How to Spot a Premium Cigar: Essential Tips for Discerning Smokers
If you’re going to take the time to light up, you damn well better make sure it’s worth lighting.
At After Action Cigars, we believe every cigar should be earned, not just grabbed off a gas station shelf on impulse. That means knowing how to pick the good stuff and avoid the junk. Not because you’re chasing clout, but because you respect the ritual, the craftsmanship, and the moment you’ve carved out to sit back and enjoy it.
This isn’t about impressing anyone. It’s about knowing what the hell you’re doing and having the confidence that you’re doing it right. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned cigar aficionado, understanding the nuances of a quality cigar elevates the entire experience. Let’s break it down.
Why Quality Matters
Ever had a cigar unravel halfway through? Had to torch it five times to keep it alive? Tasted like burnt cedar and old newspaper? Yeah, we’ve been there too. And once is enough.
A premium cigar rewards you with a clean burn, smooth draw, and flavor that makes you want to sit a little longer and reflect on a job well done. For cigar enthusiasts, quality is paramount. A cheap cigar? It just wastes your time and insults the moment.
Bottom line: if you’re going to do it, do it right.
What Makes a Cigar “Quality” vs “Cheap”
Look, we’re not saying you need to drop $30 every time you want a decent smoke. But there’s a big difference between budget-friendly and bottom-barrel trash.
Premium cigars are hand-rolled, made with whole-leaf tobacco, and built like they’re meant to go the distance. The cigar industry involves intricate processes, from tobacco fermentation to aging, showcasing the craftsmanship that defines quality cigars. You’ll feel the difference the second it hits your hand, firm, even, and well-packed.
Cheap cigars, on the other hand, are often machine-made with chopped-up filler, inconsistent rolls, and wrappers that look like they were glued on during a hurricane. Good cigars don’t fight you. They cooperate. That’s the difference.
Tobacco Source and Aging
You wouldn’t pour cheap fuel in a high-performance engine, and the same goes for your cigar. Premium cigars use tobacco from legit growing regions like Nicaragua, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, or Cuba. The leaves are aged and fermented to pull out the harshness and develop flavor that hits different, bold, smooth, and layered.
A key part of this process? The aging room; this is where newly completed cigars rest to allow the tobaccos to marry and the humidity levels to stabilize, significantly enhancing the flavor profile and overall smoking experience.
The cheap stuff skips all that. Probably rushed through processing, filled with low-grade filler, and barely aged long enough to lose its green. If the brand can’t tell you where their tobacco comes from or how it was aged, walk away.
Construction and Roll
Here’s a quick and simple test: pick up the cigar and give it a light squeeze. It should feel solid, have no soft spots, and have no hollow sections. The wrapper should be tight, with no giant veins or sloppy seams.
A premium cigar is the result of a meticulous hand rolling process carried out by skilled factory workers, known as torcedores. This process requires precision and artistry, ensuring the cigar burns evenly, draws smoothly, and holds ash well.
Cheap cigars feel like they were thrown together in a rush, because they were. Loose packing, bad draw, and a wrapper that flakes apart the second you cut it? That’s a no from us. You want a cigar that’s built like you are: tough, clean, and ready to go the distance.
Wrapper Quality
Think of the wrapper like the handshake before a deal; it doesn’t tell you everything, but it does say a hell of a lot.
A premium cigar’s wrapper leaf should be smooth, slightly oily, and consistent in color. No tears, no weird patches, and none of that dry, flaky crap. The wrapper leaf significantly affects the appearance and flavor of the cigar, so it must be pristine.
You want it to feel alive, like it’s been handled with care, not kicked around in a warehouse. If the wrapper looks like it’s been peeled off and slapped back on? You’re holding a cigar that doesn’t respect your time. Put it down and find one that does.
Flavor and Aroma
This is where the real payoff lives. A well-made cigar doesn’t just taste like smoke. It tells a story. Earth, spice, leather, coffee, cedar, the good ones give you waves of flavor as they burn, not a flat, bitter mess.
The complexity and variety of flavors in premium cigars are similar to those found in fine wines, with fermentation and aging processes enhancing the tobacco's natural flavors, coming together for a cigar that speaks to your soul.
The same goes for the aroma. You should be able to pick up on it as soon as the foot starts to toast. A premium cigar will smell rich and inviting, not harsh or sour. If your cigar tastes like burnt tire and smells like a brush fire, you’re not smoking, you’re surviving.
Burn Behavior
You can spot a premium cigar just by how it burns. The flame should catch easily, the draw should be smooth, and the burn line should stay sharp. No tunneling. No canoeing. No babysitting it with a torch every five minutes.
A cigar with good construction and aged tobacco knows how to behave. A cheap one? It’ll constantly fight you like it’s mad you lit it in the first place. Don’t settle for cigars that give up halfway through. You deserve better.
Price (but not always)
Here’s the deal: just because it’s expensive doesn’t mean it’s good. Some brands slap a premium price tag on a cigar and hope you mistake flash for substance. But when it comes to the real quality, it’s not about the hype or flashy packaging, it’s about build, burn, and flavor.
That said, if a cigar’s dirt cheap… there’s usually a reason. There’s a sweet spot where price meets performance, and that’s where After Action lives. You don’t need gimmicks, just good tobacco, done right.
Signs of a Cheap Cigar
You’ll know it when you see it, or worse, when you taste it.
Cheap cigars try to fake it, but there are a few dead giveaways you can spot before you waste your time (and your lighter). You earned the smoke, not the hassle. Know the signs. Dodge the duds.
