The short and long (and medium) of it: The cigar's inner workings

Here's something super-duper interesting! While at the Mr. Js Havana Cigar Shop's monthly cigar dinner, Nat Sherman's VP of Retail & Brand Development Michael Herklots discussed the inner workings of a cigar.



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But, like anything else that is awesome, complex, and varied, the filler story doesn't stop there.  Look at this:

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You're probably saying, What's the diff? And who cares?

(You should. But if you don't, no judgements. Just interesting cocktail party or cigar lounge fodder.)

If your cigar is composed of long fillers, that means one leaf is folded/arranged  and placed with other others of the same ilk in the same manner. These leaves run the length of the cigar and give you a straighter burn with more consistent ash, as well as a consistency of taste and a natural complexity. Think of it as variations of the same theme as the cigar burns down these leaves. You're getting the same amount of each tobacco leaf throughout. The finest cigars use this technique, as you would expect.

Think of it as the bone-in rib eye of the cigar world. When you consume it, you take your time, savoring every bite; similarly, the long-filler cigar will burn more slowly than its compatriots.

Dear God. Yum. [source]

The cigar with short filler means it is composed of chopped up leaves, so as you smoke, the flavor will consistently change, depending on what filler leaf combination you happen to be burning at that moment. Because the leaves are not burning evenly, you'll find the ash can get a bit lopsided, which will require you to pay more attention as it burns. Sometimes, you'll also get small bits of tobacco on your tongue with short filler, which can be annoying.

Generally the short filler will be considered a lesser quality cigar, but sometimes you'll see that a cigar line will say a particular stick's promotional materials will say it's made from the same tobacco as the premium cigars. How is that possible? Oftentimes, the tobacco for the short filler are the cuttings and trimmings from those premium cigars.

But! If you have a fave that also happens to be a cigar with this type of filler, don't let that stop you from enjoying it!

Think of these trimmings and choppings as the hot dog of the cigar world. And how do you consume a hot dog? In as few bites as possible, generally.

No judgements. Also delicious.* [source]

And the medium filler? Just what you think--the pieces are bigger than those included in the short-filler cigars, but are not single tobacco leaves folded or rolled together. Sometimes these are referred to as sandwiches, which brings us to...

Think of the medium filler as a nice burger. (We like cheese on ours, but that doesn't really fit the analogy.)

My burger of choice, from Friendly's. [source]

Just to throw in another thing to think about, sometimes you're going to come in contact with a cigar that, to quote Valentino's dad (in a completely different and opposite context, but I really wanted to make this reference), "I'm sucking and sucking and not getting anything."** In this case, it generally means the cigar has a really tight construction.*** To fix that, a toothpick lovingly jammed into the head**** (the cigar's, not yours) and then removed will provide safe passage for the airflow.

Of course, the opposite also occurs: a loose construction means that sucker's going to burn quickly, so be prepared. How do you remedy this? Smoke it and be done with it.

[source]

Alert, alert! Just because one cigar is tight or loose doesn't mean the whole batch is that way, so don't let one bad instance turn you off a particular cigar. Stuff happens. Just like you could be off your game at work or school, remember that you're smoking a hand-rolled cigar. A person made that--by hand. A glitch every now is to be expected--even from the best names in the business. rarely, but it happens.

Of course, there's lots of other elements at work here, all the things that make a cigar your favorite or not favorite, but I could use a snack. Let's have a snack. Or a cigar. Or both--and check in on this again later. Deal?




*Next time you're in or around Rhode Island, you MUST check out the New York System's Hot Weiners in Olneyville. Go here for more info.

**This was actually said in relation to perciatelli pasta, which is like thick spaghetti, but with a tunnel running through it. If you try to slurp it up, the sound you hear from the tunnels is the pasta laughing at you. Same concept with some cigars, though.

[source]

***Similar to it being wound too tight, which happens to me sometimes.

****Right where you snipped off or punched or V-cut the cap.

Words You Should Know #2: Vitola

No, not this:

(It's a victrola) [source]

Or this guy:

(It's Vitruvius. He was known to be a hard-head. Authors generally are.) [source]

Or even this guy:

(It's Vito Corleone.) (He is too a real person!)
 

Instead, I give you this:

[source]

"Whaaa?" You're asking as you freak out from sensory overload. Calm down, calm down.

Here's the dealio: Vitola is the unique measurements of a particular cigar. That's all. A Lonsdale is always a Lonsdale, regardless of who makes it--It will be 6.5" long and a ring size of 42. You'll see it listed as 6.5 x 42. Same thing with the salomon (5.8 x 56). Or the torpedo (6.5 x 52). (You knew I was going to choose the wacky shapes, right?)

Not sure what the ring size* is all about? A ring is 1/64 of an inch in diameter. So that Lonsdale 42 ring size means the diameter is 42/64. So what does that matter? Bigger the better, right? Err...maybe? Not really? Depends on what you like.

The general rule is the thicker (higher ring gauge number), the cooler the smoke, which means you'll get a hotter burn with the smaller ring gauge.

Also, the ratio of wrapper to filler is significantly different--higher ring gauge, more filler so the wrapper plays a smaller, but still important role. Smaller ring gauge means the wrapper will account for more flavor in the smoke and less variation in the filler.

I know! It's more interesting than victrolas and Vitruvius! Even Vitruvius playing a victrola! (But nothing is more interesting than Vito Corleone, of course!)

Oh, there's lots and lots more to learn, but let's stop here for the day, okay?**


* If you're a fan of comedian Brian Regan, you might know this as a girth unit.

**There's really no need for more sparkles, but I feel like I owe it to you.***

***Three is better!

An Anatomy Lesson

Say you took a cigar apart--although the rest of us would be standing over you, saying, "What exactly do you think you're doing?" But anyway, say you had a cigar, and you decided to take it apart because you just HAD to see how it was made.

Let me just tell you, and that will keep us all from mourning the loss of a perfectly good cigar, okay? Okay!

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Here's another view:

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If you want to sound super fancy at your next cocktail party, you can let some of this info slip (as long as the group is talking about cigars; don't be socially awkward like me and just spit out random facts):

Wrappers determine a lot of the cigar's flavor and character and folks general describe the cigar by the color of the wrapper. One major MAJOR misconception about cigars is that the darker the cigar, the stronger the cigar. No, no, no. Don't judge the book by the cover. (Unless you're judging my books; they have great covers--they have great innerds.)

Binders are wrappers that are rejected because they just aren't good enough. Kind of like that cozy t-shirt you put on but then have to cover with a nicer shirt. Poor cozy t-shirt. Poor binder, the leaves of which are elasticy (elasticish?) because they need to hold everything (the filler) together. Like Spanx.*

Filler/Blend are the innerds that determine how strong the cigar will be. There's much more to it than this, but let's start with the basics, okay? (Remember: Cocktail party fodder for now.) When I was first learning about this, from the great Michael Herklotz of Nat Sherman, my head was spinning from all the info. (I swear it had nothing to do with the sangria.)

• Volado--Taken from the bottom of the plant, with minimum flavor
• Seco--Taken from the middle of the plant, with light flavor
• Ligero--Taken from the upper leaves exposed to the most sunlight, the fullest flavor and strength.

Stay tuned for more necessary filler info among other awesome stuff (not filler filler, although that is funny to say). Search the Cigars 101 tag if you're all about the learning.


*(For all the men who have unexpectedly encountered Spanx during activities and are shaking their heads: We're sorry, but sometimes we need to hold everything together, just like the binder contains the filler. it's not sexy, but necessary. Does that help ease the horror?)