From first cut to last ash.
Everything a Belle needs to walk into any lounge with confidence. New to cigars or ten years in, start here.
What you're holding.
A premium cigar is nothing but tobacco leaf, rolled by hand in three layers.
Filler
The core. Whole leaves folded lengthwise (long filler) burn slow and even.
Binder
A sturdy leaf that holds the filler together and helps the cigar burn evenly.
Wrapper
The finest, silkiest leaf, chosen for looks and taste. It carries much of the flavor you notice first.
The head is the end you smoke from, sealed with a small cap. The foot is the end you light. The band tells you who made it.
Wrapper shades, light to dark
Candela
Green. Grassy and mild.
Claro · Connecticut
Light tan. Creamy, nutty, smooth.
Colorado · Habano
Reddish brown. Cedar, spice, a little pepper.
Maduro
Dark brown. Sweet, with cocoa, coffee and raisin.
Oscuro
Near black. Rich, earthy, bold.
Myth to drop: dark doesn't mean strong. A maduro wrapper is darker from longer aging and fermentation, which usually makes it sweeter. Strength comes mostly from the filler.
Size changes the smoke.
Cigars are measured by length in inches and ring gauge, the width in 64ths of an inch. A 50 ring is 50/64 of an inch across. Wider cigars tend to smoke cooler and mellower; slimmer ones put the wrapper forward. Exact sizes vary by maker.
| Shape | Typical size | Smoke time | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corona | 5½ × 42 | ~45 min | The classic. Balanced and elegant. |
| Robusto | 5 × 50 | 45–60 min | Full flavor, short commitment. |
| Toro | 6 × 50–52 | 60–75 min | The lounge-night standard. |
| Churchill | 7 × 47–48 | 90 min+ | Named for Winston. Bring a long conversation. |
| Lancero | 7½ × 38 | ~60 min | Long and slim. Wrapper-forward and refined. |
| Torpedo · Belicoso | 6 × 52, tapered | 60–75 min | A pointed head that focuses the smoke. |
| Gordo | 6 × 60 | 75–90 min | Big and cool-burning. Can feel muted. |
Straight-sided cigars are parejos. Shaped or tapered ones are figurados. A box-pressed cigar is squared off, and many people find it comfortable to hold.
The kick
How much nicotine you feel. Mild, medium or full.
The richness
How full and layered the flavor is. A cigar can be full-bodied yet mild in strength.
Cut, light, savor.
Cut
Use a sharp straight cutter to snip just above the line where the cap meets the body, about 1/16 of an inch. Cut too deep and the wrapper unravels. A punch makes a small hole; a V-cut makes a wedge. All are fine.
Toast & light
Hold the foot at an angle just above the flame, not in it, and rotate until the whole edge glows evenly. A butane torch, cedar strip or wooden match works. Then bring the cigar to your lips and draw gently while turning it over the flame, until an even ring of ember forms all the way around.
Savor
Don't inhale. Draw the smoke into your mouth, taste it, let it go. About one puff a minute. Smoke too fast and it turns hot and bitter.
Let it go
Let the ash fall on its own, often after an inch or so. If it goes out, tap off the ash, blow gently through it to clear stale smoke, and toast it again. When it turns hot or harsh, usually near the band, set it down and let it go out on its own. Never stub it out.
Lounge manners.
Buy from the house
Lounges stay open by selling cigars. Pick yours from their humidor, or ask before bringing your own. Some charge a small fee for outside cigars.
Ask, then touch
Ask staff for a recommendation. They love to help. Handle cigars gently, and put back anything you don't buy.
On or off, your call
If you remove it, wait about ten minutes until the warmth loosens the glue, so you don't tear the wrapper.
Share the room
Blow your smoke up and away from the table, keep your ash in the tray, and offer a light to the woman next to you.
Keep them fresh
Cigars like about 65–70% humidity at room temperature. A humidor is ideal; a sealed bag with a humidity pack works to start.
Speak the language.
- Draw
- How easily smoke pulls through. Too tight or too loose is a flaw.
- Humidor
- A humidity-controlled box or room for storing cigars.
- Puro
- A cigar made entirely from one country's tobacco.
- Ring gauge
- Width, measured in 64ths of an inch.
- Vitola
- A cigar's size and shape.
- Bloom (plume)
- A harmless white dusting from aging oils. Unlike mold, it brushes off clean.
- Tunneling
- When the center burns faster than the wrapper. Slow down and touch up with a flame.
- Ligero
- Leaf from the top of the plant. The strongest in the blend.