Strongest Cuban Cigar - Fine Cigars

Cigars maintain a certain air of sophistication among aficionados, and are often purchased and smoked to celebrate special occasions and events. Traditionally, for instance, new fathers share cigars with male friends and family to celebrate the birth of a child. Cigars are frequently referenced in pop culture, and smoking cigars is usually regarded as a masculine activity and means of relaxation.
 

A Brief History of Cigars

Evidence of cigars has been found that dates the product to the 10th century or before in areas around the Caribbean Sea. During his travels through the area centuries later, Christopher Columbus and his crew encountered early derivatives of cigars, and are usually noted as being the first Europeans to smoke the cigars.

Today, while machines are able to mass-produce cigars, many luxury cigars are still made and rolled by hand. These are usually marked by a notation on the outside of the cigar box as being made “totally by hand.”

Major Components of Cigars

There are three layers to a cigar, all of which are derived from various types and areas of a tobacco plant. The majority of the cigar is comprised of the filler, which are leaves of tobacco that are wrapped up in the middle of the cigar. The quality of the cigar can largely be attributed to the filler. High-quality cigars often include whole leaves of one tobacco plant as the filler product, while less expensive cigars may have filler that is made up of chopped leaves of a mixed variety of tobacco plants. These mixed fillers also often contain stems and small pieces from the tobacco plant, making the cigar burn and smoke less smoothly than those cigars with long tobacco pieces.

The visible part of the cigar is the wrapper. The wrapper is taken from the largest part of the tobacco plant, and is a part of what gives the cigar its distinctive tastes and flavors (although the majority of the flavor comes from the filler). Cigars are often described and categorized by the color of their wrapper, which range from a light tan or green to very dark black wrappers. The third feature of the cigar is the binder, which is an elastic banding that holds the cigar pieces together.

Basic Cigar Shapes

While there are many different cigar shapes, there are two basic terms to describe the shape of a cigar – parejo and figurado. Parejo cigars are the most basic and common cigar shape. They are simple in shape, and feature a rectangular shape with the exception of one end, which is slightly rounded. Parejo cigars can be either coronas, which are somewhat shorter and wider, or panatela cigars, which are often longer and thinner in shape. Parejo cigars are usually less expensive than figurado cigars since they are basic and easier to design and create.

Figurado cigars essentially describe all other shapes. In most cases, figurado cigars are more desirable – and as such, are more expensive – than parejo cigars. Although similar to parejo cigars, torpedo cigars are technically figurado cigars as they have a pointed cap instead of one that is rounded. Other common types of figurado cigars include pyramid cigars, which, as their name suggests, gradually narrows to a pointed end, and presidente, which are also similar to parejo cigars in shape but are often much larger. Others include perfecto, culebras, and Tuscanian cigars.

Cuban Cigars

Cigars are by notation almost synonymous with Cuba, and Cuban cigars are widely regarded as among the world’s finest. The Cuban weather is ideal for growing tobacco, and the country is filled with fields of tobacco as part of this industry. Cuban cigars may feature tobacco from different parts of Cuba in the wrapper, filler, and binders. Many Cuban cigars are still hand made, which continue to add to their luster and prestige. Some popular Cuban cigar brands include Trinidad, Bolivar, Quintero, Fonseca, Partagas, Cohiba, Punch, Cuaba, and many others.

For Americans, it is currently against federal law to purchase or import cigars from Cuba. This prohibition stems from a 1967 embargo in which trade with the communist Cuba was suspended. Perhaps because it is illegal for Americans to purchase and import Cuban cigars, it has made them even more desirable to many United States residents. Cuban cigars are available through additional means, including “black market” sales, and retailers in Canada. Many Americans purchase the cigars in Canada and return to the United States with their tobacco treasures.