National Summary had the opportunity to interview two cigar aficionados from the Cigar Intelligence Agency about the craze that is sweeping the country.

Cigar experts, M and J, both share their thoughts about cigars. Below are their responses from our interview:

Q. Tell us about your first few experiences with cigars.

M: I first smoked a cigar at about age 20 or so, a Swisher Sweet if I recall, that someone gave me. I was already a cigarette smoker, and wasn't particularly impressed, although I did occasionally smoke one when playing cards or engaged in some other group activity where others were smoking cigars.

J: I had a good friend that went into the Marine Corps when I went in the Air Force, and he got me into cigars by bringing a couple back from Guantanamo Bay. I was about 19 I guess. Been smoking them seriously since about then, although like M, I did have the Swisher Sweet introduction during the weekly poker games during technical school.

Q. How and when did you become a cigar aficionado?

M: Probably around 1985 or so, when a good friend introduced me to my first quality cigar.

J: Hmmm... Probably about the same time. When you're exposed to a Cuban early and find that you enjoy it, you're more likely to start looking for the good ones and experimenting to find your niche.

Q. Cigars have become hip, chic, and almost a fashion statement. What created the cigar craze?

M: Cigars have always been popular. I think seeing such media personalities as Bruce Willis, Rush Limbaugh and others enjoy a good smoke had a lot to do with the current trends. Quality cigars are viewed as an "upscale" item, something the average person doesn't have experience with, and that's had a lot to do with it as well. We associate quality cigars with rich, powerful people, something we all secretly aspire to be, at least a little bit. And we also associate cigars with special occasions, like the birth of a child.

J: Like M said, I think they never lost their popularity, they just became more exposed. Seeing the people on television and movies with a stick during a premiere or interview opened the world of the cigar to many more people. And it was a cross-cultural thing, like Will Smith in Independence Day and Demi Moore in GI Jane. Soon you had everyone, male, female and all cultures trying them.

Q. What are the most popular and trendiest cigars in the market?

J: Popularity is a tough thing to cover. I like cigars of different sizes more than a particular brand. The Fuente Fuente Opus X is "popular", but I think part of that is because it's a hard to obtain stick. The Montecristo brand is popular, but mostly because it's an old and recognized name in the cigar world. You'll find that it's a matter of preference more than anything. There are some smokes I enjoy that most have never heard of, but they're "popular" as far as I'm concerned.

M: Gotta agree with J on this. I don't know about most popular, that's a matter of personal taste, I suppose. Everyone has different tastes, with some preferring a mild smoke, some a more robust flavor. Most cigar lovers will tell you that the Cuban Montecristo #2, a medium-full bodied cigar, is the standard by which all others should be judged, and I don't disagree. I've got a bunch of them in my humidor right now. But I've also found a number of less expensive cigars that I enjoy almost as much. Cigars come in all shapes and sizes, and I sometimes prefer a smaller Corona-type cigar to the larger Montecristo.

J and M enjoying a good cigar

Q. What defines a good cigar and what are its characteristics?

J: Good leaf, ageing and blend. And there's always the ability of the roller. Consider that all of the people you talk to mention several things, but they always mention the draw, whether it was a good smoke or not. A poorly rolled cigar will get snuffed out no matter how good the blend. Another thing is where it came from based on the taste of the smoker. Cubans are known to be medium to full while the Dominican blends are milder. That has to do with growing conditions before they're ever blended. Checking a review is a good idea before trying a new stick, but don't let that be your only standard. When it comes down to it, you're the one that has to be satisfied.

M: Quality tobacco, first and foremost. Top brand cigars are made with only the very best wrapper, binder and filler leafs. Next comes the construction of the cigar itself. Hand-made cigars are always constructed better than machine-made ones, and that's why the best cigars are all hand-rolled. A well-made cigar is tightly built, but not so tightly that it's hard to draw on, it doesn't split or fray when the cap is cut prior to smoking, and it burns evenly without "runs". A good cigar has a complex flavor. Read a review of a quality cigar and pay attention to the descriptions of its flavor. Leather, spice, cedar, cinnamon, pepper, fruit, sugarcane, cocoa...these are all things you might detect in the flavor of a quality cigar.

Q. Do you have to pay a high price for a good cigar?

M: In a word, no. There are many excellent smokes on the market that can be purchased for as little as two or three dollars apiece, or even less in quantity.

J: Nah, there's plenty of reasonably priced cigars out there. Remember, you can pay a high price for a bad cigar too.

Q. What makes a Cuban cigar unique and why do they have such a notoriety?

M: Cuba has a unique combination of soil conditions and climate that lends itself to the growing of some of the highest-quality tobacco in the world, for starters. In fact, some of the best non-Cuban cigars in the world are grown from seed from Cuban tobacco. More importantly, Cuba has developed a "cigar culture", if you will, of growers and manufacturers who are dedicated to the study and art of producing the finest cigars, from the growing process, to the aging of the tobacco, to the art of the torcedor (cigar roller). Add to that the fact that because of the US trade embargo against Cuba, possessing a "forbidden" item lends its own mystique.

J: Cubans cigars aren't really all that unique, but they ARE rare in the US. They're blended with tobaccos grown for cigars by people that have been doing it not for years, but for generations. Same with the rollers, it's a talent handed down and being a good torcedor is highly cherished around the cigar world. Notorious? Not in the least. But, when you "can't" have something, that makes you want it more. Personally, I've had cigars out of Cuba that I wouldn't give someone as a joke, but when you find a good Monte or Cohiba, you're in cigar heaven!

