How to Choose Your First Premium Cigar: A Beginner's Guide

Walking up to a cigar counter for the first time can feel like walking into a language you don't speak: ring gauge, wrapper, binder, filler, body. The good news is that choosing a first premium cigar comes down to four simple questions. Answer them and you'll walk away with a cigar you actually enjoy, and the confidence to pick your next one.

At Hispaniola Cigars Distributor, exclusive U.S. distributor of JR Tancrede cigars, we get asked this all the time. Here is how we'd think it through.

1. Start With Strength (the "Body")

Body describes how strong and full a cigar feels, not how good it is. It runs from mild to medium to full. Most people new to cigars are happiest starting in the middle and working up, because a very full cigar can overwhelm your palate before you can taste anything else.

Here is how the JR Tancrede lines line up, from lighter to fuller:

• Roi Christophe — Medium. Smooth and royal, with spice and an oceanic finish. A comfortable place to start.
• Empereur Jacques 1er — Medium-bodied. Smooth and complex. Limited to just 5,000 cigars a year.
• PaPaDoc — Medium-Full. Bold and peppery, with deep chocolate and espresso notes.
• Baron Samedi — Medium-Full. Dark and mysterious, balancing coffee and black cherry.
• Ogou — Full. Full-bodied and earthy. Save this one for when you know what you like.

2. Pick a Size That Fits Your Time

Size changes how long you'll be smoking and how the cigar feels in your hand. Two numbers matter: length in inches and ring gauge (the thickness, measured in 64ths of an inch).

• Petit Robusto: a shorter, smaller smoke. A good choice when you have a little time, or you want to try a flavor without committing to a long session.
• Toro: the classic first-box size, around 6 inches long and 50 ring gauge (Ogou, for example, is a 6 x 50 Toro). Plan on a relaxed hour or more, so set aside time.

If you're not sure, go smaller. You can always light a second one.

3. Notice the Flavors You Already Like

You don't need to memorize a flavor wheel. Think about what you already enjoy. Do you take your coffee black? Reach for the cigars with coffee and espresso notes. Do you like dark chocolate, or a little spice on your food? PaPaDoc and Roi Christophe are good places to look. The tasting notes on each product page are written to help you match a cigar to your own taste.

4. Don't Spend Big on Your First One

You don't have to buy a full box to find out what you like. Start small and try more than one. Our sampler includes one cigar from each JR Tancrede line: PaPaDoc, Baron Samedi, Ogou, Roi Christophe and Empereur Jacques 1er.

Smoke them over a few weeks, jot down what you liked, and you'll know exactly which line to buy more of.

Your First Cigar, Step by Step

• Cut it. Use a sharp cutter and take off just the very tip of the rounded cap, about 1/16 of an inch. Don't cut too deep, or the wrapper can unravel.
• Take a cold draw. Before you light it, put the cigar to your lips and draw gently without a flame. This "cold draw" checks that air flows easily, and it gives you a first taste of the tobacco: notes like cocoa, spice, wood or hay. It should feel like sipping through a straw, not too tight and not too loose.
• Light it gently. Use a butane lighter or a wooden match, never a fuel-heavy lighter. Hold the flame just below the foot and rotate the cigar until it glows evenly.
• Draw, don't inhale. A cigar is meant to be tasted in your mouth, not breathed into your lungs. Take a slow puff every minute or so.
• Go slowly. Puffing too fast makes the cigar hot and bitter. If it goes out, you can relight it.
• Leave the ash. You don't need to tap it constantly. Let it build, then rest it in the tray.
• Know when to stop. If it turns harsh or you're done, put it down. No one is keeping score.

Keep Your Cigars Fresh in Florida

If you're not smoking them right away, store your cigars in a humidor or a sealed container with a humidity pack. Florida's heat and moisture are hard on cigars left out on a shelf, so a little care keeps them tasting the way they were made.

Where to Find Us

Shop online at hispaniolacigarsdistributor.com, or in Vero Beach, stop by The Pipe Den & Cigars at 1426 20th St, Vero Beach, FL 32960 (772-569-1154) and ask to see our JR Tancrede cigars in person.

Not sure where to start? Ask for the sampler and try them all. Welcome to the world of premium cigars.

For adults 21 and older.