Education Cigars 101

Cigars come in many — *many* — shapes and sizes. From the traditional to the common, to the downright peculiar, today we’re covering all cigar sizes and shapes in one handy guide. Plus, we’ll explain why these different shapes and sizes matter (i.e., how they affect the smoking experience). 

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Cigar blenders have many techniques they can use to influence the flavor profile of a cigar. One such way is to assemble cigars with tobacco leaves taken from certain primings. What are primings? Primings refer to the process of harvesting tobacco leaves in a pre-determined order. 

Let’s break that down further here.

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Have you suffered from a bad smoking experience lately? The reason might be poor humidification. Thankfully, we’re here to explain how you can rehydrate dried-out cigars. Let’s break it down. 

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What makes a great cigar a great cigar? At a certain level, enjoying a cigar is subjective. You may love a cigar because it was a gift, or because of an occasion, or any number of sentimental reasons. However, cigar ratings look to measure and rank cigars based on “objective” factors like taste, draw, burn, “dynamism”, consistency, and, occasionally, appearance and price. Here, we’ll delve into cigar ratings, explain what they mean, and help you make sense of the various awards and accolades that cigar brands value so much. 

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Ecuador is one of the best places in the world to grow tobacco. With its warm climate, volcanic soil, and unique cloud coverage, Ecuador offers cigar manufacturers a unique set of favorable conditions to explore. Ecuadorian tobacco often makes for exceptional cigar wrapper leaves, and as a result, a number of sub-varieties of Ecuadorian tobacco exist. Today, we’ll take a deep dive into a few of them and explore Ecuadorian Sumatra, Ecuadorian Habano, and Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade tobacco — along with a few cigar recommendations to keep things interesting.

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Everyone’s favorite bracket-based competition has returned for 2025! It's time for another year of Cigar World Cigar Madness. This year fourteen of the most popular brands in the industry are set to battle it out to see who will hoist the Cigar World Cigar Madness Championship trophy! It's time for you to decide who wins! Make sure to follow us on our Instagram and cast your vote for your favorite smokes all month long.

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A great cigar is a great cigar all the time, right? Well, not necessarily. Some cigars are simply too expensive, too big, or too rare to enjoy on a regular basis. Such cigars will make quality special occasion smokes, but they’re unlikely to be a wise choice for enjoying Monday through Friday. Instead, today, we’ll focus on a few sticks that are excellent everyday carry candidates. Here are our favorite everyday cigars.

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You never get a second chance at a first impression. Smoking a cigar should be an enjoyable experience, but, unfortunately, too many people don’t like their first forrays into cigar culture. If you’re new to the cigar hobby — or you have a friend who wants to start trying cigars — be sure to read this article ASAP! Here, we’ll share some cigar-smoking basics and pass along a few key tips for enjoying your first cigar and smoking experience.

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There are many many common misconceptions about the cigar industry. But, one of the biggest fallacies over the last several years is that cigars are a male-dominated pastime. Now, historically, there’s no question, that’s true. But over the last 5 to 8 years we’ve seen a tremendous rise of empowered women smoking cigars as not only a hobby, but embracing the full lifestyle as well.

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What’s not to love about Charlotte? It has pro sports, delicious BBQ, and, of course, the best cigar bars and lounges. If you’re looking for a place to grab a drink and light up a smoke, then you’ve got a lot of options (and a tough choice to make). Luckily, we’ve narrowed down the list for you. Here are our favorite cigar-friendly spots in the Queen City.

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Ready to take things up a level in the Mile High City? Today, we’re spotlighting some of our favorite cigar bars and lounges in Denver. Whether you’re in town for the weekend or looking for a new spot to kick back with a premium smoke, we’ve got the best places to smoke cigars in Denver covered here.

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While mellow cigars are occasionally classed as “beginner cigars,” the truth is that cigars with lighter wrappers and mellower bodies can still impart tons of flavor and produce extraordinary smoking experiences. So whether you’re a newbie or a long-time cigar lover, you’ll find some excellent recommendations on our list of the top-rated mellow cigars for 2025. 

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Check out some of the best cigars with chocolate tasting notes. Learn about chocolatey cigars. 

