Cigars 101: Part 1, Basic Construction, Sizes

Is a smoke (Rudyard Kipling). Smoking has been around since the beginning of time but insofar as more recent times the home of both rum and cigars - a wonderful combination - remains the Caribbean. If you can't find a Cuban, you might try an expatriate smoke like one from Gran Papi Rodriguez and Family in Key West.
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Capn Jimbo
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Cigars 101: Part 1, Basic Construction, Sizes

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Cigars are really pretty interesting...


First of all, they are extremely labor intensive, more than you'd ever guess. Cigarettes in comparison are cheap and industrial moose droppings. From planting the seedlings, to moving them to another location, to constantly monitor and trim, selectively pick the leaves, grade, store and age them, to final selection, hand rolling, grading and packaging. All hand intensive.

My favorite fact - and maybe yours too - is the rolling where a "reader" sits near and above the rollers, reading famous literature, poetry and the like. A wonderful thing, which also reminds me of Old Man Rodriguez, whose little family made and rolled cigars in their tiny, one room "factory" - the Old Man, sons, daughters, wives and grandchildren. He died last year, but he and his family is how I think of this art.

We proceed...
Last edited by Capn Jimbo on Sun Aug 02, 2015 4:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

Mind you this from my own and limited knowledge, but I'm sure a few of our regs here will add better information...

First, the Cigar

Fpr now we'll ignore the many sizes and shapes, but if I refer to the "body", I'm sure you know what I mean. The body is topped by the "head", and the head topped by a "cap", a final little piece of leaf used to secure the outer wrapper.

Just below is always a lovely and handsome "band", which is like the label on a bottle of fine rum. The "foot" is the cut end of the cigar, the part you light after you clip just enough of the cap to permit an air flow.

Simple: cap, head, band, body, foot.
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

Next up: the Filler


Unlike ciggies, a cigar is made up of several layers of tobacco leaf. A tobacco plant has three basic types of leaves depending on their position. The top leaves get the most sun and are stronger - called the "ligero". These are mostly rolled into the center of the cigar, for robust flavor.

Moving down are the "seco" leaves - not nearly as dark or sun exposed, these leaves are lighter in both flavor and color. These make up the bulk of the cigar.

On top and used for wrapping the inner tobaccos are the "volado" leaves, very light, little sun exposure, and little flavor. These leaves are perfect for the top layer of the filler as they are known to burn well and to keep the cigar well lit.
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

Now about the construction...


All that's left now is for the roller to "bind" the filler tightly together, and add the final "wrapper on the outside - the part you see and admire.

But first a bit more about the filler. Although the last post identified the 3 types of leaves used, good cigars may roll together up to 5 different tobaccos to form what is called a "bunch". When a great cigar maker creates a new cigar his choice of tobaccos will create any number of customized flavors and effects, part of the designer's art.

Now the roller chooses a "binder" leaf - a tough and sturdy leaf from the top of the plant, and strong enough to make a nice protective binding layer around the filler. It is often rough looking. The binder is intended to be complementary to the filler.

The finishing touch is the wrapper - a leaf chosen for its lack of veins, for its smoothness and appearance yes, but much more. The wrapper is the most special and expensive single leaf in the cigar and provides the majority of a good cigars fine flavor.

The construction ends with a small rounded piece of leaf called the cap which tops the cigar and holds the wrapper together. Before smoking, just a tiny bit of the cap is clipped off before lighting.
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

Size counts...


And again my disclaimer - Sue Sea and I love a good (for us) cigar. We are in no way qualified to truly hold forth here. I leave that to da'Rum...

Parejos Shapes. . . .Length (Variations). . . . .Ring (Variations)


What is a Parejo? This refers to the usual, straight sided cigar we all know. I took the time to arrange them in order of thickness first, then length...

Panatela
6 in. (5 to 7-1/2)
36 (34-38.)

Petit Corona
4-1/2 in. (4 to 5)
42 (40-44)

Corona
5-1/2 in. (5-1/2 to 6)
42 (40-44)

Corona Grande
6 in. (6 to 6-3/8.)
42 (40-44)

Lonsdale
6-1/2 in. (6-1/2 to 7-1/4)
42 (40-44)

Corona Gorda
5-5/8 in. (5-5/8 to 6-5/8.)
46 (45-47)

Churchill
7 in. (6-3/4 to 7-3/4)
47 (46-48.)

Gran Corona
9-1/4 in.
47

Double Corona
7-1/2 in. (7 to 8.)
49 (49-54)

Robusto
5 in. (4-1/2 to 5-1/2)
50 (48-54)

Toro
6 in. (5-5/8 to 6-5/8.)
50 (48-54)

As for Sue Sea and I, we like something in the Robusto or the slightly shorter Petit Robusta range. Sue Sea occasionally likes a longer thinner Corona, or even a Panatela for the Old West feeling, lol...




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http://www.cigarcabana.com/cigar-sizes.html
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

Ring sizes...


. . . . . . .Image

It may help to know that a 32 is about 1/2" in diameter, with a 64 being about an inch. I've tried to adjust the pic to real size.
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

A nice overview from Stogies...


. . . . . . .Image

...it is not to actual size or length.




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