Like any of life's immense pleasure - eating, drinking and smoki
ng - the final word on cigars is, to each his own. Experts might make general verdicts - for example, that a certain size or strength must be smoked at a certain time of day: a mild cigar in the morning, a medium one after lunch, a stronger one after dinner. But that is truly a matter of taste and appearance.The great Zino Davidoff suggested the last word on choosing a cigar: "What is most important is to be convinced of your taste. You can understand now why my response to the usual question, "Monsieur Davidoff, what do you suggest?" is always so evasive. After all, you select according to color, shape, brand name, and eventually you will be attracted to one or two cigars that seem right.
Cigars at Various Times of Day
Whether different cigars are apposite for different time of day is again a matter of preference. More often than not an aficionado will smoke small, mild cigars during the day before enjoying a large, rich cigar in the evening.
Cigars and Beverages
A wide choice of beverages can balance cigars. Cognac, a traditional companion, can add greatly to the smoking experience. "Light" alcohol such as wines and champagnes or stronger alcohol such as Single malt Scotches, whiskeys, ports, Armagnacs, brandies. Some nonalcoholic drinks pair well with cigars, including fine coffees (cappuccinos and espressos), and tea. Experiment with diverse drinks while smoking, and decide what's most enjoyable to you. But be watchful that what you drink is not stronger than what you smoke or it will "kill" the aroma of your cigar.
From beginner to connoisseur
As a universal rule, cigars with larger ring gauges tend to be fuller flavored (there is normally more ligero and less volado in the blend), smoke more smoothly and slowly, and heat up less fast than those with small ring gauges. They also tend to be better made than the smaller ones. Cigars with small ring gauges often have modest or no ligero tobacco in the filler blends. Large ring gauge cigars are almost always the preferred choice - if there is no hurry - of connoisseurs or experienced cigar smokers.
The beginner, however, is advised to choose a relatively small cigar, say a trés petit corona or panetela, and then move up to the bigger sizes of a mild brand. A Lonsdale is probably the best cigar above the corona size to move up to when you feel you have gone beyond the beginner stage.
The color of a cigar's wrapper (the part of the filler that you can see) will give you more clues, though it is not infallible since the filler blend is the key, as to its flavor. As a rule of thumb, the darker a cigar, the more full-bodies and (since darker wrappers contain more sugar) sweeter it is likely to be. Cigars, if properly stored, continue to mature and ferment in their cedar boxes. This aging process, during which a cigar loses acidity, is not unlike the maturing of good wine. Fuller bodied cigars, particularly those with big ring gauges, tend to age better than milder ones.
