Are you having the cigar on hand but confused about which drink you should pair with? Whisky is your new best friend! Endless combinations are lying ahead for you to disclose. The easiest way to maximise your tasting experience is always pairs a strong drink with a strong smoke to avoid the strength of either one overwhelming the pairing. Or just read on for more pairing guides and ideas!

Nutty aroma is often found in the mild to medium-bodied smokes and company with a creamy smoking experience. For example, Davidoff Grand Cru Series or Drew Estate Liga Privada.

A whisky matured in a sherry cask would be a harmonised combination with a nutty cigar. The unique maturing process would smooth out the spirit with a rounding and rich flavour, further granting the liquor fruity and nutty notes. We recommend Macallan 25 Years Old 1991 Davidoff of Geneva Exclusive (70cl, 53.5%). Infuse with classic Macallan characteristics and selected to pair with a cigar, the hallmark of Macallan excellence. 

Creamy cigars mostly come with a lighter shade and are mild to medium-bodied. A classic choice for both novice or daily enjoyment. Popular options would be Hoyo De Monterrey Petit Robustos and Montecristo Double Edmundo. Both represent Cuban elegance with their signature creaminess and woody aroma.

Open a luxurious bottle to elevate the rare Cuba adventure. The 3W Company 40 Years old Small Batch Private Label Blended Scotch Whisky (70cl, 47.8%) is the dream of whisky collectors. Produced in an exceptionally small batch, this limited blended scotch whisky delivers complex and intense flavours of dried fruits and sweet spices with a touch of buttercream. A lingering warm smoky finish of whisky would add depth to this perfect marriage.

A spicy, balanced smoke would give your day a nice kick. Partagás Serie P No. 2 is the favourite of many aficionados. The well-constructed cigar intrigued with notes of spice and leather. Layer up your spicy cigars with a fruity whiskey to stimulate the entire palate.

Macallan Speymalt 32 Years Old 1973 GM (70cl, 40%) is a Scotland single malt whisky fully aged in the highest quality sherry casks. The whisky’s initial flavour of grapefruit, oranges, and sweetness would balance the spiciness of the cigar. The tasting experience is completed with the spice undertone you could quickly discover in both pairings.

The pinch test for a cigar is a simple and subtle way to measure a cigar’s freshness. By gently squeezing a cigar, you can quickly determine whether it is too dry or too moist. Disclaimer: many cigar lovers abuse this technique by pressing a cigar too hard and proclaiming it is not fresh unless it’s as soft as a sponge. This could not be further from the truth. Follow our advice below to use the pinch test correctly.

How to Do the Pinch Test on a Cigar

Gently press the foot of the cigar between your thumb and index finger. A properly humidified cigar will yield slightly but will not be overly soft, and it will return to its original shape when you stop pressing. A lot of guys like to press their cigars from head to foot to check for any unwanted soft spots or crunchy veins. The best-made cigars are consistent from end to end, but remember to pinch your cigar delicately. You can crack the wrapper by squeezing it too tight.

Not all premium handmade brands are crafted with the same density of tobaccos. Some cigars offer a looser draw by design. Others are made with a greater concentration of binder and filler tobaccos on the inside. However, a well-made brand will reflect the same consistency from one box to the next with every cigar you smoke.

Under-Humidified or Dry Cigars

Cigars under-humidified or too dry will not compress when you squeeze them. They may crunch or crackle. If your cigar seems stiff, you can always re-humidify a dry cigar by letting it rest in your humidor for a few days or weeks. However, if you pinch your cigar too hard and the wrapper cracks, there is little you can do to remedy the situation.

The pinch test is a fast and reliable checkup to ensure your humidor and hygrometer are functioning correctly. If your hygrometer is reading 70% RH, but you have got a handful of cigars that cannot pass the pinch test, you may need to recalibrate your hygrometer. Or, if you tend to smoke seasonally and have not recharged your humidification unit for a while, consider seasoning your humidor again like you did when it was new.

Pinch Test Cigars After They are Shipped to You

The pinch test is also a great way to assess the freshness of the cigars that you have ordered online. If you buy a box of cigars and they are in transit for a week, a simple pinch test can tell you if you should let the cigars rest in your humidor for a few days before you smoke them.

It is good to be familiar with the consistency of the cigars you regularly enjoy. You will know what to expect when performing a pinch test.

Over-Humidified and Under-filled Cigars

At the other end of the spectrum, the pinch test can tell you if your cigars are over-humidified or under-filled. When you squeeze an over-humidified cigar, it will compress like a sponge, and generally, it will do so throughout the length of the cigar no matter where you press it. If your cigars are over-humidified, dial back the humidity in your humidor. Consider transferring your cigars to a Ziploc bag for a day to let the moisture gradually dissipate. Some aficionados routinely let their cigars sit out of the humidor overnight before they smoke them.

