2. LEARN WHAT A CIGAR ACTUALLY IS
Cigars are made of three kinds of tobacco leaf from many different strains of tobacco plant. The three leaves are wrappers, fillers, and binders:
- Wrappers are the part of the cigar that you see-the long, supple leaves that come from the widest portion of the tobacco plant.
- Fillers are the meat of the cigar-the rolled-up bunches of leaves in the middle.
- Binders are elastic leaves which hold the filler bunches together.
The strains of tobacco plant yield vast ranges in flavor and quality of tobacco, the best of which is grown in the Vuelta Abajo region of Cuba. Thanks to Uncle Sam, however, no Cuban cigars can be sold in the USA (didn't you see that episode of Seinfeld?), so only quick excursion to Canada will allow you to enjoy what are widely considered to be the best cigars. Fortunately, though, fine tobacco from places like the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and even Connecticut can still be sold and purchased in the USA.
The most visible characteristic of tobacco is its color, and fortunately, this will tell you a lot about the cigar you are about to purchase. The colors range from claro (light brown) to oscuro (almost black). If this is all French to you, you are a horrible linguist, because these are Spanish terms. If the words still mean nothing to you, don't worry. All you need to know is this: tobacco is either grown in the sun or in the shade. Sun-grown tobacco leaves are more robust, heavily-veined, and darker. This makes for a more powerful, robust flavor generally best suited for true aficionados or your grizzly grandfather with one remaining taste bud. Shade-grown tobacco is more delicate and much lighter in both color and flavor. If you're smoking your first cigar, opt for the lighter-colored claro.
