A cigar is a tightly rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves. The product is defined by this composition, consisting entirely of tobacco leaf material that has been carefully cultivated and processed. This cylindrical product is designed to be smoked, and its unique properties stem directly from the specific type of tobacco used and the extensive preparation it undergoes.
The Anatomy of a Cigar
A cigar is constructed from three distinct layers of tobacco leaf: the filler, the binder, and the wrapper. The filler forms the core and is the bulk of the tobacco that determines the cigar’s strength and primary flavor profile. Premium cigars use “long filler,” which consists of whole leaves running the entire length, ensuring a slow, even burn.
The binder is the intermediate layer, a durable tobacco leaf used to compress and hold the filler in a cylindrical shape. This leaf is chosen for its structural integrity and burn characteristics rather than its flavor contribution. The wrapper is a single, high-quality tobacco leaf responsible for much of the cigar’s visual appeal and a significant portion of the final flavor.
How Cigar Tobacco is Processed
The tobacco destined for cigars undergoes a post-harvest treatment process that differentiates it from the tobacco used in cigarettes. After harvesting, the leaves are subjected to curing, typically air-curing, where they are hung in barns to dry for several weeks. This controlled drying removes most of the moisture and begins the breakdown of chlorophyll, changing the leaf color to brown.
Following curing, the tobacco enters the stage of fermentation, where the leaves are stacked in large piles called pilones. The pressure and moisture within these stacks cause the internal temperature to rise, often reaching between 90°F and 110°F.
This heat triggers enzymatic reactions that break down harsh compounds like ammonia, converting starches and reducing the acidity of the tobacco leaf. Fermentation cycles can last for several weeks to many months. Piles are disassembled and restacked multiple times to ensure an even process, enhancing the leaf’s aroma, flavor, and smoothness.
Nicotine Levels and Absorption
The extensive fermentation process leaves the tobacco with a naturally high, alkaline pH level, which directly impacts nicotine delivery. This high pH environment causes the nicotine to exist in its un-ionized, or “freebase,” form within the smoke. This allows for efficient absorption through the mucous membranes of the mouth and nasal cavity, a process known as trans-buccal absorption.
Because of this alkaline smoke, cigar smokers do not need to inhale the smoke deeply into the lungs to absorb nicotine into the bloodstream. The total nicotine content in a single large cigar is substantial, with some premium cigars containing between 100 and 200 milligrams of nicotine, and sometimes as much as 335 milligrams. This is significantly more than the average cigarette, which typically contains around 8 milligrams of nicotine.
Addressing Non-Tobacco Varieties and Myths
Smaller products like cigarillos or little cigars are true tobacco products. Cigarillos are shorter and narrower than large cigars. While they may contain less tobacco, they are still rolls of fermented tobacco wrapped in a tobacco leaf or a substance containing tobacco. These smaller versions often contain around 3 grams of tobacco and are frequently flavored.
Some products, such as hemp, palm leaf, or banana leaf wraps, are marketed as “tobacco-free blunt wraps” and are sometimes confused with traditional cigars. These alternatives are entirely free of tobacco and nicotine, serving as a wrapper for other smoking materials. Traditional cigars, however, regardless of size or wrapper color, are defined by their composition of processed tobacco leaf for all three component layers.