Jason Nelson demonstrates the correct method to light and re-light your cigar!

This highlights the importance of buying your cigars off a reputable retailer that knows how to look after and correctly store cigars.

Unfortunately, cigars are regularly being subjected to bad science and bad journalism.

A few months ago, Parade magazine ran an article called “The Dangers of Pipes and Cigars”. In the article, they reference a report done recently by Columbia University which, the article claims, showed that “smoking pipes or cigars doubled the odds of having an airflow obstruction.”

If this were indeed true, many of us would have to seriously reconsider our cigar habits.

The problem many cigar smokers have with this report, however, is that it is based on fluffy science.

As Smoke Magazine pointed out recently:

The Columbia study contained no new research, but an examination of a previous study that included just 56 individuals who smoked either cigars or pipes and did not smoke cigarettes.

Moreover, the study itself says “few participants smoked pipes or cigars…Effect estimates in this group were therefore relatively imprecise…” No kidding; what the survey actually showed was that among cigar-only smokers, the odds for decreased airflow to the lungs increased a trivial 1 percent when adjusted for age, race, sex, and height, and were 37 percent less than non-smokers when more carefully adjusted for 13 factors also including body mass, education, family history, and so on.

Additionally, the study report states “no U.S. studies have reported on the possible effects of cumulative pipe and cigar smoking on lung function.” This is wrong. In fact, the impact of cigar smoking was exhaustively reviewed by the National Cancer Institute in its monograph on cigars published in 1998.

Incidence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) was examined using the American Cancer Society’s massive CPS-I study, which included 15,072 cigar smokers. The result? For those who smoked an average of 1–2 cigars per day, there was no impact at all vs. non-smokers up through age 64, and for those who do not inhale, no impact through age 79!

Now consider that in the U.S. in 2009, smokers of all types of cigars averaged just 2.93 per week and smokers of handmade, premium cigars averaged a grand total of 1.59 per week!

But the CPS-I results are nowhere mentioned in the Columbia “study.”

As I’ve said on the blog before when I covered the CPS-I study, I take my health very seriously and so I’m always keeping an eye out on the latest science on cigars and health. It is unfortunate that a lot of the media coverage on the subject is pretty fluffy and either out-right biased or based on bad science.

Here’s a quick guide to knowing what all of these terms mean.

1. The Blend. When cigar manufacturers create a cigar, it involves a unique combination of leaves from their crops to give each cigar a certain flavour, body and strength – a very similar process to creating wine or whisky. It’s a complex and wonderful process, more of an art than a science.

Each blend is made up of two basic parts:

The Filler – tobacco rolled inside the cigar comprising the bulk of the smoke.
The Binder – the tobacco leaf used to hold the whole affair together in a nice, neat cylinder.

For example, some of the Perdomo blends are the Lot 23, Habano, Perdomo² Limited Edition, Reserve 10th Anniversary, Patriarch, etc. How mild or full-bodied a cigar is, is predominately determined by the leaves used in the filler and the binder.

2, The Wrapper. Now each cigar also has a final piece which is called The Wrapper – the smooth, attractive tobacco leaf used to “dress up” the cigar for presentation. The wrapper can also add a lot of flavour to a cigar.

Cigar blends often come in different wrappers. In the Perdomo range, you’ll normally find our cigars come in Natural, Connecticut, Corojo, Criollo and Maduro wrappers.

Natural: Light brown, fully matured leaf which has been allowed to dry naturally and slowly in large barns. Grown under cheesecloth to protect the colour and appearance, as exposure to sunlight darkens the leaf. Smooth, creamy flavours.

Connecticut: A lighter colour, typically grown under shade, which delivers a characteristically smooth, creamy taste. Not overpowering in flavour.

Corojo: This rare, reddish, oily wrapper is traditional variety grown in Cuba. Slightly richer and oilier than a Natural.

Criollo: A smooth, oily, Nicaraguan leaf, grown under shade, delivering soft spice, with a light, creamy, cedar undertone.

Maduro: Dark brown and quite different from Natural or Corojo. Creating a Maduro leaf is a more extensive process that creates a sweet, pronounced taste and imparts a more intense flavour to a cigar.

My general advice to people getting into cigars for the first time is to start with a mild cigar and work your way up to the heavier, fuller-flavoured cigars. That’s what I did.

3. Size. The last part of choosing a cigar is determining the right size. When it comes to cigars, size means LENGTH and WIDTH. And, as we all know, SIZE DOES MATTER.

