How to choose

There is no standard that regulates tobacco, the only standard that exists is the preference of each smoker, so we could say that there is no perfect cigar but there is the right cigar for each one, which satisfies their taste and smell. Here are some tips for choosing a cigar:

Size. The size of the cigar is often related to the time you have to smoke, the less time you have the better to smoke thinner and shorter cigars and if you have a lot of time it is advisable to smoke thicker cigars that will take longer to make combustion. It is important to emphasize that a thicker cigar will always have a better flavor, because in this way we will have a better chance of making a better “liga”, which will provide us with a more refined flavor.

Form. Cigars are classified according to length (measured in mm and inches) and width (“ring” is calculated based on 1/64 of an inch) and are presented in two basic types of vitolas: straight or even, with straight shapes, and the figured ones, with irregular shapes.

The most common names for straight and figured cigars are:

Straight.

• Crown or Lonsdale. Very popular size that allows us to enjoy it for around 45 minutes. Its average size ranges between 5 ½ and 5 7/8 in and ring (width) between 42 and 44. Real Blade No. 1
• Churchill (Double Crown). Size made famous by Sir Winston Churchill, to whom it owes its name, a very strong and consistent cigar that allows us to enjoy it for around 60 to 70 minutes. Its average size ranges between 7 ½ in and ring (width) between 50 and 52. Royal Churchill Blade.
• Little Crown. As its name indicates, it is a shorter Corona or Lonsdale, which allows us to enjoy it for around 30 to 35 minutes. Its average size ranges between 5 in and ring (width) between 42 and 44. Real Blade No. 2
• Petit Panetela. Cigar finer than the Coronas and Petit Corona where its slenderness leaves less space for the tobacco and its aroma gains in intensity. It is a cigar that allows us to enjoy it for around 15 to 20 minutes. Its average size ranges between 5 ½ in and ring (width) 34. Royal Blade No. 4.
• Small Panetela. Cigar shorter than the Petit Panetela. It is a cigar to be enjoyed for around 10 to 15 minutes. Its average size ranges between 3 ½ in and ring (width) 34. Royal Sheet No. 7.
• Strong. Robust and short cigar because it is short but thick but very tasty and substantial. Ideal cigar to enjoy for around 40 to 50 minutes. Its average size ranges between 5 ½ in and ring (width) between 50 and 52. Real Blade No. 3

figurative

• Perfecto. It is a cigar that is widened in the middle and the ends are narrowed. Its average size ranges between 5 7/8 in and ring (width) between 48 and 50. Real Leaf Perfect.
• Torpedo o Belicoso. It has the shape of the weapon that gives it its name, it has a very pointed tip, a covered foot and a medium to wide body. Its average size ranges between 6 ½ in and ring (width) between 50 and 52. Real Blade Torpedos.
• Pirámide. Cigar with a pointed head and a wide uncovered foot. It has a pyramidal shape. Its average size ranges between 7 ½ in and ring (width) between 48 and 50. Royal Leaf Pyramids.
• Petit Perfectos. It has the same shape as the Perfectos, that is, it is a cigar widened in the middle but pointed at both ends, but shorter. Its average size ranges between 5 in and ring (width) between 50 and 56. Real Leaf Unique.
• Diadema. Cigar larger than normal, almost monstrous. Its size ranges between 9 in and ring (width) 60. Large Royal Blade.
• Culebra. Three long and intertwined cigarillos, the heads are separated to be smoked individually. Cigars almost on the verge of disappearing as they are very difficult to smoke.

Color.

The Puro, being that, pure tobacco, without special treatments and completely natural, has different colors that also give it another presence and flavor. The most common colors in cigars are:

• Claro-Claro. It is a greenish tone layer that is very typical to find in the U.S. Layer. Connecticut Shade, very popular in the United States. It tastes so mild that it seems tasteless.
• Claro. Yellowish and light leaf with a neutral flavor and little aroma.
• Carmelita Claro. Brown to mahogany in color, medium to mild flavor. This is the Sumatra wrapper used in cigars Hoja Real
• Carmelita Maduro. Chestnut brown in color with medium to strong flavor.
• Maduro. Dark brown color almost black, it gives more intensity to the cigar and a great flavor. Used in Real Leaf Mature Cigars.
• Oscuro. Almost black layer and rare to find as it undergoes a longer and more expensive maturation process.

Origin of Tobacco.

