BREAKING
CIGARS

A short course in cigars

Eight short lessons with real photos. Learn what you are looking at, what to ask for and how to enjoy it.

  • Pick a cigar you will actually enjoy
  • Cut, light and store it properly
  • Talk to a tobacconist with confidence
  • About 20 minutes in total

For adults of legal tobacco age who already choose to smoke. Cigars carry health risks.

Welcome,

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The eight lessons

  1. Five cigars lying side by side, open feet facing the camera, showing the packed filler leaves. Lesson 13 min Know the partsName the parts of a cigar and spot a well-made one.
  2. Four cigars stacked on a wooden table, wrappers ranging from mid brown to dark brown. Lesson 23 min Read the wrapperUse wrapper names as flavour clues, not promises.
  3. Close-up of unlit cigars in a box, showing the open feet. Lesson 32 min Strength, body and flavourDescribe a cigar in three separate words, and ask for the one you want.
  4. Four cigars from one line laid out above a ruler, with different lengths and thicknesses, one with a pointed head. Lesson 43 min Read the sizeRead a size like 6 × 50 and choose one that fits your time.
  5. A cigar shop with floor-to-ceiling shelves of cigar boxes. Lesson 52 min Buy your first cigarWalk into a shop with a clear request and leave with the right cigar.
  6. A man toasting the foot of a cigar with a blue-flame butane torch lighter. Lesson 63 min Cut and lightCut a cigar cleanly and light it evenly.
  7. An open wooden humidor with a round hygrometer and a humidifier in the lid, and cigars inside. Lesson 73 min Store them wellKeep cigars fresh for weeks or months.
  8. A cigar resting on a steel ashtray with a short, firm grey ash. Lesson 83 min Taste and take notesDescribe what you taste, so your next cigar is a better pick.

Sources

  1. Tobacconist University: cigar anatomy
  2. Tobacconist University: seeds and plants
  3. JR Cigars: Habano wrappers
  4. Tobacconist University: Corojo and Criollo
  5. Tobacconist University: maduro fermentation
  6. Tobacconist University: the tasting experience
  7. Habanos: principal shapes and sizes
  8. Holt's: cigar ring gauge
  9. Habanos: choosing, cutting, lighting and smoking
  10. Boveda: humidity for airtight cigar storage
  11. Habanos: keeping cigars
  12. National Cancer Institute: cigar smoking and cancer

General education, checked 14 October 2026. Cigar smoking can cause cancer. Nicotine is addictive, and smoke harms others. Not inhaling does not make smoking safe. Read the National Cancer Institute's guidance.