BOX CONTENTSYou are now ready to inspect the contents of the box. Upon opening the box, you should see a loose paper flap that protects the cigars, as well as a slender piece of wax paper running across the bands. The wax paper should be cut clean, with perfectly straight edges. Resting on the cigars should be the Habanos warranty, printed on a small piece of parchment. Remove the warranty, pull back the flap, and smell the tobacco. You should find the fragrance very pleasing, with a rich, deep aroma. Cuban tobacco has an unmistakable smell. If you are lucky enough to sample a cigar, make sure you draw on it before actually lighting up. If you aren't offered a sample to smoke, try sucking on the end of an unclipped cigar. This may seem rather strange, but it is one of the best ways to tell if the tobacco is good quality. Obviously, this requires a little know-how, but after some practice you will be able to recognize the signature flavor of Cuban tobacco.
The cigars should be uniform in both color and shape; consistency is very important. The wrappers should be tight and free of large veins; avoid cigars whose wrappers appear dry and chalky. Small golden spots on the wrapper are normal, produced by a slight burn when a ray of sunshine is magnified by a drop of water on the leaf. The top face of the cigar may appear flattened, or what is known as box-pressed. This is particularly true for torpedo shapes. Remember that the cigars should always be tightly packed. The caps should look identical, all resting an equal distance from the top of the box. Tap the box to align the heads if they are staggered. The foot of the cigar should be cut clean and straight, and the bands should be identical and aligned perfectly. Poor printing registration on cigar bands is fairly common, so it is difficult to point to this as a flaw. The wrapper color can vary slightly from light to dark, but never to the point of what you might consider a maduro color. Cuba does not produce maduros.
Feeling the cigar is probably the single most effective way to ascertain quality. The true talent of a professional cigar roller is the ability to place exactly the right amount of tobacco in a cigar from head to foot. An amateur places tobacco unevenly, giving the cigar hard spots and soft spots. A hard spot is a clog in the cigar, making a smooth, easy draw impossible. A soft spot will cause the cigar to burn unevenly or go out. Feel the contents of a cigar by firmly pressing your thumb or forefinger into every inch of the stick. The wrapper should feel soft and moist and the tobacco beneath firm and even. Practice on a cigar that you know draws well and you will acquire the feel. Search for hard spots and, when you find the worst example, smoke the cigar as a test. If the draw is off, you just saved yourself the price of a box-full of disappointment.
If the top level of cigars look good so far, pull the paper flap out of the box and open the lid a few inches. Turn the box upside down and knock on the bottom a few times to dislodge the cigars. The ends of the cigars should drop into view. This is your chance to view the inside of the cigar. The tobacco should be brown, usually dark and never green. The density of the filler should be even, with enough space between the leaves to allow air flow. If the filler appears too tightly packed, almost solid, the cigar will be plugged. Look for leaf veins that appear as small, light-colored twigs inside the cigar. A very common mistake of counterfeiters is the failure to remove the central vein from the leaf before rolling. This is a sure giveaway. Genuine cigars contain whole leaves that run from end to end, allowing a natural channel for the smoke to follow. Fake cigar producers use whatever they can find for filler, and that usually includes leftover tobacco scrap. Rarely do they blend tobaccos to achieve flavor balance. The result is very often a horrible-tasting cigar. If you ever buy a Cuban cigar that won't draw and tastes terrible, open it up with a razor and see what's inside.
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