Blog & Cigar News | Mardo Cigars

What's up, everybody? This is Gerard, mardocigars.com, and in this video we're going to talk about how to tell a good cigar from a bad cigar in three easy steps. But before we get going, I've got to get you guys to subscribe to our channel. Click that bell to be notified every single week. We love making videos for you guys, so we can't wait till we grow this thing even bigger. Stay tuned.

Step 1

All right, so in our previous video we talked about how to pick a cigar for a beginner. We broke it down to flavor, strength, and size. In this video, as I mentioned, we're going to talk about how to pick from a good or bad cigar, so let's get right into it.

Step one, we're going to talk about the appearance of the cigar. This is a prime example, what I have in my hand here. This is a premium handmade cigar. What I'm going to do is I'm going to look at the seam. I'm going to follow it all the way to the top where it starts.

Once I find the start point, I'm looking for the second seam, here it is, and the third seam, there it is. There should be no more than three sections of this. That will allow me to know that there was an experienced roller making this cigar. If I get more than three, obviously the individual is inexperienced.

Another part I look at, the cap, see how well it's been laid on top, if they used too much glue or if it's been cockeyed. Another part I look at, the finish. See the foot, it's not coming frayed, where have they finished it, it's not coming apart. And also the wrapper, is there any discoloration? This is consistent throughout the whole entire cigar. Not too many veins. Very well tight, very well rolled, shiny, beautiful looking cigar.

Step 2

So we're going to get into step two now. All right, so we're going to get right into step two and now we're going to talk about how does the cigar feel in your hand. This part, we have to be very delicate and you have to give it a little gentle squeeze throughout the whole entire cigar, as I'm doing right now. This cigar does not have any soft spots. It does not feel spongy.

The reason why I want to look for the soft spot is, when you are bunching a cigar, which is the filler, and then you bind it and then you put into a press, an inexperienced cigar roller or buncher, when they're bunching it they may not know where they have to fill it in to make it right.

So with this cigar, as I'm squeezing it, I'm not finding, as I'm turning it as well, I'm not finding any soft spots. So the buncher that put this filler together knew exactly what he was doing, not having any soft spots. That can create an uneven burn, sometimes can create a little difference in the taste as well. So that's step two, just give it a simple little roll and just squeeze it a little bit very gently. Other than that, we're going to get into step three, you guys.

Step 3

Step three, we're going to talk about the environment that the cigar is being stored in. At our brick and mortar shop, our settings are 68% humidity and 68 degree temperature. We do have an isolated air conditioning unit to make sure we always have that consistent temperature.

Why does that make a difference? I have walked into cigar shops where unfortunately the cellophane had water beads on top of it and the cigar was so squishy, and it was a very expensive cigar, and it was too bad. So when you walk into a humidor, try to look for the hygrometer.

Most walk-in humidors will have a dual system, which is a hygrometer and a temperature gauge as well, which is a thermometer, and you want to make sure that the humidity content is not too high in that humidor, ensuring that your cigar is not over humidified because it will not burn right, nor will it taste right because the moisture content is too high.

So try to keep it between 65 to 72%, is the optimum humidity for cigars, and nothing warmer than 70 degrees. I would say 72 degrees is pretty good, but like I said, we like to keep our cigars between 68 and 68, so therefore it always gives you the optimum environment for a cigar.

So there you have it, step one, two, and three. So now you have it, folks. We have three steps. First step is the appearance. Second step is, how does it feel your hand? The third step is, what environment is it kept in?

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So what we want to do is we want to hear your comments and your interaction within our videos. We love to hear your guys' opinions, and let me know what you guys like to use, what strategies you use to pick a good cigar from a bad cigar. Other than that, this is Gerard, thanks for tuning in. See you next Monday.