Cigar Selection Tips – Part II

Learning right kind of cutting and lighting techniques is essential as well as finding a helpful tobacconist that will guide in a process of selecting the quality and the brand. Tobacconists are happy to answer to your questions. They know that satisfied and knowledgeable customers will eventually return. A lot of tobacconists are also cigar aficionados so they are more than happy to share their cigar experiences with enthusiastic newcomers.

A good way to learn about aging is purchasing two cigars of the same type and smoking one right away and putting the other away for a few months. Those who just can’t wait for a few months to know they results, may buy cigars from first-rate tobacconists who sell cigars that are already well-aged.

There are some tobacconists who store their products in humidor-like displays with proper temperature and humidity control in order to preserve aging cigars. Oftentimes, they will buy a large stock from a distributor that causes the cigars on the bottom of the box to stay on the shelf for months. This may also be an advantage because some cigars do not go bad as they age. In fact, there are some merchants who sell specialty cigars that have been aged for several years.

Cigars always have to be checked for hard spots that may indicate the presence of a “plug”. A plug is a small, dense volume of tobacco that can reduce the draw through the cigar as it is smoked. This can be worked out by rolling the cigar between the thumb and the forefinger but it is generally easier to avoid purchasing potentially troubled cigars in the first place.

Dryness and cracking are two of the things that have to be avoided in cigars. Small cracks in the cigar wrapper may appear after improperly stored cigars dry out within a dew days. The cracking and the dryness causes bad draw, poor flavor, misspent money.

Signs of discoloration should also be checked. A wrapper with an even shade of color along its length is in its best condition. A blue tinge may indicate the presence of a blue mold. A cigar with a blue mold needs to be disposed right away. The presence of white dust on a cigar is just a result of the aging process and it’s nothing to worry about. It can be brushed off without having any ill-effects on the taste and quality of the cigar.

Cigars that are intended to be smoked later can be stored in glass tubes or humidors. Cigars that come with cellophane wrappers probably don’t have the highest quality, so they should stay wrapped until smoked.