Jim's Cigar Guide: Mastering Cigar Selection and Quality

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Hi, I'm Jim. After 40 years in the cigar world, I'm here to share some simple rules to help you choose a great smoke, understand quality, and find excellent value.


1. How to Choose a Cigar: Color, Thickness, and Geography

Three factors can give you a quick estimate of a cigar's strength and flavor profile:

Wrapper Color & Strength

The color of the wrapper is your primary visual indicator of strength:

  • Lighter wrappers tend to be milder.
  • Darker wrappers tend to be stronger, often aged longer and slightly more oily.

Cigar Thickness & Temperature

The thickness of the cigar affects the burn:

  • Thicker cigars tend to burn a little bit cooler.
  • Thinner cigars burn hotter.

Geographic Rule of Thumb

In the cigar kingdom, we sell cigars from many regions (Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic). The geographic rule is simple:

  • Dominican Republic cigars tend to be milder.
  • Cigars from the other countries (Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica) are generally going to be stronger.

2. Cigar Construction and Burn Quality

A well-constructed cigar is key to an enjoyable experience.

Quality Check: The Ash

The sign of a great roll is when the ash has yet to fall off, even after puffing for 15 or 20 minutes.

Dealing with an Uneven Burn

If a cigar is not burning evenly, it's usually due to a slight imperfection in the filler (like a stem or a thick leaf part). This is common in a handmade, hand-rolled cigar.

  • The Fix: You can smoke it all the way through, or you can take your cutter and chop off that portion that's not burning correctly and finish the rest of it.

3. Moderately Priced Recommendations

A frequent question I get is about finding moderately priced cigars that still offer premium quality. I recommend looking for hand-rolled brands that might use "short filler" to keep costs down while still delivering a great experience.

I've picked out five premium options that offer excellent value:

  1. Puck by Alec Bradley
  2. Gurkha Black Ops Habano
  3. Victor Sinclair Sweet Bourbon Double Shot
  4. Dolce Vita Cafe Coffee Dark Edition
  5. H. Upman 1844 Classic

You can often buy all five of these for less than the cost of a dinner out! Come on in and try them; they're pretty good.


Thanks for tuning in. Keep those questions coming. I'm Jim. Welcome to the kingdom.

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