To make it a little easier, cigars tend to come in a standard range of sizes. Length and width (or “ring gauge”, as it’s properly known) are packaged into standard sizes. Length is usually measured in inches and ring gauge is measured in 64ths of an inch, so, for example, a 64-ring cigar would be an inch in diameter. The length and ring of a cigar will determine how long it takes to smoke. Longer, fatter cigars take longer to smoke than shorter, skinnier cigars. The size of cigar you choose will often depend on how much time you have to smoke and what feels most comfortable in your mouth. Ring gauge also determines how much surface area of the cigar is exposed to the air while burning – a fatter cigar smokes cooler and slower because more of the filler is exposed to air.

Let’s take the Perdomo Cuban Bullet as an example. It comes in the following sizes:

Robusto 5 x 50
Toro 6 x 50
Churchill 7 x 50
Torpedo 5 3/4 x 54

You’ll these same sizes crop up across the Perdomo range. As I said earlier before, the longer and higher ring gauge a cigar has, the longer it will take to smoke. So a good place to start is with a shorter cigar and get a feel for what size ring gauge feels best in your mouth.

For more on how to choose a cigar, we recommend the following book:

If they get too dry, moisture and the oils that pack a lot of flavour begin to evaporate from the cigar. It will get dry, brittle and hard. If you smoke it in this condition, the wrapper will probably unravel and the dry tobacco will burn hot and fast and have little flavour. Any house that has heating is likely to quickly dry out a cigar. Even if you live in a humid climate (like Queensland), our homes tend to have airconditioning running which reduces the humidity.

If cigars get too moist, mold starts to develop on the tobacco. You can wipe it off in the early stages, but if it’s left unattended, it’ll take over the cigars, and moldy cigars taste like musty basements smells. The cigar will also swell and split wide open from the excess moisture.

If cigars get too hot, the moisture will evaporate, drying out the cigars (so don’t leave them in your car). Most cigars also contain microscopic insect eggs which will hatch if they get too warm and the resulting bugs will eat your cigars. Fortunately, Perdomo puts all of our cigars through a special freezing process that exterminates all of these eggs, so that isn’t a problem our customers need to worry about. However, you still want to keep your cigars cool.

Don’t let them get TOO cold, though, because that can also rob them of their moisture.

So the rule is to try to keep your cigars cool (around 21º C) and humidified at just the right level (about 70% humidity).

And that’s where a humidor comes in handy.

Humidors come is all sorts of shapes and sizes – beautiful wooden boxes, zip-sealed bags, plastic boxes, and even closets.

There are lots of humidors available online on places like Ebay, but as a general rule, I recommend investing in a good quality humidor to store your cigars. After all, if you’re going to spend $400 or $500 on a box of cigars, you don’t want to store them in a cheap, low-quality humidor that could allow them to be ruined. A good humidor will be made with thoroughly kiln-dried or air-cured cedar. If insufficiently cured, the cedar will ooze resin and become spotty and ugly. It’s possible to use other woods as liners, but cedar is by far the best. It’s very porous and helps control the humidity inside the box by absorbing excess moisture but also giving it back to the air if the humidity inside the box starts to drop. It also adds a very slight but pleasant cedar aroma to the cigars as they sit in the box.

Also pay attention to the thickness of the walls of the humidor. If the humidity inside the box is 70% but the humidity outside is 10%, the moisture variation is likely to warp or crack the lining unless it’s made with something like thick cedar.

Another test of a good humidor is to raise the lid about three inches and let it drop. If the box is crafted well enough to create a tight seal, a “whoosh” of air will escape and precent the lid from slamming loudly.

Most premium tabletop humidors come equipped with a humidifying element and a hygrometer, which is a gauge that measures the relative humidity in the air. It’s usually a small, simple gauge – digital ones are usually better than dials, because you can fit more technology into the digital kinds, making them more accurate. It’s important though to make sure you check your cigars regularly using the “pinch test” – lightly pinch the cigar between your thumb and index finger, it should feel firm but not hard – don’t trust your hygrometer totally.

There’s a lot more we could say about humidors, but for now let’s finish by re-stating the important points:

1. It’s VERY important to store your cigars carefully.
2. Keep the temperature around 21º C and the humidity around 70%
3. If you’re going to be investing regularly in premium cigars, consider investing in a premium humidor.

For more information on how to use a humidor, we recommend getting the following book:

Buy your Perdomo Humidor here.

Of course the answer is ‘yes’. Cigars are made of tobacco. Smoking tobacco in any form is going to have health consequences.

