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ABOUT THE BLOGGER
Tony Ricciardi is the owner of The Montecristo Room, a popular cigar shop and lounge located in Westchester, New York. Visit the site at www.montecristoroom.com for more info.
THE BASICS
When buying a cigar, the three main things you are going to consider are origin, size, and strength. Yes, some fancier people would include flavor as another consideration here, but as a relative expert I can assure you that any cigar you choose will taste primarily like [SPOILER ALERT] tobacco.

Origin
Where a cigar is made has a lot to do with how it will taste and what characteristics you will notice while smoking it. Currently there are many places in the world making top-notch smokes. I'll stick with the most common and most widely available in the United States:

  • Dominican Republic
  • Honduras
  • Nicaragua
  • Brazil
  • Mexico
  • Jamaica
  • USA

    Each of these regions produces what are considered world-class cigars. What makes a cigar from Honduras different than a cigar from Brazil is essentially the soil, and how the tobacco is grown before it is harvested. It's why Florida oranges taste so much better than others. The climate in these countries is perfect for the growing and cultivating of tobacco. It also doesn't hurt to have generations of expert rollers who know what to do with the stuff once it's been harvested.

    Size
    Despite what your wife tells you, size does matter… At least when it comes to cigars. The size of a cigar can determine how much tobacco was used to create it, what kinds of flavors it will give off, and how long it will take you to smoke it. Generally, there are 10 major cigar sizes you will see. The list below is arranged from largest to smallest.

    NAMELENGTHRING GAUGE
    Double Corona7½–847–52
    Churchill746–50
    Torpedo6½50–52
    Toro650
    Belicoso5–649–54
    Robusto4½–548–52
    Lonsdale6½40–44
    Corona5–5½40–44
    Petit Corona540–44
    Panatela626–38

    Choose your size most appropriate to the situation in which you'll be enjoying it, but UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES are you to ever smoke a Petit Corona or Panatela. It's just not manly.

    Strength
    Almost no cigar will be labeled with any information relating to its strength, so you'll have to rely on the salesperson to help you in that department. But generally the rules is that a darker-colored cigar is going to be more potent than a lighter-colored one.

    Now that you have a little better understanding of what you're getting into, here's a list of some cigars that you might want to check out next time you're in your local shop.

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    Oliva Series G
    These cigars are from Nicaragua, and are medium strength and very smooth. The Robusto, which is my favorite size of this cigar, can be found for around $5.

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    CAO Brazilia
    These beauties are made by cigar giant CAO. They use the finest Brazilian tobacco to produce what I think is a delicious and reasonably priced smoke. I love the Samba size of the cigar, which is a Torpedo. This full-bodied smoke runs about $7.

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    Rocky Patel Vintage 1992
    These smokes from Rocky are actually a blend from Nicaragua, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. They are medium strength and very tasty. I prefer the Toro size, which will set you back about $9.50

    blogCigars_padron1964_article.jpgPadron 1964
    This is what I smoke when I want to remind myself why I smoke cigars in the first place. These cigars are constructed impeccably from the richest and most carefully aged Nicaraguan tobaccos. They are medium strength and have a beautiful box-press shape to them, which makes them square around instead of circular. They are a little harder to find, and a lot more expensive. The Torpedo will run you in the $16 neighborhood.

    blogCigars_ArturoFuenteOpusX_article.jpgArturo Fuente OpusX
    The Fuente OpusX is one of the rarest cigars in the world. It consistently receives the highest ratings from industry publications, and continues to be the pinnacle of fine cigars. This cigar is almost impossible to find, and is widely considered the "best of the best." It is full-bodied, and the aromas in each size are distinctly different. But the one thing each has in common is the near-perfect taste and quality. Definitely a special-occasion smoke. If you can find it, a Robusto will run you $35 to $40.

    A word on Cubans…
    Cuban cigars are a mystery to those who are not students of the leaf. Cuba is one of those magical combinations of having incredibly great climate, rich soil, and expert rollers. There's just that little embargo thing standing in the way.  It's not to say that Cubans are not available to you. There are various means of procuring a Fidel special; but since they are all illegal, I'll refrain from detailing them here. Bottom line is that Cubans, while good, are also slightly romanticized due to the difficulty in obtaining them. The proliferation of fake Cuban cigars is also a huge problem, and one that you should think carefully about the next time you get offered a "great deal" on a box of Cohibas by a guy walking up the beach. Just say no.