Cigar Prices Vary Greatly

Why are cigar prices so different?
The way the cigar is made is the first reason that prices are so different. The least expensive kinds that you find at corner stores and drugstores are machine-rolled with short filler. Short filler does not run the entire length of the cigar, and may even be shredded. The wrappers on these cheap cigars are also of a lower grade quality. They lack the fine aging and curing methods of the more premium brands.

Fine cigars and premium cigars are an entirely different matter. These are made with whole length tobacco. Both the filler and the wrapper run the entire length of the cigar. Both are carefully cultivated, and the wrapper is painstakingly cured and treated to imbue it with a number of special scents and tastes.

Torcedores, or cigar rollers, hand-roll premium cigars, and they work especially hard to make certain that each and every cigar in the box looks and feels identical to its counterparts.

This is why premium cigar prices are so high—not only does it take longer to make the tobacco, but it takes longer for the most experienced employees in the factory to do their jobs rolling it.

What is the number one determining factor in cigar price?
The makeup of the tobacco is the number one determinant in price. Tobacco for filler, binder, and wrapper are all grown in specific countries and often specific regions of a country. Fine tobacco must be aged a certain way, and every manufacturer has its secret recipes for making the most world renowned brands.

Cigar prices can also be affected by fancy packaging. If you buy cedar or mahogany boxes, then expect to pay more.

What is the general range of cigar prices in a typical cigar store?
You can expect to pay as little as $1 a piece to over $20 a piece on finer brands. To get the best cigar prices, you really need to get a full box of cigars. If you are new to cigar smoking, try experimenting with the different types, prices, and brands to get a feel for what is offered before you buy anything in a large quantity or at an exorbitant price.

Is high cost a guarantee of premium quality?
No. High cigar prices are not always an indication of premium cigar quality. There are always retailers, both online and in brick and mortar establishments, that will charge more than is fair for certain products. Also, sometimes retailers have the very best of intentions, but they have no way of verifying their sources.

That’s why it’s always best to do business with an entity like www.seriouscigars.com that is BBB certified and that knows both its sources and the level of quality of each and every cigar in its inventory.

What are the highest cigar prices?
The most famous and well-loved cigars appreciated the world over can possibly cost hundreds of dollars. This depends on their origin, what type of tobacco was used, what was done to it, and how long it was aged.

How to Select a Premium Handmade Cigar

What is a handmade cigar?
It is a cigar that is bunched, rolled and trimmed by a skilled individual worker. This worker can either be one person who works alone on a single cigar, or the labor can be divided between a buncher and a roller who works on the same cigar. The point is that the entire cigar is completely made by hand from start to finish.

How do I find a handmade cigar that is just right for me?
Consider your own personal preferences for taste, first. There are mild cigars, medium cigars, and full-bodied cigars. You can usually tell the difference by the color of the wrapper. Normally, the darker the wrapper, the more full-bodied the cigar’s flavor will be.

A handmade cigar should have a mild sheen to its appearance. There should be no veins in it. There are, of course, different colors of wrappers. There are candela, which is greenish in color, natural, which is light brown in color, Colorado and Rosado, which is red in color, and Habano, Maduro, and Oscuro, which are all dark brown.

What causes wrappers to have different colors?
The way tobacco is grown changes the color of its leaves. The more direct sunlight the plants receive, the darker they are.

How should a fine handmade cigar feel when I hold it?
A fine cigar should also feel smooth when you hold it, and it should be firm with no soft spots. Soft spots are bad because they make cigars burn unevenly. The cigar should not be too tight, either. If it is, the draw will be very difficult.

How is a cigar handmade?
There are three parts to a handmade cigar—the filler, the binder, and the wrapper. Every one of these parts has a specific purpose.

The most distinguishing characteristic of truly good cigars is that they all have long filler. This means that the tobacco leaf inside the binder spans the entire length of the cigar. Every one of these leaves is one half of an entire tobacco leaf. The vein that runs down the middle of the leaf is taken out, and both halves are then used to make cigars.

The binder is used to contain the filler. It is pliable and silky, and actually rougher than the wrapper. It has no flavor, but it is very important because it helps give the cigar its shape and firmness by containing the filler at just the right density.

The wrapper on a handmade cigar is made from very high quality tobacco. It has a smooth texture and is slightly oily to the touch. It is made to burn steady and contribute to flavor.

Are handmade cigars more expensive?
Yes. They are usually priced higher and are often classified as premium or super premium cigars.

Can I be guaranteed I am getting a premium cigar?
Unfortunately, this is not the case. Purchasing a handmade cigar will not guarantee a premium cigar. Although premium cigars are all handmade, there are always individual cigars that are flawed, and there are cheap imitations everywhere. Inspect what you buy and ask questions before you spend your money on something that is less than the best.

Cigar Fillers

Cigar Filler is the tobacco at the heart of the cigar. 98 percent of the cigar is made from this portion of tobacco, and most of its flavor comes from it as well.

What makes cigar fillers different from cigarette fillers?With cigars, you have a leaf wrapper wrapped around leaf fillings. With cigarettes, you have finely cut tobacco that has paper wrapped around it.

Are different kinds of fillers used in making cigars?Many cigars, especially the world-famous brands, use different kinds of tobacco for cigar filler and the cigar wrapper. High quality cigars are often called long filler cigars, meaning that they use long leaves throughout.

They also use a third kind of tobacco leaf called a binder that lies between the filler and the outer wrapper. This layer allows the makers to make wrappers out of more delicate and attractive leaves. Such cigars almost always blend different types of tobacco. Even Cuban cigars will use tobacco grown on different parts of the island to blend multiple flavors.

Lower-grade, machine-made cigars will often rely upon chopped tobacco leaves for filler. Long leaves or even a paper-like substance made from tobacco pulp is used for the wrapper that keeps the cigar together. This causes these cigars to burn differently, and they are therefore less sought out than hand-rolled cigars.

How are cigar fillers prepared?Cigar fillers and binders are removed from tobacco leaf bales and inspected. If necessary, they are aired on racks to get rid of excess moisture. They are then stored in wooden barrels until they are ready to be used.

How is the cigar filler rolled? In a hand-rolled cigar, the filler will be made of several different blends of long tobacco leaves. In machine made cigars, short filler is used, and it contains chemicals and other substances along with remnants of tobacco leaves.

The cigar filler creates about half of the overall flavor. The cigar wrapper leaf of tobacco creates the rest of the flavor. The binder itself has little or no flavor at all.

Where is cigar fillers grown?Filler tobaccos are grown throughout the world. In Cuba, cigar manufacturers only use filler that is grown in Cuba. Other cigar manufacturers will use filler that comes from several different countries.

There are tobacco fields throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. A great deal of cigar filler tobacco is also grown in Mexico. Of course, the most famous and beloved leaf comes from the Vuelto Abajo region of Cuba. Its volcanic soil produces a tobacco that is rich, smooth, spicy, and sweet.

Jamaican cigar fillers are known for being light in body and sweet in taste.

Dominican fillers feature a wide range of flavors because The Dominican Republic has so many different climates, altitudes, and soil types.

Honduran filler has something of a coffee tone to it. Nicaraguan cigar fillers are known for spicy and earthy tones.

Mexican filler is strong, sweet, and spicy. Much of it, in fact, is often blended with Jamaican and Dominican tobacco.