Q. What is a cheap cigar?

J: Cheap or inexpensive? A cheap cigar is a machine made "sandwich" cigar made from left over cuttings from the handmades. Not really blended, but since the company didn't want to lose any of the product, they "swept up" the cuttings, tossed them into a rolling machine and banded them for sale. Before you ask, yes, the Swishers I started with were machine smokes, but when you're 18, what the hell do you know? And even Swisher has gone to a line of handmades that are pretty darn good.

M: Any cigar you see for sale at your local convenience store, for starters. Machine-made from mediocre quality tobacco. Also some lesser-known brands of hand-made cigars. Cheap doesn't necessarily mean bad...there are some inexpensive cigars on the market, as I've mentioned, that aren't bad. But generally speaking, if it cost less than a buck, it's not just a cheap cigar, it's a BAD cigar.

Q. What is your personal opinion of cheap cigars?

J: Hey, I like an inexpensive cigar as much as anyone, but cheap? If M ever found out I had a cheap one in my humidor or gave one out, he'd revoke my CIA privileges and try to get my man card rescinded.

M: See above.

Q. Do you let friends smoke cheap cigars? And how would you react if a friend handed you a cheap cigar?

M: Again, we're confusing "cheap" with bad. Would I give a friend a bad cigar? No. Would I offer them an inexpensive cigar that had some qualities of a good cigar? Sure, I would. As far as a friend handing me a BAD cigar ... my friends all know better!

J: I let my friends make up their own minds about what cigars they smoke, but I will try to nudge them towards improving their tastes as they become more familiar with the different types out there. I keep some less expensive smokes in the humidor for those "cigar mooches" that are always hitting me up, but even those aren't "bad". Give ME a bad cigar? I'm 6'2" and go about 230. You think that would be a good idea?

M: And he didn't even mention that he's a retired Special Operations commando. Bad idea.

Q. Are cigars primarily for men or have women become active in this market?

M: Well, there's no question there, the majority of cigar smokers are male, but there are a lot of women out there who enjoy a good cigar as well. Demi Moore comes to mind...

J: I like to think cigars are for everyone (of legal age, of course). For many years it was a man's domain, no doubt, but that's changing. I've read about "women’s only" cigar tastings, and when you pick up a copy of Cigar Aficionado with Sharon Stone on the cover, you can see where the marketing is going. Besides, seeing a woman with a nice corona gets my attention immediately!

Q. Suppose a non-smoker wants to find out what the cigar craze is all about, where can he go to learn more about the lingo and the types of cigars available?

M: Visit a local tobacconist. Ask questions. And even a non-smoker can enjoy the wonderful aroma of a walk-in humidor, just as many non-smokers enjoy the aroma of burning pipe tobacco.

J: The first thing I'd recommend is do your research. Stop by cigarintel.com and read, hit some of the links then find a local shop with a walk in humidor and check out a few with the assistance of the tobacconist. He'll lead you in the right direction.

Q. Suppose a non-smoker wants to try out a few cigars, what you would recommend for a beginner to start off with?

J: Well, a "non-smoker" needs some direction first, that's where a good tobacconist comes in. Let's face it, cigars, even mild ones, take some education. As for starting off, hit the mild end in a corona or minuto size. Starting a novice with a Monte #2 will turn them off in about as much time as it takes for their face to go green. Romeo y Julieta makes some good small, mild smokes, Royal Jamaica is another, and anything with a candela, or green, wrapper is sweet and mild enough for a beginner.

M: If you're going to start from scratch, do it right. Anything from the Macanudo line would be my first pick here. These Dominican cigars are famous for their high quality, and the regular Macanudo line from cigarillos to Churchills are all mild enough for a "newbie". As your palate develops, step up to the Macanudo Robusto line, then explore from there.

Q. The wine industry has its share of snobs. Does that hold true for certain people who enjoy good cigars?

M: Of course! I have a humidor full of Cubans. Do you? Seriously, the same rules apply to cigars as fine wine. Pick what you like.

J: Yeah, there are plenty of cigar snobs out there. You can pick them out pretty quickly. They'll be the ones making sure you can read the label on the band and seem to be spending more time talking than smoking. Avoid them at all costs.

Q. Cigarettes have quite a stigma attached to them in our modern society. Is it possible for cigars to experience the same fate?

M: All tobacco has a "stigma" attached. There are many places that permit cigarette smoking where a cigar smoker might be asked to "put it out". I smoke both cigarettes and cigars, and I personally can't stand the smell of "smokeless" tobacco, the scent of Copenhagen literally turns my stomach, even fresh in the can. A dipper's spit can is even worse.

We all make lifestyle choices. Some people participate in extreme sports, like jumping out of airplanes. Some drive too fast, and others use alcohol to excess. I'm not trying to portray tobacco use, of any kind, as a healthy lifestyle for the user. But I don't think society as a whole has a right to regulate my lifestyle choices. The whole "second-hand smoke" thing, if you look at it closely, is as laden with "junk science" as it gets. Anti-smoking fanatics, like all fanatics, tend to take anything that supports their argument and blow it totally out of context while ignoring any contrary evidence. The bottom line is, even in the scientific community, there are opposing viewpoints as to the "dangers" of second-hand smoke.

J: I hate to say it, but with the increased popularity of cigars comes increased scrutiny and hence the "stigma". There was one town in Maryland that banned smoking cigars outside ANYWHERE, and somewhere was trying at one time to ban them from your own home if anyone could smell them outside. I don't smoke cigarettes, don't like the smell, but would never infringe on your right to smoke them. Whatever a person wants to do within legal bounds should be respected. M hates Copenhagen, but it's one of my vices. I respect his dislike by not dipping when I'm in his house, but if he's in my truck, too bad.

The anti-smoking faction is going to try to get after anything they can, and when they get done with smokers, they're going after whatever else others enjoy that they think is "bad", that's the way they are.

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