A common question from new cigar enthusiasts as well as one that comes up in the lounge quite often is this: what do you look for in a cigar? Since everyone is different and each of our cigar journeys transpire along a different timeline, it’s a great question to get people discussing their preferences. Here’s what I personally look for in a cigar at this stage.

Flavor

Above all, flavor is the most important to me these days. It wasn’t always this way, however, and a decade ago construction was more important to me when I was smoking lower quality cigars. But now? I’ll deal with a lot of headaches if the taste is right.

There is one headache that I can’t abide, and that’s a tight draw. If a cigar sends me on a flavor expedition and I know that a few in a box will be too tight for my preferences, I’ll still bring them home. And if the draw is too tight after the first or second cut, I’ll dry box it for a few days. If that doesn’t work, I’ll toss it. I’m too old to waste time trying to get the veins in my forehead to pop.

But all in all, flavor is the one category that I’ll make exceptions everywhere else for to keep experiencing it again and again.

Consistency

There have been many, many times that I loved my first or second experience with a cigar and then fought to try and find it again. If the flavor is there most of the time I’ll put up with some inconsistencies but burn me too many times and I’ll start looking for my next favorite.

One of the most impressive things a newer cigar brand can do (in my humble opinion) is produce their next batch of cigars just like the first. If I grab another box a year later and it tastes radically different or has construction issues, I’m much less likely to go for a third box down the road.

Consistency is one of the hardest things to do in the industry. It’s why I love reading our Blind Reviews because to earn a good score that cigar can’t just be good once. It has to be good three to four times. Our Top 10 Blind Reviews sampler each year represents some of the best of the best because they had to be consistent to earn that accolade.

Uniqueness

Surely there’s a better word for this section, but I do enjoy a cigar that’s unique in some manner. For example, the Black Label Deliverance Nocturne is a cigar that I don’t enjoy on the daily. It has a distinct earthiness to it that I want from time to time just because of how unique of a flavor profile it is but, on most days, I’d say I’m not in the mood for it.

A better example is the new Umbagog Bronzeback by Steve Saka. I thoroughly enjoyed the Mi Querida PapaSaka, Krakatoa, and Red Meat Lovers from his last year, but Bronzeback hits a level of rich, dense, chewy goodness that I don’t get too often. I generally stick to medium cigars on most days, but the decadent portfolio from Dunbarton keeps me coming back for more. It’s not quite a guilty pleasure, but very much outside the norm of what I usually gravitate towards.

There’s also a certain cigar that tastes soapy to me. It’s the wildest thing, and I won’t disclose the brand name to avoid mischaracterizing their creation, but I love it. I have zero interest in ever tasting soap in real life, but the soapy sensation of this cigar intrigues me every time. It’s such a divergence from most cigars that I find myself revisiting it several times a year.

Final Thoughts

Every time I hear this brought up in a lounge, I’m fascinated by all the different answers and what each person considers important. Some note that the price is their biggest concern, others that it draws and burns well, and I’ve even heard some say that they only smoke from a certain region because it reminds them of a family member.

If you’re reading this, please add to the conversation and tell us what you look for in a cigar! Do you agree or disagree with my priorities? Have your priorities changed over time?