You should check for lumps too. The surface of a good cigar should be smooth and even and the curves should be gentle. If it’s got rises and hollows in it then again, move on to another selection. You should also check for any uneven colors along the surface of the cigar. If it looks stained or blotchy then it may not be the gift that you want to give.

A good cigar store clerk will want to know what sort of cigar the person you’re giving it to likes to smoke. Now that’s likely to really confuse you because you may not know what your favorite cigar smoker likes to smoke and the technical terms to describe them may be totally beyond you, but don’t let that stop you for one single second.

Look for cigars of a similar shape to what the person you’re going to give it to smokes and if you can’t see anything quite like the shape you think he or she smokes ... or you’ve never actually seen them smoke a cigar before … then perhaps opt for a cigar that’s longer. Choosing a longer cigar isn’t about impressing the person you’re giving the cigar too, longer cigars tend to be not so hot a smoke.

On the other hand, if you’re favorite cigar smoker has been smoking cigars for a while then shorter, thicker cigars are perhaps what you should be looking at. You can also ask for a medium-bodied cigar as far as strength and flavor. That way, if they smoke mild cigars or heavy cigars, this will be in the middle and probably still work well for them.