cigar tips and tricks
Eleven Enlightening Facts About Padrón
Here are some facts you may not know about this esteemed line of cigars.
August 3, 2023
Cigar 101: Vertical Brand Tastings, Explained
At Cigar Aficionado, we often reference “vertical brand tastings.” The following is a primer on the process and why it matters when evaluating cigar lines.
November 4, 2022
A Timeline of Fat Ring Gauge Cigars
See how the cigar market went from thin to thick over the last 30 years.
March 16, 2021
The ABCs of Cigars
From amatista to zafadores, we define 26 cigar-industry terms every aficionado needs to know.
February 9, 2021
Why is There a Stem in My Cigar?
While veins may not be pretty to look at, they can be full of flavor. The stems, too. At the center of each tobacco leaf is a thick, linear structure known as a midrib, i.e. a …
August 28, 2020
10 Things To Know About Fuente Fuente OpusX
The mystique behind Fuente Fuente OpusX has endured for 25 years since its birth in 1995. We compiled a list of 10 facts that will shed some light on the cigar brand that became a …
April 2, 2020
counterfeit cigars
8 Things To Know About Counterfeit Cuban Cigars
Save your money (and your palates) by following these eight key tips to avoid getting burned by a fake Cuban cigar.
December 9, 2019
How To Spot A Fake Hoyo De Monterrey
Learn how to tell whether the Hoyo De Monterrey you're smoking is authentic or fake.
August 23, 2018
How To Spot A Fake Partagás
Learn how to tell whether the Partagás you're smoking is authentic or fake.
August 23, 2018
How To Spot A Fake Cohiba Behike BHK
Find out if your Cuban Cohiba Behike BHK is real or fake.
August 16, 2018
How To Spot A Fake Romeo y Julieta
Find out if your Cuban Romeo y Julieta is real or fake.
August 15, 2018
Cigar 101 Videos
Cigar Advice
What advice would you give someone who wants to learn more about cigars? The Cigar Aficionado editors chimed in.
July 9, 2026
Cigar 101: Cigar Lighters & How to Light a Cigar
Senior editor Andrew Nagy shows how to operate the most common types of lighters used to light a cigar.
June 5, 2019
Cigar 101: Cigar Cutters & How to Cut a Cigar
Senior editor Andrew Nagy demonstrates how to operate the most common kinds of cutters used to clip cigars.
June 3, 2019
Cigar 101: Snakes In The Humidor
Cigar Aficionado's resident snake experts, David Savona and Gregory Mottola, talk and smoke culebras, the twisted, serpentine cigars that come in threes.
November 17, 2015
From the Farm: Nick Melillo On Connecticut Broadleaf
Nick Melillo, the creator of Foundation Cigar Co., and senior editor Andrew Nagy discuss the highly sought Connecticut broadleaf from the tobacco barn on Nick's farm in Connecticut.
April 20, 2020
Rocky's New Crop
Rocky Patel talks about his newest tobacco crop growing in Estelí, Nicaragua.
June 12, 2014
Cigar Brands
La Antiguedad
The Garcia family debuted La Antiguedad, which is Spanish for The Antiquity, in 2014. The cigar is blended with filler tobaccos from three areas in Nicaragua—San Rafael, Las …
April 17, 2017
CAO
CAO was originally launched in 1993 by Cano Ozgener, who was the founder of CAO International Inc., a company that up until that point was known for its tobacco pipes. The General …
May 3, 2017
7-20-4
Created by Kurt Kendall, a cigar shop owner in New Hampshire, the 7-20-4 brand is distributed by Kendall's Vintage Cigar Distributors of New England Inc. The brand is manufactured …
June 15, 2017
Hoyo de Monterrey
Cuba’s José Gener registered the Hoyo de Monterrey brand in 1865 and the cigar has long been a major name in Cuban cigars. The brand is named after the Basin of Monterrey, which …
April 17, 2017
The Edge
When Rocky Patel first released The Edge in 2004, the concept was simple: a roughly hewn wooden box that held 100 unbanded cigars. And they retailed for only $5 each. It was …
June 14, 2017
Cuaba
The Cuaba name originates from the Taino indians, the indigenous inhabitants of Cuba before the Spanish discovered the island in the fifteenth century. A cuaba was the type of …
August 22, 2017
tobacco
Hail Destroys Acres Of Fuente Fuente OpusX Wrapper Leaf
An intense and long-lived hailstorm destroyed several acres of cigar tobacco at Chateau de la Fuente in El Caribe, Dominican Republic on May 6.
May 11, 2022
The Mystique of Medio Tempo
The newest buzzword in the cigar-blending world is medio tiempo: a high-primed leaf that packs a big punch. Despite being a darling to some makers, its enigmatic qualities (even …
November 16, 2021
Tobacco Seeds Discovered Among Stone Age Ruins
The use of tobacco by humans goes back much farther in history than previously thought.
October 12, 2021
Crop Report: Nicaragua’s Tobacco Season Extends into June
The season is extending an extra month, to mid-June.
May 11, 2021
Black Gold
The San Andrés Valley on Mexico’s Gulf Coast produces some of the most sought-after tobaccos in the world.
May 12, 2020
Shade in the Dusk
The once-dominant wrapper leaf grown under cloth in the Connecticut River Valley now needs protection from encroaching development.
October 25, 2019
