms, click here.

Humidors:
Humidors can be simple boxes which may store 10 cigars to elaborate designed boxes with drawers to entire units that can store several boxes of cigars. Every humidor has a hygrometer and a humidifier.

Humidor Maintenance:
Properly built humidors are made from cedar and have a hygrometer which measures the humidity level and a humidifier which adds humidity to the air. Ideal humidity should range between 70%-72%. Be sure to check the humidity level every week or so to maintain proper humidity, improper humidity levels below 67% or above 75% can be damaging to the cigars. In order to maintain proper humidity you must first make sure your hygrometer is calibrated. First use any small lid/cup etc that can fit into a small sealable plastic bag, put a few drops of water onto a teaspoon of salt and let it sit for 6-8 hours; the humidity should then read 75%. Second you need to fill your humidifier with distilled water and let it sit for 5-10 minutes making sure no water is dripping from it before placing in the humidor.

Smoking:
Before you smoke you must prepare the cigar, by that I mean removing the band if necessary, and using a cutter to open up the 'head' of the cigar. There are 4 different types of cutters, the first is the most common and involves simply chopping off the head of the cigar using a two fingered cutter, the second is called 'bull's eye piercing' in which you use a round blade pressed into the head to remove a circle of tobaaco about the size of a whole puncher, the third is 'piercing' or 'lancing' in which a small hole is created using a sharp object, the fourth is making a 'wedge' in which you take a knife blade and slice a slightly deep V into the head. When you 'draw' NOT inhale on the cigar there should be even airflow to the mouth. Lighting the 'foot' of the cigar is best done using a Jet Lighter (any kind will do) by heating and then puffing lightly while rotating the cigar left to right in order to get an even burn on the leaves, keep in mind that the bigger the aficionado you become the more you will notice the change in taste when you using non jet lighters.

Advice:
If you are new to cigars the only way to figure them out is to try them! I am STILL trying new cigars on a regular basis and it can be very exciting when you find a new cigar that you just love! One thing to keep in mind is one persons opinion about a good cigar doesn't mean its a good cigar to you. Personal tastes with cigars is a very defined personal taste, so just because its recommended does not mean in anyway you will like it, but that also does not mean you won't like it, so as I stated before TRY them! A very good way to find out what cigars you are more inclined to enjoy is to go online to some of the brands websites and read about how each one of the cigars is 'cured' and what types of leaves are used, this will help a lot if you know you don't like coffee and the cigar was cured with coffee.

Warning:
There are bugs called 'tobacco beetles' which can infest your cigar collection, always be on the look out for these yellowish to reddish-brown, oval-shaped, 1/10-inch long bugs. They can get inside the humidor and destroy your cigars. Improperly stored cigars in high humidity humidors can get 'blue mold' which is bluish and stains the cigar wrapper. Properly stored cigars overtime will naturally exude a 'bloom' or 'plume' which is a fine white powder that can simply be brushed off and is not harmful.

Cigar Sites:
Cigar Aficionado
http://cigars.about.com - A collection of great info on cigars.
Cigar Asylum - Cigar forum.
http://www.cigargroup.com/regional/ca/sfbay/sf-smoke.html - A list of cigar friendly establishments in San Francisco, California.
Casa Belicoso - Cigar Lounge in Walnut Creek, California.
MD Cigars - Great place to buy cigars online, buy singles, x5 or a box.

My Favorite Cigars:

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