April 18
First choose your size
Robusto
Quite common, the Robusto burns for 30-45 minutes and creates a fairly high level of smoke. This is the most popular cigar on the market. A typical robust is between 4.75 and 5.5 inches in size and with a ring gauge usually around 50.
Belicoso
The Belicoso tends to be a little shorter and more tapered with ring gauges of around 50. Torpedo shaped in terms of shape, these cigars tend to offer a little more concentration in terms of flavour and aromatics.
Corona
Popular around the world, these standard 5.5-inch cigars have a ring gauge of 42 and are an excellent balance of robust size, yet without requiring a two-hour bind and without too much harsh tar buildup, but with enough flavor intensity due to the relatively narrow diameter.
Toro
At 6 inches long and with a strong ring gauge of 50 and up, these are cigars meant to be enjoyed slowly.
Panetela/Lancera
The terms "lancero" and "panatela" both refer to the same cigar, an elegant shape and size that is usually at least 6 inches long - often 7 - and has a narrow ring gauge between 34 and 38. They can be delightfully smooth or quite robust depending on the tobacco chosen.
Churchill
Similar to the persona of the famous British Prime Minister for whom they are named, Churchill cigars are large. As usual 7 inches long and with a ring gauge of 50. This is the cigar where you can count on a great flavor that changes a lot during the long smoking session.
Pyramid
Pyramids are cigars with cut legs, like parejos, but with heads tapered to a point. Generally, cigars are 6 to 7 inches long, with ring gauges of about 40 at the head widening to 52 to 54 at the foot. The pyramid is valuable because the tapered head allows the complex flavors of the cigar to meld in the mouth.
Then choose your cover
Cigar wrappers are available in a wide range of colours, from the lightest green and yellow to dark black. Just as there are seven primary colours that make up the rainbow, there are seven basic colour distinctions between wrappers, with an infinite number of shades between each colour.
From the open to the dark, the seven color descriptions The most commonly used wrapping materials are:
Double Claro /Candela
The lighter, slightly green wrapper, the style is achieved by picking before ripening.
Claro
A yellowish or light tan, usually achieved by developing in the shade. They allow the flavors of the filler tobaccos to dominate the flavor of the cigar.
Colorado Claro
Light reddish brown is often grown in direct sunlight and given more time to ripen before harvesting.
Colorado
The centre of the colour scale. These cigars are medium brown to reddish-brown and full-flavoured, although soft and subtle in their aroma. These wrappers are often grown in shade.
Colorado Maduro
Usually associated with tobacco grown in Cuba or Honduras, it is dark brown in colour.
Maduro
This shade can vary from a deep reddish brown to almost black. Maduro means "ripe" in Spanish, referring to the longer time it takes to mature it. A maduro wrapper imparts significant flavor to a cigar: it tends to be mild in aroma, but has an intense, almost sweet flavor.
Oscuro
This black wrapper shade is achieved by leaving the leaves on the plant as long as possible, using only the leaves from the top of the plant and fermenting them for a particularly long time.
