About Finck

A Guide to Cigar Gifts


To start, never buy cigar gifts from a gas station or drug store. They’re everywhere and seem to offer a variety of choices, but most of these will be full of additives and preservatives. Even if you recognize a fine brand name, these businesses rarely if ever store cigars properly A good cigar will be 100% tobacco, nothing more, and kept in a properly humidified room. Cigar dealers and specialty smoke shops are the best places to meet these criteria.

Once in a proper store, higher prices will tend to reveal higher quality, but all of them should be made of 100% tobacco. After you’ve chosen your ideal range, look for a few indicators before purchasing any cigar gifts. The wrappers should never look faded, lumpy, or excessively discolored (though some discoloration is normal). In these shops, it’s usually fine to touch the cigars, so check to make sure the firmness is correct: giving a little, neither brittle nor mushy. If all of these factors seem right, you should consider any cigar fine as a gift, but size matters. If you’re buying for an infrequent smoker, choose a longer cigar; old pros, though, prefer something fatter, which provides a richer, smokier experience.