If you ask an average person about what is the difference between a premium cigar and an ordinary machine-pressed one, he will probably tell you that it is the price. Of course, the price is different, but premium cigars have many other features as well.
Every cigar lover knows why premium cigars are so special. There are differences in the process of making, in the packaging, in the materials and in flavour. In this article, I want to tell you about all of them in details.
How premium cigars are made?
Machine-rolled cigars are low-quality cigars because here you can’t ensure that every cigar in a batch has the same consistent quality. Even if the materials are great, there will be some defective cigars anyway. As for premium cigars, they are all hand-rolled and high-quality. A professional worker responsibly rolls and wraps every cigar, there is quality control in every step. Such a cigar will always be as good as it can be.
The materials for premium cigars
To be honest, everything about premium cigars is better. In the production, only whole leaves are used for the filler, the binder and the wrapper. It means that a cigar will have the same flavour all the way from the first puff to the last. Furthermore, all the tobacco leaves are harvested from the same place.
Cuban cigars are great as they have their own unique flavour, but I would also recommend Dominican and Nicaraguan cigars. Tobacco is a very delicate plant, each region has it is own technique of cultivation. Machine-pressed cigars often contain low-quality filler tobacco. Such tobacco is chopped and often includes stalks and some other scraps. That’s why these cigars may have a bitter taste.
There are no machine-pressed cigars that were made from higher-grade tobacco as the cost of raising tobacco like this is quite high. Also, some varieties are very difficult to cultivate and they are only grown in small batches in some regions. Obviously, they are exclusively used for premium cigars and not available for mass-market cigars.
The wrapper of premium cigars
The handmade process of making cigars includes wrapping and oiling a cigar. Premium cigars are wrapped tight by professionals. The wrapper is generally oiled so it is smooth and has a little gloss. Oiling gives a cigar a distinct look, you can always see it is a hand-rolled cigar. Also, it makes a cigar burn evenly. The wrapper in a premium cigar is all natural, which is another benefit over machine-rolled cigars.
The machine-wrapped cigars’ wrapper is not glossy, not tight and not smooth. You can tell that when you see a cigar because it looks dull. If a cigar is wrapped loosely, the tobacco doesn’t hold together well. This causes poorer smoke. What is even worse, the wrapper in some machine-pressed cigars is not all natural, because of the high cost of the material.
Let your cigar age
Age benefit the quality of a cigar the same way as it does with wine or a vintage car. Many tobaccos should age to get a particularly rich and full flavour. Over time, a premium cigar will taste much better. The only thing you should do is store it in a good humidor at the right humidity and temperature.
Cigar tobacco ages well if stored properly, unlike cigarette tobacco that decays over time because of the chemicals. However, tobacco for mass-production cigars doesn’t age. It is picked, bagged, chopped and used for the filler. The flavour always depends on the tobacco variety, the location where it was grown and the ageing process. As the tobacco for machine-pressed cigars doesn’t age, they feature a mellower flavour.
Many people might not see the differences between premium cigars and factory-made cigars at first, but for cigar lovers they are obvious. Premium cigars are the best in everything. Whether it is materials, wrapping or production, everything is top quality in a premium cigar.
My favourite premium cigars
As some of you know, I am a big fan of cigars. I enjoy smoking a premium cigar at the end of the week or for some special occasions. My favourite premium cigar brands are Henk, Cohiba, Don Roberto, Arturo Fuente Opus and Davidoff. These cigars stand out as a lot of attention and care goes into the making of every single cigar like this. They come from the best tobacco plantations and are of the best quality. Smoking a cigar like this is a unique experience and pure pleasure. However, from time to time I try other cigars and learn about other brands as well. I prefer and highly recommend cigars made of Cuban, Dominican or Nicaraguan tobaccos. They are considered the best in the world and generally feature very rich, strong and complex flavours, which many cigar connoisseurs appreciate.
Alessandro Rocco Pietrocola is an entrepreneur and investor based in London and operating mainly in Europe, Asia and Oceania with main focus on UK, Baltic Countries, Russia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Middle East and New Zealand as area of interest! At the moment is the CEO of Astorts Group. He is an UK FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) Approved Person and is has great experience as director of regulated companies. He uses to dedicate part of his life to inspire others and help them achieve the most out of their life. Since he was 20, he had successfully founded and managed several companies operating in the field of management consulting, wealth management and fintech. He loves travelling, he is a cigars lover, an amateur golfer and a dapper man.
