What are the elements that make up a cigar?

The cigar carries an image tied to business and political circles, and the most sought-after examples sell at high prices. Well made or not, a cigar is always built from the same elements. Here is an overview.

Making a cigar: a routine that does not change

Although cigars remain widely bought, the way they are made has changed very little. The most highly regarded cigars are rolled by the practised hands of torcedores. Whether they are made in Cuba, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua or any other country, a cigar is always put together in the same way.

There is of course a less orthodox production method, which yields cigars of lower quality: the one that relies on machines. Output is higher and the make-up of the cigar is the same, but the tobacco leaves used are often of poorer quality and the rolling is impersonal. The character a torcedor gives to a cigar is absent, and the taste is generally judged inferior as a result.

What a cigar is made up of

Apart from the head, which goes to the mouth, and the foot, which is lit with the flame of a lighter, a cigar can be broken down into three parts. Here they are.

The filler

This is the core of the cigar, in other words the part that cannot be seen. It is made of cut or rolled tobacco leaves.

The binder

These are the tobacco leaves that cover and hold the filler. It is the intermediate part of the cigar.

The wrapper

This is a large rolled tobacco leaf that encloses the cigar and gives it its finish. It is therefore the visible part, laid over the binder. Its colour varies with the type of tobacco used, which is why wrappers range from pale yellow to dark brown.