| Is there such a thing as a perfect cigar? This is a | | | | The perfectly rolled cigar burns evenly all the way |
| question that’s been debated for hundreds of | | | | down and is neither too hard nor too spongy to the |
| years, but even now, well into the twenty-first | | | | feel. The wrapper should be blemish free and above |
| century, there’s no definitive answer. Or rather, | | | | all, it should not be dry or showing signs of |
| there are hundreds of “definitive” answers, | | | | unraveling. In addition, a sloppy appearing cigar is a |
| because virtually every cigar smoker has his or her | | | | good indicator of poor craftsmanship. |
| own idea of what constitutes perfection. Discussions | | | | Consistency:This is a frequently overlooked factor, |
| along these lines tend to include prolific use of | | | | but really it is quite important. If a cigar producer |
| phrases like “patiently hand made,” “peak | | | | cannot achieve consistency in their product, the |
| of flavor,” “intoxicating aroma,” | | | | consumer is left wondering from year to year |
| “deftly hand rolled” and “creamy | | | | whether the box they buy will be a good batch, or |
| smoke.” Very descriptive, but how on Earth does | | | | one of those unfortunate “off” batches. A |
| one quantify these words and come out with a | | | | good producer sources their tobacco from the same |
| definition of “perfect?” | | | | quality suppliers every year and keeps a stockpile to |
| All arguments aside, it is possible to at least spike out | | | | cover any poor crops, so there is little variation in the |
| some of the key variables that most aficionados | | | | raw material; workers are well-trained and kept on as |
| would agree contribute toward distinguishing a | | | | craftsmen. As a result, a cigar produced by this |
| mediocre cigar from an excellent one. With these | | | | company is almost always good. |
| basics to fall back on, someone new to the world of | | | | Tobacco:It should go without saying that a good |
| cigars might not be able to settle the age-old | | | | cigar requires good tobacco. Besides being of high |
| argument of perfection, but at least they would | | | | quality, the tobacco needs to be aged properly or |
| stand a decent chance of buying a good cigar instead | | | | the end result will be a fast burning cigar that |
| of wasting their money. | | | | produces a harsh smoke. Like the question of the |
| Construction:There’s an art to rolling a cigar | | | | perfect cigar, there’s endless argument about |
| properly and not everyone knows it. A cigar | | | | what region or country produces the best tobacco. |
| that’s been overfilled is difficult to smoke, and | | | | Historically, Cuba is the country most frequently |
| easily goes out. If it’s under filled, the cigar | | | | considered to be tops in terms of premium tobacco |
| burns too quickly and produces hot, harsh smoke. | | | | production. |