Here's a fairly decent commentary, especially for folks new to the hobby.
1. Cigars Are a Natural and Artisanal Product
Buzzwords like "natural" and "artisanal" are overused and abused in today's parlance, but premium, handmade cigars have truly earned the right to flaunt these credentials. They are made of one thing and one thing only tobacco. Pure, unadulterated tobacco. Not a single leaf is chemically treated or artificially altered for taste. Everything from flavor to color is achieved through natural means and that's part of the cigar's inherent beauty.
2. Two Hundred Pairs of Hands
It's often said that 200 pairs of hands touch your cigar before it makes it to your humidor. Some claim the number is even higher. Suffice to say, every time you light up a cigar, many, many people with many different skills all contributed to bring you the ultimate handmade product.
3. Tobacco Undergoes Fermentation
Fermentation is common to producers of wine and spirits, defined as a process that converts sugars in organic material to alcohol, often with the use of yeast. In the tobacco industry, it's more of a microbial fermentation—one that breaks down the leaf organically through the use of water, pressure and oxygen. No alcohol is produced in tobacco fermentation, but the process releases heat as it changes the chemical composition and physical traits of the leaf through humidity and oxidization.
4. Aging is Important
Aging tobacco plays a vital role, both before and after the cigar is made. Not only is the fresh leaf aged before it's rolled into a cigar, but a newly completed cigar in most cases is then sent to an aging room where the tobaccos marry, and the humidity levels of the cigar can stabilize.
5. Understand Cigar Anatomy
A cigar is made up of three major parts: wrapper, binder and filler. The three form a smoking system and the single system forms a singular organism called the cigar.
6. Cut and Light Like a Pro
Handmade cigars don't come ready to smoke. You must cut the head, then light. While types of lighters and cutters are open to preference, some basic rules are universal. For example, cutting too much off the top of your cigar is a no-no. What's too much? If the wrapper of your cigar unravels after you lopped off the top, you've cut down too far. Normally, there's a slight taper at the head of the cigar, referred to as the shoulder. We do not recommend cutting below the shoulder line.
7. Smoke Cool & Slow
Some cigar smokers puff too often. This is a mistake for a few reasons. Philosophically, a cigar is about enjoyment and savoring the moment. Smoking fast runs counterintuitive to this sentiment. Take your time and slow down.
8. Choose Your Cigar Wisely
It's important to know something about the blend before choosing a cigar. This helps to ensure you don't choose a smoke that's too strong or too mild. You don't have to know every last tobacco component of the cigar to make an informed choice, but you should always have a basic idea of the cigar's strength level before you buy it.
9. Cubans Aren't Always the Best
As long as people smoke premium cigars, there will always be the proud debate as to which cigars are the best, and the argument usually boils down to Cuban cigars vs. non-Cuban cigars.
10. Price v. Quality
Price isn't always an indicator of quality. A cigar that costs $30 won't always be more enjoyable than a cigar that costs $10. Inexpensive cigars sometimes score better than pricey ones in our blind tastings. At the same time, it's important to understand that the best materials, finest construction and most acute quality control will cost money. As is true with all raw materials, not all tobacco is of equal quality. Some crops are better than others.