However lots of things are bad for your health if you indulge in them too often – alcohol, Big Macs, chocolate, ice cream, coffee, cheese – however, in moderation, the risks are minimized.

Is that same true for cigars?

According to the most comprehensive report completed on the subject, the same report referenced by the U.S. National Cancer Institute:

“When cigar smokers don’t inhale or smoke few cigars per day, the risks are only slightly above those of never smokers.”

(page 8, paragraph 2).

But how can that be? Aren’t all tobacco products equally as dangerous?

It seems to depend a lot on how many cigars you smoke each day and whether or not you inhale.

According to the research, most cigar smokers only indulge occasionally.

From the report:

The fraction of adult cigar smokers who smoke cigars every day is much smaller than the fraction of cigarette or smokeless tobacco users who use every day.

Most cigar smokers also don’t inhale.

Most cigarette smokers report inhaling the smoke into their lungs, while over three- quarters of the males in CPS-I who have only smoked cigars report that they never inhale.

So, in terms of health risks, the majority of cigar smokers fall into the summary quoted up top:

“When cigar smokers don’t inhale or smoke few cigars per day, the risks are only slightly above those of never smokers.”

Okay, let’s look at what the scientists have to say.

The report I referred to at the beginning is called “Cigar Smoking: Overview and Current State of the Science” by David M. Burns that you can find on the U.S. National Cancer Institute’s site. This report is the most comprehensive scientific study of cigar smoking and is referenced by most cancer councils (including in the US and Australia).

The report says that cigar smoking can be very dangerous to your health under certain circumstances. So, if you *are* going to smoke cigars, then please make sure you are aware of the risks.

1. Don’t Inhale.

“Cigar smokers who inhale deeply, particularly those who smoke several cigars per day, have higher rates of coronary heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).”

2. Avoid Breathing In Cigar Smoke

“Tobacco smoke produced by cigars contains most of the same toxic and carcinogenic constituents found in cigarette smoke.”

So if you are going to smoke, do it either outside in a well ventilated area, or do it in private rooms with extraction fans.

3. Risks of Oral Cancers Go Up

Other Studies – Centenarians In Cuba

When we were in Nicaragua recently, we met a couple of old Cuban men in their late 70s who had been smoking cigars every day all their lives and they are as fit as a bull. These gentlemen spent most of their lives in the cigar business and certainly don’t think cigars are bad for your health. A 2006 report on centenarians by Dr Nancy Nepomuceno in Cuba claimed that

“Cuba’s high number of centenarians say their longevity is down to laying off alcohol, but indulging in coffee, cigars and sex.”

Think about some of the most famous cigar smokers of all time:

Winston Churchill – Died Age 91. The man for whom the imposing Churchill cigar size is named smoked eight to 10 cigars a day.

Fidel Castro – currently 84. Until he gave up the habit in 1985 (to try to reduce cigarette smoking in Cuba), the man who has ruled Cuba with an iron fist for 50 years was synonymous with cigars.

George Burns – Died Age 100. Credited his 10- to 15-cigar-a-day habit over a 70-year span with not only keeping him spry on stage but also with helping him outlive his physician.

Groucho Marx – Died Age 87. Rarely seen without a cigar.

Sigmund Freud – Died Age 83. He began smoking at 24, enjoyed an average of 20 cigars a day, and was rarely photographed without his tobacco companion.

Mark Twain – Died Age 85. The author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn smoked at least 22 cigars a day, maybe as many as 40. Twain, née Samuel Clemens, supposedly once declared, “If smoking is not allowed in heaven, I shall not go.”

Orson Welles – Died Age 70. Welles was a lover of the good life, especially fine cigars; he intentionally wrote cigar-smoking characters, such as Touch of Evil’s police captain Hank Quinlan, into his films.

Charlie Chaplin – Died Age 88.

Conclusion

Let me end this post by repeating what I think are the main points we all need to know regarding cigars and health.

1. Cigars are made of tobacco. Tobacco isn’t good for you. So if you are going to smoke cigars, do it in moderation, the same way you might eat pizza, cheese and chocolate. Or the same way a sensible person drinks alcohol or coffee. Be sensible.

2. According to Burns’ report, “When cigar smokers don’t inhale or smoke few cigars per day, the risks are only slightly above those of never smokers.”

3. Avoid environmental smoke by smoking cigars outdoors or by making sure you smoke in a very well ventilated room.

I’ll report back when more evidence comes out about moderate cigar smoking. Until then, enjoy your cigars in moderation, folks!