Category: Cigar Education
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The Leaf That Changes Everything: Why La Flor de Zaida and Medio Tiempo Belong in the Same Sentence
You buy a watch. A good one. You expect a reliable movement. But when you open the case, sitting inside is a hand-finished Swiss caliber. Every gear, every spring, every component touched by human hands. The same one that drives a Rolex Daytona. In every piece. As standard. That is what Antonio Piredda built with…
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The Children Nobody Reaches
One night a year, in a room in Philadelphia, cigars are lit for children who will never see the room A VDG Cigars special report, with the Roberto Martinez Foundation There is a particular way a child sits when there is nothing in their bag. They keep it closed, on their lap, with both arms…
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Cuban Cigars Explained for Beginners
There is a version of this story where someone hands you a Cuban cigar at a party and you have no idea what to do with it. The band looks impressive. The construction feels serious. And you wonder whether you are supposed to already know something you clearly do not. I have been there. Most…
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Why Are Cuban Cigars Illegal in the United States?
By Peter Stefanic, Certified Cigar Sommelier (IACS) — last updated July 2026 Cuban cigars are not illegal because of what they are. They are illegal because of where they come from. There is nothing wrong with Cuban tobacco itself. Nobody in Washington objects to the leaf. What is banned is trading with Cuba at all,…
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No Sugar Added: The Neuroscience of Why Sweet Cigars Rewire Your Brain
You smell it before you light it. Something about the foot of the cigar — earthy, warm, a little dark — registers as familiar. Comfortable. Your body relaxes slightly before you have done anything at all. And when the first draw comes and there is that unmistakable hint of chocolate or dried fruit or something…
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Why Does My Cigar Taste Metallic?
Sometimes it’s barely there. A faint, stony note woven into an otherwise rich profile, the kind of thing you’d only catch if you were paying close attention. Other times it’s not subtle at all. A sharp, coin-like taste that cuts through everything else, sitting on the tongue like you licked a battery. Some smokers describe…
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How to Fix a Loose or Airy Draw Mid-Smoke
The draw feels like pulling on an empty straw. Smoke pours out with almost no effort, the foot is burning visibly faster than it should be, and the flavor tastes thin and weak instead of full. That’s a loose draw, the mirror image of a plugged cigar, and it causes its own separate set of…
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Why Smoking Too Fast Ruins Your Cigar
The robusto is already down to a nub, and the last third tasted like an ashtray. The smoke went hot enough to feel in the back of the throat, and somewhere around the halfway point the flavor stopped developing and started deteriorating instead. None of that is the cigar’s fault. Smoking too fast is the…
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How to Fix a Canoeing Cigar While Smoking
Look at the ash and it’s not a clean ring anymore. One side of the burn line is running well ahead of the other, which barely looks lit, cutting a diagonal line down the wrapper like the cigar is trying to split itself in two. That’s canoeing, named for the hollowed-out, boat-shaped gap it leaves…
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How to Fix a Tunneling Cigar Mid-Smoke
The ash falls away on its own and something’s off. Instead of a clean, even coal, there’s a hole. The wrapper and binder are sitting there mostly intact, almost cool to the touch, while the center has burned down into what looks like a lit cave. The smoke’s gone thin and hot, and the last…