Loose construction
A premium cigar should feel like a well-packed, solid piece of craftsmanship. If you find soft spots, lumps, or the cigar caves in the second you cut it, you’re looking at rushed, sloppy work. Loose construction means unpredictable burns, bad draws, and an all-around miserable experience that you'll only regret.
Additionally, the strength and flavor profile of cigars are significantly influenced by the direct exposure of tobacco leaves to sunlight. Leaves that receive more sunlight tend to produce richer and fuller-bodied flavors, enhancing the overall smoking experience.
Dry or flaky wrapper
The wrapper isn’t just for looks, it’s what locks in the flavor and keeps everything together. If it’s dry, brittle, cracked, or flaking, that cigar’s been neglected. Probably stored like trash, probably going to smoke like it too.
Real cigars are treated with care. If the wrapper feels dead, the smoke will too.
Chemical taste
You light up expecting spice, wood, coffee, and instead you get hit with something that reminds you of floor cleaner. That’s a cheap cigar, often full of additives or low-grade, overprocessed tobacco.
Unlike premium cigars, which are made solely from natural tobacco, these mass-produced products can taste synthetic, much like cigarettes that contain harmful chemicals and artificial components. If it tastes synthetic, bail immediately. You’re here to smoke a cigar, not a chemistry set.
Uneven burn
One side burns fast while the other refuses to light? That’s poor rolling or bad filler tobacco. A messy burn isn’t just ugly; it kills the flavor and the experience.
Filler tobacco is crucial as it allows for creativity in blending different types of tobacco to achieve desired flavor profiles, strength, and complexity, making it an essential component of premium cigars. An uneven burn just puts a hamper on everything.
Bad draw
If you’re working harder to smoke the cigar than you did all day at work, something’s wrong. A premium cigar, crafted from high-quality tobacco leaves, should give you a smooth, easy pull, not feel like you’re trying to drink a milkshake through a cocktail straw.
How to Inspect a Cigar Before You Buy
You don’t need a lab coat or a magnifying glass, just your senses, a little patience, and the mindset of someone who refuses to settle for less. Let’s walk through this together, one step at a time.
Premium cigars are crafted exclusively from natural and unaltered tobacco, with the tobacco plant playing a crucial role in the process. What else should you be looking for?
Look
Check the wrapper first. You’re looking for a smooth surface with minimal veins, even color, and a slight sheen from the natural oils. No cracks, no tears, no weird spots. A premium cigar looks alive, not beat up, dry, or tired.
The wrapper leaf is the most expensive component of a cigar, contributing significantly to its overall quality and price due to its appearance and flavor properties. If a cigar company is cutting corners, this is likely where they'll do it.
Feel
Gently roll it between your fingers. It should feel firm and consistent the whole way down, no soft spots, no hollow sections. Inconsistencies mean sloppy rolling, which means uneven burning, and that’s not the kind of mission you want to be on.
The premium cigar industry prides itself on the complexity and craftsmanship involved in producing quality cigars, ensuring each one meets high standards of excellence. Make sure your cigar fits that description.
Smell
Good cigars smell like earth, spice, maybe leather, or sweet hay. Take a sniff near the foot. The variety of tobaccos used in premium cigars, including ligares and secos, contributes to these rich aromas. If it’s musty, sour, or smells like chemicals? Set it down. The first smell tells you a lot about how that cigar’s going to smoke.
Ask
Don’t be afraid to talk to the shopkeeper or online retailer, ask questions. Any decent humidor owner or online cigar retailer will tell you what’s fresh, what’s been moving, and what’s been sitting untouched since 2019.
Embarking on your cigar journey can be daunting, but seeking advice is a crucial step in learning the essential skills of choosing, cutting, lighting, and storing cigars.
No different with After Action Cigars, drop us a line if you’d like help choosing a cigar that you’ll love. We'll steer you in the right direction.
Handmade vs Machine-Made Cigars
Here’s all you really need to know:
Handmade cigars are crafted the right way, with care, precision, and full-leaf tobacco. They burn better, taste better, and respect the tradition of cigar smoking.
Machine-made cigars are cranked out on a production line, filled with chopped scraps, chemicals, and glued-together junk.
If your cigar comes plastic-wrapped in a cardboard box at the gas station next to the beef jerky? That’s not a cigar, that’s a compromise. And you’re better than that.
Buying from a Reputable Source
The best cigar in the world won’t mean much if it’s been stored like garbage. You want a shop or an online retailer that cares about the basics: temperature, humidity, freshness, and turnover.
When you walk into a humidor, it should feel cool, smell clean, and hit you with that rich, earthy aroma of real tobacco, not mildew, rot, or desperation. If the staff can’t answer basic questions, if the cigars feel dry to the touch, or if you get even a whiff of moldy air, walk out. Fast.
At After Action Cigars, we don’t just sell cigars, we respect them and the traditions and camaraderie that come with them. We treat every stick like it’s waiting for its next earned moment, and every customer like they deserve nothing less than the best smoke of their life.
Shopping for cigars for sale online? Stick with trusted retailers like After Action Cigars, who know their craft, offer real selection, and ship like they care.
The After Action Way
We don’t chase trends. We don’t care about ratings from dudes in blazers with gold cutters.
We build this brand for those who’ve put in the work in life, in the grind, in the field. You don’t have time for subpar smokes, and you shouldn’t have to second-guess what’s in your hand. We are committed to providing the perfect smoke, ensuring an ideal cigar experience tailored to your preferences.
If you’re going to light up, do it with something worth the flame. You’ve earned it.
Want the Full Picture?
Spotting a premium cigar is just one piece of the puzzle. If you're ready to sharpen your skills and smoke like you've been doing it your whole life, head over to our Cigar 101: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide, your all-in-one guide to choosing, cutting, lighting, and enjoying cigars the right way.