Strong Cigars

Strong Cigars ~ sponsored by Cigars Direct

Strong…stout…robust…big…call ‘em what you will but there’s no denying that certain cigars pack a wallop. A big wallop.

Lots of different factors go into making any type of cigar and the same holds true when formulating a strong smoke. But everything starts with the seed, and some tobacco strains are definitely stronger than others. Hybridization might be erasing some of the hard lines between certain varieties, but in general you can usually expect a full-bodied smoke when enjoying cigars containing tobacco with a Cuban heritage. Cigars hailing from the Dominican Republic are also often on the more robust side, as are those containing Honduran tobacco.

Construction also has a lot to do with a cigar’s strength. All cigars have three parts—the filler, the binder, and the wrapper. A cigar that’s dark all the way through—in other words, filler, binder and wrapper are all dark tobacco—will be a stronger smoke than a lighter-colored cigar. But there are tons of variations between dark and light. You can have dark tobacco inside a Connecticut shade wrapper or a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper encasing light tobacco. This is why you can’t always go by wrapper color when gauging a cigar’s strength—a maduro-wrapped cigar can be surprisingly mild. It all depends on the blend.

Size and diameter play a role too. Fatter cigars—robustos, double coronas, toros—have the architecture that supports a bigger smoke as they carry more filler than their skinnier relatives do. But long cigars with big rings can also be mild, and short cigars with small rings can pack a punch. Again, it all depends on the blend.

If you’re a newcomer to strong cigars, know that higher nicotine levels have much to do with their wallop. Be prepared for a good buzz, especially if you’re smoking on an empty or near-empty stomach (not recommended for these, by the way), and for a somewhat spicy smoke—while not the case with all strong cigars, these days many are being produced with a decidedly spicy or peppery edge to them. Don’t be surprised if you don’t finish it the first time. And don’t even think about inhaling.