Cigars and Humidors As Gifts!

Have you ever wondered what it takes to make a premium cigar? Well, it starts with the quality of the tobacco used and then blended into the cigar. Even with the best tobacco, it takes a master to coordinate the harvest then cure and blend all the components that go into a premium product. The process is very much like the work that a master vintner puts into blending and balancing a fine Bordeaux wine or balancing the sweetness of great champagne.

If you want to try a cigar that will make you understand quality, begin with a Davidoff 353 Madison 20th Anniversary cigar (Item #017677SN) from DavidoffMadison.com. Now, that is a great way to acquaint yourself with the joys of a truly great cigar.

Like a great wine depends on a master vintner, so does a premium cigar demand the artistry of a tobacco grower, called a master. First, seedlings are raised in nurseries, and then transported to fields. Two tablespoons of tobacco seed can produce 10 acres of cigar tobacco.

During harvesting, leaves are picked from the bottom up. Valdo, the bottom leaf, has the mildest taste. Seco, in the middle, has a medium flavor. Ligero, at the top, has the strongest taste. Curing is the next step, in which leaves are bundled by size and texture and hung to dry in curing barns for six to eight weeks.

This should give you a small glimpse into the care that is put into a premium cigar. Try a great cigar like Davidoff 353 Madison 20th Anniversary cigar, (Item #017677SN) from DavidoffMadison.com to truly appreciate the work that goes into finding the best tobacco for a truly fine cigar.

Yes, there is a mystique that surrounds all of the finer things in life, and premium cigars are one of those. The person who enjoys a fine cigar understands that the making of premium cigars is an art as well as a science. The finest tobaccos of the world must be grown, blended, cured, hand rolled, aged and then carefully dried in a lengthy humidifying process to create the blend, flavor and scent of a great cigar. The value of these handmade gems must be maintained under the perfect conditions of temperature and humidity. An appreciation of these elements is what turns a cigar smoker into a cigar connoisseur.

For a fine cigar experience, try a Davidoff 535 Madison 20th Anniversary Cigar (Item #017677SN) from DavidoffMadison.com.

My ability to enjoy a great, premium cigar is something that I always share with Santa. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw Mrs. Claus shopping online, surfing the web to bring me the finest cigars offered up in North America. I always knew that she helped Santa, but the fact that she coordinates the cigar and pipe selections personally was quite a surprise.

"Gee," I thought, "It sure would be nice to get some of those in a stocking on Christmas Day."

"Well, maybe there will be," she said, as if reading my mind.

And sure enough, I found a small tin of Café Cream Cigarillos in my stocking. It was sent in from Mrs. Claus' online cigar store. The card read: "Santa & Mrs. Claus know what you like."

Whenever the occasion calls for a great cigar, think ahead. There are a wonderful assortment of cigars and cigar purveyors online that offer premium handmade cigars. By "premium" we mean hand-rolled cigars made from the best tobacco stocks from around the world. These cigars have been created and formulated to blend the flavors of top-grade tobacco leaves, size, shape and style. If you are just beginning to appreciate this particular kind of "finer things," it may be time for you to explore the various online options for premium and super-premium cigars. Try a Private Stock Medium Filler Lonsdale for a rich, aromatic experience. Like most of the "finer things," a premium cigar must be experienced to be understood.

The first observation of the cigar occurred when Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World. Columbus noted in his logs, on October 28, 1492, that the natives of San Salvador burned and inhaled the leaves of a local plant. A lieutenant on Columbus's expedition, Rodrigo de Xeres, became the first European to smoke the Indian's form of a cigar, and he smoked every day of the expedition thereafter.

The indigenous people of South and Central America did not smoke cigars as we know them today. They smoked tobacco wrapped in maize, palm or other native vegetation. The Spanish created the cigar industry, but the Mayans were the first cigar smokers.

Next time you enjoy the perfection of a Cohiba Robusto cigar, consider the history that went into making it.

As cigar moments go, one of my favorites happened just after I had been released from a POW camp. I was going home to Mama's pound cake, and Captain Robert T. Rayburn was going home to his wife, Lidia. We'd been shot down six months before, and Rayburn's last phone call home had been cut short just after he'd received the news that their first child was expected. That news inspired us all to survive, and now we had finally landed on U.S. soil.

I drove the jeep, but when we got to his house there was a note on the door.

Six hours later, Rayburn emerged from the hospital, and handed me a cigar. "Rayburn, meet Roberta Hope. My little girl!"

For great moments such as these, we suggest Avo Allegro cigars.

Fine cigars should be kept in a controlled environment. A cedar-lined humidor is recommended for storage. The cedar preserves flavor and preservation. Cedar also holds moisture to keep humidity at a constant level.

Keep cigars at 70% RH and 70° F. Tobacco burns smoothly and tastes best kept at that range. Dry cigars burn fast and have a harsh flavor. Damp cigars are hard to keep lit and can grow moldy while in storage.

Humidors, such as the No. 6 Birdseye maple humidor sold online, should be closed tightly, providing a seal that keeps the atmosphere inside at a constant level. A reusable moisturizer should be used to aid humidity and a gauge that monitors temperature and humidity is useful. Protect your premium cigar investment. A full range of magnificent humidors are available online.

One of the most ridiculous myths regarding premium cigars is that the smoker should run a lit match over the outside length of the cigar before lighting it. This practice is said to "warm" the cigar and make the flavor more savory.

Please do not do this to a premium cigar. A handmade premium and super-premium cigar is best lit at the end when the cigar is fresh at 70 degrees and 70-73% humidity. This is when the flavor and aroma are at their best, and the smoke is cool to the draw under these conditions.

If you invest in a superior cigar, trust that its manufacturer is issuing it to you ready for enjoyment. You may purchase premium cigars like a CAO Brazilia Piranha Petite Corona online or at fine tobacconists.

There are two phenomena that naturally occur within cigars that are often confused. One is
normal, and on is a sign that the cigar should be thrown out:

Bloom - A naturally occurring phenomenon in the cigar aging process (also called Plume)
caused by the oils that exude from the tobacco. It appears as a fine white powder and can be brushed off. Not to be confused with mold, which is bluish in color and stains the wrapper.

Blue Mold - Peronospara tabacina is a fast moving, airborne fungus that can ruin a tobacco
field in just a few days. It flourishes in cool, cloudy weather with light rain and riddles tobacco leaves with small round blemishes. If you notice blue mold on your cigar, don't smoke it.

Fine cigars are a luxury of life. Make sure that you take care of your premium cigars with proper storage. You'll find premium cigars like Bahia Gold Belicosos online.