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Honduras is one of the leading producers of premier tobacco and fine cigars in the world. Indeed, some of the most acclaimed cigars in the industry are Honduran puros (meaning they only feature Honduran tobacco). True, some other countries and growing regions may get more attention from the cigar community, but this list will prove that Honduran smokes can still deliver the goods — and then some! Check this out if you’ve been sleeping on Honduran cigars. 

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Cigars left outside of a humidified environment, though, typically won’t last longer than a few days before they become brittle, cracked, or unsmokable. That’s why it’s so important to have a quality humidor to store your cigars and to have effective humidifiers in your humidor. Today, we’ll list the top humidifiers for your humidor so you can make your next purchase with confidence. 

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Smoking cigars in cold weather often isn’t the most fun. No one wants to shiver alone on a porch for hours while they struggle in vain to enjoy their favorite smoke. Unfortunately, if you don’t have access to an indoor lounge, smoking outdoors may be your only option — even if it is cold outside. The good news is that you can find excellent cigars you can enjoy quickly during the winter months. 

Here are a few cigars on the smaller side that are perfect for smoking in winter, on lunch breaks, or any occasion when time is at a premium.

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For decades, some of the cigar industry's biggest names have celebrated the Lunar New Year with limited-edition releases of incredible quality. Today, we’ll list the top Lunar New Year Cigars launched for the Year of the Snake (2025). Check them out here:

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When you walk into the world of cigars, you’ll hear a lot of technical terms being thrown around. Robustos, secos, puros — the list goes well beyond the “o’s” and is so extensive we had to make a small dictionary for the endless cigar terms. In fact, it’s one of the most confusing and intimidating parts of this hobby for beginners. But one of the most important things to know early on is the difference between handmade cigars and machine-made cigars.

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 It’s a terrible thing for a great cigar to be ruined by improper storage. However, for any number of reasons, you may find yourself with cigars but without a humidor in which to store them. This is not an ideal situation, but thankfully, there are steps you can take to protect your cigars and ensure you have a memorable, top-quality smoking experience. Here’s what to do when you don’t have access to a humidor.

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Part of the fun of enjoying cigars as a hobby is trying new varieties. Seasoned smokers often delight in picking out rare and exotic smokes and adding them to their collections. However, newer cigar lovers may find it challenging to navigate a cigar shop, have trouble finding their favorite cigars, or even feel overwhelmed at the sheer number of brands and sub-brands available for purchase. That’s where we come in. Check our step-by-step guide to selecting cigars so that you can choose your next smoke like a pro. 

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While 2024 brought its fair share of exciting new cigar releases, we already can’t wait for what 2025 has in store for cigar lovers. Do we know precisely what that will be? Of course not, but we’re going to try and predict it anyway! Here are a few of our best guesses for the upcoming year. (And if you want to see how we did last year, check out our blog here.)

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year . . . for limited-edition cigars! That’s right; before we close the book on 2024, we have a few special, limited-run cigars to highlight for the holidays. If you’re in the market for a unique cigar to share with friends and family (or to enjoy on your own), you’re in the right place. Check out these excellent limited cigars for the holidays!

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Thanksgiving may not be the first holiday you associate with cigars. However, Thanksgiving is all about reflecting, relaxing, and spending time with family and friends, which makes it a fantastic occasion to light up a quality smoke. The only problem? Figuring out which cigar you should set aside for Turkey Day. We’re here to help on that front! Check out these fine recommendations that will enhance any Thanksgiving celebration. 

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There’s something special about lighting up a cigar after a big win — whether it’s closing a deal, celebrating your team’s success, or marking a personal victory. A job well done calls for a moment of reflection, and few things enhance that feeling like a fine cigar. So, let’s get to it. Here are the best cigars for celebrating your victory.

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Is there a “wrong way” to light a cigar? Ask five different cigar lovers, and you may get five different answers. What is indisputable is that how you light a cigar can affect how the cigar burns and, as a result, how you experience the smoke. Today, we’ll aim to clarify the situation by answering the question: what’s the best lighter for a cigar smoker, a torch, or a soft flame? 

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