| Cigar Characteristics
 
Handmade cigars have three main parts - the filler, the binder and the wrapper.
Each of the parts has a different function when the cigar is actaully smoked.
The outside wrapper dictates the cigar's appearance. It is sometimes grown under gauze and fermented separately from otherleaves toensure that it is smoothm not too oily, and has a subtlle bouquet. It also has to be soft and pliable so that it is easy for the roller to handle.
Wrapper leaves from different plantations have varying colors and are used for different brands. good wrapperleaves have to be elastic and must have no protruding veins. They have to be matured for more than a year... the longer, the better.
The binder leaf holds the cigar together and is usually two halves coarse sun-grown leaf from the upper part of the plant, chosen because of its good tensile strength. The filler is made of separate leaves folded by hand along their length, to allow a passage through which smoke can be drawn when the cigar is lit. This style of arranging the filler is sometimes called the "book" style - which means that if you were to cut the cigar down its length with a razor, the filler leaves would resemble the pages of a book. In the past, the filler was sometimes arranged using the "entubar" method - with up to eight narrow tubes of tobacco leaf rolled into the binder, making the cigar burn very slowly.
Three different types of leaf are normally used for the filler. Ligero leaves from the top of the plant are dark and full in flavor as a result of oils produced by exposure to sunlight. They have to be matured for at least two years before they can be used in cigar-making. Ligero tobacco is always placed in the middle of the cigar because it burns slowly. Seco leaves, from the middle of the plant, are much lighter in color and flavor. They are usually used after maturing for around 18 months. Volado leaves, from the bottom of the plant, have little or no flavor, but they have commendable burning qualities. The are matured for about nine months before use. The precise blend of these differnet leaves in the filler dictates the flavor of each brand and size.
The wrapper color of a cigar is as important as the brand or shape of a cigar in terms of enjoyment. People recognize slight changes in the wrapper color of their favoite cigars. Color changes and changes in the country where the wrapper was grown can dramatically change the taste of a cigar.
Ring gauge is the cigar's diameter, measured in 64ths of an inch, which means that a 32-ring gauge cigar will measure 1/2 inch in diameter. Although many companies list ring sizes, they may deviate from each measurement by a couple of points on some cigars. Ring size has to do with how much of the cigar's burning tip is exposed to air and also how comfortable it feels in your mouth. A fatter cigar smokes cooler and slower because more of the filler is exposed to air.
Most brands offer a choice of several lengths, shapes and sizes and your selection should primarily be your personal prefernence. Various lengths are paired with ring gauges that provide optimal smoking qualities and appearance. Because cigars are such a tradition-oriented product, most popular sizes have developed standard names. Often, a size was named after a famous smoker who favored it, such as "Rothschild" or "Churchill". The shape can also dictate the name, such as "Pyramid" or "Torpedo".
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