Cigars 101

Yet More Cigar Questions: Answered (Pt. V)

Four More Cigar Questions Answered…

Once again, the readers have spoken…and once again the Advisors have put together their collective cigar knowledge to tackle more cigar questions! There’s one thing of which you can be assured: there is no such thing as bad cigar questions – we want you to know more, so you can love it more. Besides – there’s no good reason to keep this experience a secret…let’s all have a better smoking experience, shall we? Last time, we offered time-honored, battle-tested guidance on why a cigar tastes bitter, the differences between long and short filler, using a draw poker and cutting odd-shaped cigars; but for this installment of Fan Mail, smokers of varying experience levels have written us to determine the path to better cigar enjoyment…at least when it comes to wrapper selection, plume (you may call it “bloom”) and more. So again, we invite you to check out our short n’ sweet video replies to these most recent questions, from knowledge-hungry Advisor readers. Maybe they’ll help you, too.

Cigar Question #1: What’s the Difference Between Mold and Plume?

Denny from La Jolla, CA asks a question that gets asked a lot – but only because it’s just a really good and important question. He wants to know what the real difference is between plume and mold that grows on a cigar. Well, one is very GOOD…and one is VERY BAD. But you need to know the difference, and I’m going to fill you in on what causes both and why you need to know.

~ Tommy Zman

Cigar Question #2: What’s the Difference Between Dark Natural and Maduro Cigars?

I got an email last week from Alex, who’s also on the West Coast; seems he’s been haggling over some of the terms used to describe wrapper shade…namely, dark natural and maduro. “Why aren’t they considered the same thing?” Maybe the cigar world is indeed splitting hairs when it comes to naming these wrappers – but it’s a pretty big hair. And since we haven’t elaborated on how these wrappers get to such varying shades, and how significant the difference is in taste between lightest and darkest, we thought this one was worth an explanation beyond “darker isn’t always stronger.” So, Alex – and everyone else who wants to know the difference between dark natural and maduro – watch this short video, and I’ll give you the bullet points, and the tasting notes.

~ John

Cigar Question #3: How Long Does it Take for Cigars to Go Stale?

Asks Lars in Bloomington, MN. One of the most popular cigar questions I get before the Holiday Season from those who want to buy cigars as gifts several weeks or more before Christmas. Since there are a number of cigar smokers who don’t have traditional humidors, I presumed Lars was referring to a factory box of premium cigars he bought, or maybe he had a bunch of overflow cigars and wasn’t sure he could keep them fresh long enough before going stale. Since premium handmade cigars require storage, you should take the following under consideration: The type of container in which you plan to store your cigars; where you plan to keep them, and how long will they have to remain in that container. If you’ve wondered about this, too, please click on the video for my answer in greater detail.

~ Gary

Cigar Question #4: How do I Get Rid of Cigar Breath?

“WOWZA! Your breath stinks!” Ever had that little gem hurled at you after you smoked a cigar? Of course you have. Every good ol’ stogie head that’s ever went to a party, on a date, or just hit the town after lighting one up has at one point or another had their smoke-breath pointed out to them. It’s part of the world we live in, and Greg out in Las Vegas wants to know how to eliminate the bad breath that comes with smoking cigars. Well, Greg, as luck would have it I know just the solution. Watch my video on how to properly get rid of smoker’s breath. And no, mints are NOT the answer… Click here now and learn how to stay minty fresh all night long.

~ Jonathan

Have more questions? See more of our Cigar Q&A in our next round of videos here