How To Choose Your First (Or Any) Cigar

Choosing your first cigars from a humidor can be daunting if you don’t know what you’re looking for.  Here, I will share some tips that will build your confidence when purchasing your first cigar.  

There are several factors that go into choosing a cigar.  A combination of strength, time, flavor profile, and budget all have an important role when making your selections.  

Strength is a determining factor when choosing a cigar.  There are 3 main levels of strength; mild, medium, and full.  Mild cigars are low in strength and are considered a good place to start.  While they are low in strength, that can have a lot of flavor to offer.  Medium bodied cigars are a little more robust, but don’t necessarily overpower you with strength.  Full bodied cigars are considered the strongest and should only be smoked after building up a nicotine tolerance.  Smoking a full bodied cigar before you’re ready can lead to a headache, dry heaving, and overall discomfort.  

Time plays an important factor into choosing a cigar.  I’ll often ask customers how much time they have set aside to smoke.  If you have set aside a half hour to smoke, you really don’t want anything too large.  Generally speaking, there are common sizes across all brands that will keep you in the ballpark in regards to how much time you have. Look at the list below to determine which size is best for you.

Corona 25 Minutes

Robusto  30-40 Minutes

Toro 45-55 Minutes

Churchill 1 Hour to 1 Hour and 15 Minutes

Flavor profiles are the most interesting part of choosing your cigar.  Would you like to try something sweet, earthy, or perhaps spicy?  These three common flavors are broad but when you’re first starting out, they are a good guideline to keep you engaged and interested in enjoying what flavors cigars have to offer.  

Stick within your budget when you’re selecting a cigar.  The average price of a cigar in my store is around $8.  That being said, you don’t have to spend over that to get a great cigar.  More exclusive brands like Padron, Davidoff, and Ashton have value lines that can be significantly less expensive than their counterparts without sacrificing quality.  Turn to the Padron Traditional Series, Avo, Camacho, La Aroma de Cuba, and San Cristobal to get the best bang for your buck.  

After taking all this information into consideration, decide what you think you would like to try.  Visit your local tobacconist and say, for example, I’m looking for a mild churchill on the sweeter side, for around $10.  What do you recommend?  Any good tobacconist should be able to give you a few options and point you in the right direction.  When in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask for help.  Most tobacconists are passionate about tobacco and really want to help you pick the right cigar.  

We here at Regency Cigar Emporium are dedicated to helping you choose the right cigar.  Feel free to browse our website at RegencyCigar.com or give us a call to make a a custom sampler pack based on what you'll enjoy.  We are happy to assist in any way we can.