Page 3 of 3
Measuring Up
Another aspect of a cigars anatomy is its size, measured in both width and length. Length in a cigar has far less to do with the smoke than the width. Width is known as ring gauge, which is essentially measured in 1/64ths of an inch. A cigar with a ring gauge of 64 is one inch around. 32 ring gauge is half an inch, and so forth. The length of the cigar is either measured in inches or millimeters. The width of your cigar, along with the cut, will determine how smooth your smoke is, and to some extent, how long the smoke will last (the way you smoke the cigar will also factor into this).
Other features of a cigar include the shape, which also determines how smooth a cigar feels. There are set types of shapes (we discuss this in a future article), ranging from your typical Corona to the odd-shaped Pyramid.
Finally, the color of a cigar refers to its wrapper color. As stated above, there are 50 different cigar colors, all of which are a different shade of brown. These shades include red, green, tan, light brown, dark brown, and so forth.
Conclusion
That is all the time we have for this article. We will continue to learn our lingo and smoking techniques, including how to read a cigar box, in the next episode. So if you are a beginner to the world of cigars, or need a refresher, be sure to pop by next time. Until then…
<< Back - Read Next Page of this Story
Comments
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
I would have naturally thought that the filler provided most of the flavor of a cigar, but I've always been told that it comes from the wrapper. This is why some cigar makers put out a cigar in both natural and maduro, or others.
There are definitely cigars outside of Cuba that use tobacco for the filler (and binder and wrapper) from the same country, good ol' Puros! The highly prized Opus X is one good example where all the tobaccos come from Dominican Republic. Also, bundled cigars can come banded as well - as evidenced by the pic in this article just below the text saying they don't.
I'm not an expert, and I could be wrong - but it would be the first time. j/k j/k.......
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
I've heard the wrapper argument too; I guess it depends on who you ask and your own experience. And you are right that there are countries outside of Cuba that use tobacco only from their own country; I think the point I was trying to make is that Cuba uses only their own, and most other countries tend to blend tobacco from other countries. As for the band, you are right...(as the picture embarrassingly shows). I guess I should have said mostly :-). Thanks for the comments. And we have something in common...It's the first time I've ever been wrong too!
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote