How to Find Cigars Your Father Will Love
If your dad appreciates great cigars, you will have to search for a high-quality gift. Unless you’re a cigar aficionado, however, most cigars probably look alike to you. Don’t lose hope! There are several ways to tell a good cigar from a bad one, so you can still get your dad the perfect gift.
The Parts of a Cigar
It would be hard to identify a good cigar without first labeling its individual parts. Cigars are comprised of several components:
• The Head: The head is the part you put in your mouth. The end of it has to be cut off first, usually by a cigar guillotine or a very sharp knife.
• The Foot: At the other end from the head, the foot is the part you light.
• The Filler: Comprised of fermented tobacco, the filler consists of leaves from different parts of the tobacco plant. Each area of the plant offers different properties for the cigar, such as flavor or burning ability.
• The Wrapper: This is the outermost layer that holds the whole cigar together. It also contributes much of the flavor in most cigars.
Cigar Hunting
The best place to start looking is a local cigar club or tobacconist. Your best bet will be someone who seems to take great pride in their trade. As a rule, never buy a cigar that is not kept in a humidor. Cigars that have been left out of their humidors can be damaged by the elements and lose their flavor.
Having found a suitable cigar vendor, the next step is to ask them for suggestions and take a look through the wares. If you know anything of your father’s preferences regarding cigars, now is the time to mention them. Don’t pay much attention to pricing when looking through the selection; good cigars come in all price ranges. When your dad is lighting up his new cigar, he won’t be concerned with how much you spent on it.
Testing a Cigar
To test the quality of a cigar, pick it up and roll it slowly in your fingers. Feel for imperfections in the wrapper such as lumps or areas with an especially rough texture. You should also feel up and down the body of the cigar to make sure there are no areas that are soft or seemingly missing filler. Cigar ash, like cigarette ash, should remain stiff until it is knocked off, but if the body is imperfect, it will fall off on its own and potentially make a huge mess.
Unfortunately, it’s not as easy to identify good tobacco as it is to identify good cigar structure. At the end of the day, you may have to rely on your tobacconist’s advice as to which cigar has the highest quality. Bigger brands often provide more consistent cigar quality, so choose a famous cigar over an obscure one when in doubt.
Hopefully these pointers have made it a bit easier for you to find a truly great cigar for your father, but remember, it’s the thought that counts. No matter which cigar you give him, your dad will know how much you love him when he takes his first puff. Good luck and happy cigar hunting!