If a cigar is under-filled, it will also contract like a sponge, but it may not fully return to its original shape when you pinch it. A cigar can be under-filled in an isolated area, too, not necessarily the entire length of the cigar. Sometimes under-filled cigars result from inexperienced rollers or brands that are made to a poor standard for quality. The pinch test can alert you to avoid lower quality cigars.

Knowing how to choose a cigar is essential whether you buy one for yourself or need cigars as a gift for your favourite aficionado. For new cigar lovers and gift buyers, it is nice to know what to look for when shopping for cigars online or in a store. Premium handmade cigars are very similar to fine wine. Learning about the different countries and regions where the tobacco is grown, and the cigar-makers who blend the cigars is invaluable, but let us simplify the selection process. Cigars range in quality, strength, and cost. Below, we have outlined the five primary criteria for choosing a cigar: taste, strength, size, tobacco, and price.

Taste & Aroma

Taste and aroma should be at the top of choosing a cigar. Regardless of price, packaging, or your preference for size, if you do not like the way a cigar tastes, you will not want to smoke it. Start by smoking blends that sound the most appealing in the product descriptions and customer reviews. These resources provide insights into a cigar’s flavour profile, which can be spicy, sweet, woody, nutty, creamy, silky, leathery, and more. Many culinary terms are used to characterise a cigar’s taste. Think about the kinds of food and spirits you enjoy. If you like spicy cuisine, a spicy cigar may be to your liking. You can pair cigars with whiskey, beer, wine, and dessert. Keep your preferences for food and beverages in mind when deciding on a cigar.

As you develop your palate for cigars, consider keeping a cigar journal to track the cigars you enjoy – and the ones you do not. This can help you refine your search for new cigars by trying other brands from a cigar maker or country you are fond of.

Different occasions call for smoking a mild, medium, or strong cigar, but you never want to smoke a cigar that is too strong. Another way to think of strength is how much nicotine a cigar possesses. Milder cigars are blended from less-intense tobacco that contains lower nicotine levels. You cannot judge a cigar’s strength by its colour, however. Most cigar descriptions online identify the strength with a graphic, copy, or both. If you are shopping in a store, the staff will point out a cigar’s strength and assist you in selecting the one you will be comfortable smoking. If you feel like a cigar is too intense after you start smoking it, set it down, and smoke it slowly by pausing longer in between puffs. It is best to eat before you smoke, and remember, do not inhale cigars.

There are many cigar shapes and sizes to consider. Classic Parejos – or straight-sided cigar sizes – include the Churchill, Corona, Double Corona, Gordo, Panetela, Robusto, and Toro. Figurados – or tapered cigars – include the Belicoso, Perfecto, Pyramid, Torpedo, and Salomon. 

A cigar’s size plays a role in its intensity. Thinner cigars burn hotter and faster than thicker ones, and longer cigars are mellower initially but become more intense at the end. Most premium cigars are between four and seven inches long with a ring gauge, or thickness, between 38 and 60. Do not be overwhelmed by the number of cigar sizes available. Make your choice based on how much time you have to smoke. If you have over an hour to kick back with a cigar, you can smoke a larger format like a Churchill or a Double Corona. If you have only got forty-five minutes, choose a Robusto or a Corona.

Tobacco & Cigar-Maker

Tobacco is a broad category, but this one encompasses the components of a premium cigar: the binder, filler, and wrapper leaves. Premium cigars are made in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Cuba. The tobaccos that go into a cigar come from these countries and many other Central and South American nations. As you smoke more cigars, you will become acquainted with the taste and strength of tobacco from Nicaragua versus the Dominican Republic. A cigar wrapper is particularly important. Connecticut Shade, Connecticut Broadleaf, Ecuador Habano, Ecuador Sumatra, and San Andres are common wrapper varietals, and each imparts specific flavours in a premium cigar.

The individual who blends the cigar you smoke is the architect of its taste. You can anticipate a certain level of quality and value in top-rated brands like Davidoff, Padron, Alec Bradley, etc., found in premium shops worldwide.

Price is a significant factor in choosing a good cigar. How much a cigar costs inevitably influence our enjoyment. Premium handmade cigars start at less than $10 apiece for inexpensive bundles and go up to more than $40 per cigar for something extravagant and rare. There are thousands of excellent cigars to smoke for between $10 and $15. When you smoke a great cigar in your budget, compare other more expensive cigars against it, and know that you do not have to spend a fortune for a good cigar.