Category: Beginner’s Guides
New to cigars? Start here. Learn the fundamentals of selecting, cutting, lighting, and enjoying your first cigars with our essential guides for beginners.
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Cigar Ring Gauge in mm: Every Size, and What Thickness Actually Changes
Ring gauge is how thick a cigar is. The second number in a 5 x 50 is the ring gauge, and it counts in sixty fourths of an inch. So a 50 is fifty sixty fourths of an inch wide, which is 19.84 mm. That is the whole measurement. Below is the full chart, and…
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Robusto vs Toro: Real Smoke Times, Flavor and Which One to Choose
Robusto vs toro. Stand in front of any walk-in humidor long enough and you will face that choice. Two shelves. Two sizes. Often the same band on both. Most guides answer it in two lines. The robusto is short and bold. The toro is long and complex. Pick one. That is not wrong. It is…
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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 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…
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How Long Do Boveda Packs Last? A Practical Breakdown By Container, Climate, and Pack Size
Quick answer: An opened Boveda pack lasts 2 to 6 months in a wood humidor, and 6 to 9 months in an airtight container like a tupperdor or acrylic case. Unopened, sealed in original packaging, Boveda is rated for a 2-year shelf life by the manufacturer. The exact number depends on your seal quality, climate,…
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How to Properly Age Cigars: The Complete Guide
Most cigar smokers know aging matters. Few know what it actually does — or how to do it correctly. After more than a decade of smoking cigars across four continents, and spending years interviewing the people who grow, ferment, blend, and roll premium tobacco for a living, one thing comes up repeatedly: the gap between…