The characteristics of the tobacco depend on the country of origin, since they have different climatic conditions and types of tobacco adapted to them. The main tobacco production areas and their characteristics are as follows:

• México. Large producer and exporter of tobacco and cigars. This type of tobacco is used in more than 51% of the world market. It has an unpredictable range of flavors, from the mildest to the strongest.
• Sumatra. Indonesian variety of tobacco, rather mild, almost always used as a wrapper. Very popular in Mexico, where it has been developed as a wild variety.
• Cuba. Medium to strong strength tobacco, they are the most famous cigars in the world, although their quality controls have left much to be desired.
• Honduras. Very consistent and spicy cigars, with a medium to strong flavor.
• Jamaica. Mild cigars of tobacco varieties almost 75% imported, mainly from Mexico.
• Republica Dominicana. Mild cigars with a mild aroma, very famous in the United States.
• Ecuador. Soft and aromatic cigars, especially raw tobacco is used.
• Camerún. Producer of tobacco rather than cigars, especially a wrapper leaf with a great flavor and intense aroma.
• Brasil. Very dark and smooth cigars, with a rather sweet flavor.
• Estados Unidos (Connecticut). Producer of the famous layer that bears his name with very thin veins and visible to the eye but with a flavor so mild that it is almost tasteless.

Brand.

After analyzing all the characteristics that Mexican tobacco offers us, of unsurpassed quality, in addition to its innumerable quality controls, Hoja Real is your best option in terms of value for money..

There are many ways to cut a cigar, but all of them are a fundamental part of the delight of smoking, the process involved in cutting it being almost a ritual since the senses are stimulated while we spin it with our fingers, feeling its flexibility, construction and consistency. . The way to cut a cigar depends on the type of cutter that we like, since the amount of smoke that we will inhale will depend on the opening of the knob.

The different types of cutters are: “guillotine”, which gives us a straight cut around the knob; in “wedge”, which gives us a “V” shaped incision; and “perforation” or “bullet” that gives us a hole in the center of the knob, which allows us to inhale a good amount of smoke but has the “disadvantage” of concentrating rancid acids and liquids in said hole that reach directly to the tongue and can produce a bitter taste.

If cutting a cigar is almost a ritual, lighting it is, without a doubt, one of the most important rituals for the smoker and it is one of the stages that gives us the greatest pleasure.

Lighting a cigar is an art that requires a lot of patience and attention to ensure that the cigar is well lit without burning, since the flame must not touch the cigar, which must be lit with butane gas lighters or wooden matches, of preference of cedar, where the cigar should be rotated at a distance of approximately one centimeter and with an angle of inclination of 45 °, little by little, until the heat of it starts combustion.

To relight a partially consumed cigar, it is best to let it go out completely on its own, without crushing it. When the cigar is completely extinguished, carefully remove any ash it may have and relight the cigar, taking care not to inhale the smoke all at once. When a small circle of heat has been made around the cigar, remove the cigar from your mouth and blow hard enough until the tip is fully lit. When the cigar lights properly, you can start enjoying it like new. If the cigar tends to have a strong flavor, let it go out again, carefully remove the ash and light it again by blowing hard.

The best way to store your cigars is in a humidor. There are many types of humidors on the market according to your taste and your pocket. The important thing about a humidor is to always keep it with the correct humidity, between 70 and 80% relative humidity and at a temperature of approximately 20° C. It is very important to remember that it is not good to keep cigars in the refrigerator, or in a place extremely hot since extreme temperatures are not good for its own preservation.

Evaluating a cigar is a task as difficult as it is subjective since it is something so personal that it depends only on oneself, however, the best way to judge a cigar is by evaluating its manufacture, that is, looking at the construction of the unlit cigar and later the shot and the combustion of the same one that depend on the roll. If a cigar pulls more on one side than the other or is consumed too soon, it means that it has little tobacco; If the cigar does not draw easily, it has too much tobacco, so you will never be able to enjoy it.

A cigar has to burn evenly from start to finish, plus its ash must be compact and reach up to an inch long without coming off the cigar and preferably burn with white ash.

When it comes to taste, the strength of the tobacco is essential. The strength or softness of the cigar depends on the “league” that the cigar has, that is, on the correct mixture of tobaccos that give it the right flavor. In Hoja Real and Hoja Real Platino, we have achieved a cigar with a balanced flavor that makes you enjoy smoking a cigar.

Smoking a cigar is a pleasure, therefore you have to find the most suitable place to do it. Depending on the country where we are, there are more or less difficulties to smoke, however we can always find the ideal place to enjoy a good cigar.