Cigar Watch

Chief@CigarWatch.info
www.CigarWatch.info

OK - I’m a nut about cigars. I’ve been known to just look at a particularly well made one - roll it over and over in my fingers - until one of my fellow herfers finally says ‘are you going to smoke that thing or take it out on a date!’ But there is method to my madness. Here’s a case in point - consider the cut.

The Cap: This is the small most often circular piece of tobacco wrapper leaf that has been used to seal the head of your cigar and secure the wrapper. It keeps the stick from drying out and provides stability for the wrapper. Most often it is made of the same leaf which has been used for the wrapper.

The Cut: There are a number of methods for cutting a cigar. The one you choose does not matter here - it’s after the cut that I am interested in. But, just to set the stage:

You should cut your cigar just above the cap line, generally right before the curved end of the cigar starts to straighten out. Remember, you cut the cigar is to create an opening without damaging the structure of the stick. Three of the commonest methods for doing this are:

• The Pierce: A simple small hole punched in the end of the cigar. It keeps the “head” firm but may produce a sharp “bite” as the intense jet of smoke hits the tongue.

• The Guillotine Cut: A straight-across slice with a razor-sharp cutter, it provides a clean, open drawing area and disperses the smoke to avoid “bite”.

• The “V” Cut: The “V Cut” provides ample area for proper air circulation, yet keeps bitter tars down at the deep end of the “V” and away from your tongue.

Two quick tips. First, you want to avoid taking off too much of the cap. This can result in your cigar’s wrapper unraveling. A real bummer - especially when you are into a really great smoke. Second, cut the cap quickly and cleanly in one motion. If you try to ease the process along you will most likely crush the stick and it will end up unusable.

Inspecting the Results: Now we come to the point of this piece; after you have cut the cigar, take a good look down both ends of the barrel. Most herfers don’t seem to pay attention to the cut - other than to see if it was even and if there are bits of tobacco hanging off the end. But this is a really good opportunity to discover lots about how it was made, its structure and the kinds of tobacco and skills which have gone into the making. Here are a couple of things that I look for:

• Stems: Most rollers are good at hiding stems at the foot of the cigars which they make. If you go into a walk-in humidor and test the idea you will see what I mean. Most of the sticks will look fine from the toe end. But cutting the head of the cigar will often give you a far different view into the guts of the stogie. Stems will most often show up as white areas around the perimeter of the cigar.

• Consistency: Because you now have a good look at both ends of the stogie, you can compare the structure of the cigar. The cut head should look much like the toe. If you see coarser leaves under the cut, it may be in indication that the toe was rolled for show but the body of the cigar is no-go.

As a herfer, you should be a good consumer - and that means a discerning buyer. Don’t buy a cigar for the label (you don’t smoke the band), the brand or the story behind the stick. Buy you smokes for the cigar and the experience of smoking it. If you don’t pay attention to the quality of the cigars you buy, some of the manufacturers will try(and, I believe, are trying) to get away with shoddy work. The problem is out there already. One major maker I know of seems to be in the ‘stem’ business. Their cigars are always heavily populated with stems at the cut end. Another seems to think that it is OK to patch a cap or wrapper with a bit of cap material - I have found this tendency in a number of manufacturers. Probably it is a result of poorly trained rollers under a high quota regime. As herfers we can affect the quality of the cigars. An educated and aggressive consumer is the best defense against poor quality control.

Cigar Watch provides cigar ratings, information on how to smoke a cigar and enjoy the experience and tips on how to identify fake cigars. We are a cigar club whose members contribute reviews of their favorite stogies and rant or rave about their experiences with smokes.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 at 10:30 am and is filed under Articles, Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.