Robusto
approx 5 in x 50 ring
The everyday smoke. Long enough to be interesting, short enough to finish in a normal sit-down. If you're new, this is where most people start.
Cigar basics
Stick School.
How a cigar is built, how to cut it, how to light it, how to read a wrapper, and what all the lingo means. Plain English. No snob talk.
Anatomy of a cigar
A cigar is three layers of tobacco rolled together. Get to know the parts and you can read a box.
Wrapper
The outer leaf. Wrapper does most of the talking on flavor and almost all of the talking on price. Color tells you a lot about it (see Wrappers below).
Binder
The structural leaf under the wrapper. Holds the filler in place. Contributes to flavor, but more to burn quality than anything you'd taste in the first puff.
Filler
The tobacco inside. Long-filler is whole leaves running tip to tip, what you want in a premium cigar. Short-filler is chopped pieces, used in machine-made smokes.
Cap
The cap is the small piece glued on at the head you cut before smoking. Without it the cigar would unravel. Cut just below it.
Head & foot
The head is the closed end you cut and put in your mouth. The foot is the open end you light. Don't mix them up.
Common sizes
The shape of a cigar is called a vitola. Length matters less than ring gauge (diameter). Both affect how the smoke develops.
Toro
approx 6 in x 50 ring
A step up in length. Same width as a robusto so the flavor profile is similar but you get more of it.
Churchill
approx 7 in x 47 ring
Named for Winston. Long, slim relative to a toro, and built for a long evening. Plan an hour and a half if you want to enjoy it.
Corona
approx 5.5 in x 42 ring
A traditional, narrower size. Wrapper plays a bigger role because there is more wrapper relative to filler. Often where blenders show off.
Lancero
approx 7.5 in x 38 ring
Long and thin. The wrapper is the star. Burns slow, draws focused. A connoisseur cut without being a snob about it.
Gordo
approx 6 in x 60+ ring
Big ring gauge. Cool smoke, lots of filler in play. Some blenders love it, some say the wrapper gets lost. Try one and decide.
Wrapper colors
Color is a fast read on what to expect. Lighter wrappers tend to be milder. Darker wrappers tend to be sweeter and richer. Not a hard rule, but a good starting point.
Connecticut Shade
Light tan, sometimes almost yellow. Mild and creamy. Common starter wrapper.
Natural / Habano
Medium brown. Balanced strength. The default for most blends, a good middle of the road.
Maduro
Dark brown, sometimes almost black. Sweet, rich, cocoa-and-coffee territory. Longer fermentation gives it the color and the flavor.
Oscuro
Even darker than maduro. Sometimes called black. Even more fermented. Powerful and earthy.
Candela
Greenish wrapper. Cured fast to keep the chlorophyll in. Mild and grassy. You don't see them often. When you do, try one.
Cut, light, smoke
Five steps to a good smoke. Most of it is just patience.
- 01
Pick a cut
Three common cuts: a straight (guillotine) cut takes the cap straight off, a punch cuts a small hole through it, and a V-cut takes a wedge out of the middle. Guillotine for most people. Punch if you want a tighter draw.
- 02
Cut just below the cap
Look at the head of the cigar, you can see the cap line. Cut just below it. Take off less than you think. You can always cut more, you can't put it back.
- 03
Toast the foot
Hold the foot half an inch above the flame. Spin slowly. Don't actually touch the flame to the cigar, heat is doing the work. Toast until the foot glows evenly across.
- 04
Take your first draw
Put it in your mouth and pull steady, holding the foot just over the flame. A few breaths in is usually enough. Check the burn. If one side is lit and one isn't, give it another moment.
- 05
Smoke slow
A cigar isn't a cigarette. Draw every minute or so. Pull too often and it gets hot and harsh. Pull too rarely and it goes out. Slow and steady, this is the whole point.
Storage in plain English
Cigars want about 70 percent relative humidity and around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Too dry and they crack and burn hot. Too wet and they mold and won't draw.
You don't need a $400 humidor. A sealed Tupperware container with a Boveda pack (a small humidity pouch) works for a small stash. Wooden humidors look nicer and buffer humidity better, worth it if you collect more than a handful.
Aging is real. Most premium cigars get smoother with six months to a year of rest. Keep notes on what you smoked and when, your future self will thank you.
Glossary
Terms you'll hear at the counter or read on a box.
- Ring gauge
- Diameter in 64ths of an inch. A 50 ring is 50/64 of an inch around. Higher = fatter.
- Vitola
- The shape and size of a cigar (robusto, toro, churchill, etc.).
- Plume
- Crystalline white dust on the wrapper. Naturally occurring oils. Good. Not to be confused with mold (fuzzy, blue-green, bad).
- Bloom
- Same as plume.
- Foot band
- A second band near the foot of the cigar. Removable before smoking.
- Pigtail
- A small twist of wrapper at the head instead of a cap. Cosmetic, cut it off before smoking.
- Box-pressed
- Square-shaped cigar from being pressed in the box during aging. Slightly different draw than round.
- Singles
- One cigar at a time, not a bundle or box.
- Humidor
- A container that holds cigars at the right humidity (around 68-72% RH).
- RH
- Relative humidity. Keep your stash around 70.
- Coronas, robustos, toros
- Three of the most common shapes (see Sizes above).
- Long-filler
- Whole tobacco leaves running the length of the cigar. Premium.
- Short-filler
- Chopped filler pieces. Machine-made cigars typically.
- Medio-tiempo
- A rare top-of-plant leaf used in some premium wrappers. Adds strength and complexity.
- Capa, capote, tripa
- Spanish for wrapper, binder, filler. You'll see these on box stamps.
- Vitolas de galera
- Factory name for a cigar size. Different from the marketing name on the box.