Posts Categorized: New Cigar Facts

These days strong cigars are all the rage.  So much so that the word ligero is featured on many cigar bands/rings as a way of trumpeting its strength. Ligero leaves are generally taken from the upper-most part of the tobacco plant and are strong because these leaves get the most sun and consequently are the thickest and most potent…. Read More

Some of us already know that cigars have their perfect shape because they are placed into cigar molds before the wrapper leaf is applied. Although figurados, (cigars with tapered ends) were once formed only by hand, cigar manufactures are now using cigar molds for these odd shaped cigars as well. But the use of cigar… Read More

New info!!!… Lew Rothman has pointed out the distinction between “box pressed” and “square pressed” cigars. See his comment below. Turns out, what we commonly refer to as “box pressed”, is actually “square pressed”:  the cigars start out as round cigars but are filled with about 10% less tobacco and, after rolling, are put into molds that… Read More

Does humid air rise?  Will the cigars at the top of my humidor be more moist than the ones on the bottom?  There seems to be a lot of confusion about these simple questions.  But by placing multiple hygrometers inside a large humidor, I’ve observed that humid air DOES rise.  This observation is confirmed by… Read More

Did you know that… the tip of a tobacco leaf is sweeter and milder than the middle?  This is why the first inch of a cigar is more easy-going than the rest.  Like a jalapeño, judging the power of a chili by the tip can lead to over-the-top guacamole.  This is one reason why the… Read More

Industry sources attribute flaky cigar ash to high potassium and magnesium levels in the soil.  Apparently, these minerals can causes tobacco to burn more efficiently, leaving the ash flaky.  This would dispel the misconception that flaky cigar ash is the result of short filler cigar construction.

Did you know that…”Cohiba, a word used by the Taino Indians of Cuba was thought to mean tobacco, but now is considered to have referred to cigars. The word cigar originated from sikar, the Mayan word for smoking.”

Did you know that…around 20 million Cuban cigars are sold illegally in the United State annually?  This is according to Manuel Garcia, the marketing VP of Habanos S.A. Others estimate that as many as one third of the total Cuban cigars sold in a year are purchased by Americans. Source: Cigar Insider, March 9, 2010.