We touch them, we feel them, we smoke them and we enjoy them but very few of us ever stop to consider the anatomy of a cigar. We tend to look at them as a complete, singular unit and yet there are many parts to a cigar and every one of them has to be perfect if cigar smokers are to get the best from their smoking experience.

While we don’t need to know anything about the anatomy of a cigar to actually smoke it and enjoy it, there is some value in taking the time to learn about the individual parts that all go together to produce a perfect cigar. Not only will it give us a greater appreciation of the cigar maker’s art, but it will help us understand what the experts are talking about when they’re reviewing the latest cigars to arrive in the country.

There are two distinct ways of looking at a cigar; one is by looking at it length-ways, and the other is by looking at a cross-section of the cigar.

Anatomy by Cross-section

Let’s start by looking at the cross-section of a cigar. Here it’s worth noting that it’s quite possible for a hand-rolled cigar to be made entirely from the leaves of one tobacco plant. Even though the various layers of a cigar use different leaves, each of these leaves can be found at the same time on a tobacco plant - where they’re found on a plant governs where they are used in a cigar.

The wrapper - or "volado" - is the first thing we all see in a cigar, and this is important because the wrapper governs the way a cigar looks and feels. Presentation is very important, for the way a cigar looks has a psychological effect on us and if it looks good, then we are more inclined to believe that it will provide the rich smoking experience that we’re looking for in a fine cigar.

The leaves that are used for the wrapper come from the bottom of the tobacco plant. These leaves are smooth to the touch and that’s important because it’s the wrapper that touches your lips as you smoke. In a good cigar these leaves will burn well but you may be surprised to know that they have very little flavor. The flavor that is so enjoyable comes from other parts of your cigar.

The binder - or "seco" - is the next part of the cigar that we come to as we move towards the center. The leaves for this part of the cigar are tough and coarse, and come from the middle of the tobacco plant. They’re generally a lighter color than the leaves used for the filler and they have a bit more flavor than the leaves used on the wrapper.

If you were to see the leaves that are used for the binder, you would notice that they are so coarse that they even look a little woody - but don’t let that you off; when you’re smoking a good cigar you won’t even see the binder.

The filler - or "ligero" - forms the very heart of a good cigar. The leaves for this part of the cigar come from the top of the tobacco plant. Handmade cigars are rolled with long leaves forming the filler, while machine-rolled cigars use tobacco leave that has been chopped up.

The top of the plant is where most of the natural oils that a tobacco plant produces are to be found so the filler leaves are dark and full of flavor. A craftsman will use only the best leaves in the filler to ensure that the end product is a quality cigar.

In many ways we have already talked about the most important parts of a cigart. After all, it’s these parts that have the greatest impact on the taste and feel of a fine cigar. However we should also look at a cigar’s anatomy by length.

The cap is important because this is what stops the wrapper from opening - and what a disaster that would be. The cap is simply a loose piece of tobacco applied to the cigar with some form of natural glue and the cap holds your cigar together.

The body of the cigar is obviously the main part of it. This is what we like to touch and feel and roll between our fingers before we buy the cigar and certainly before we light it. There’s a certain pleasure in rolling the body of a fine cigar between your fingers and letting your imagination dance around the sensations that your fingers are sending to your brain. It can build anticipation and add to the pleasure of smoking the cigar.

The foot is the part of the cigar that we clip and light. You may also see this part of a cigar referred to as a "tuck".

And there you have the anatomy of a cigar. I hope you paid attention, because there’ll be a test on this next week. Of course the best way to prepare for such a test is to smoke one or two of your favorite cigars and feel that beautiful anatomy between your fingers.