Gentlemen (and Ladies), You May Smoke

Basically, Christopher Columbus didn't have a clue about what he was sailing into when he anchored the Santa María off the island of San Salvador in 1492. Most people think he merely found the New World for Spain. But he also got his first glimpse of cigars. On an island now known as Cuba, the natives were blissfully puffing away on tobacco leaves that had been rolled into tubes. Today those crude stogies have been dramatically refined into premium cigars, and Columbus' discovery has exploded into a worldwide trend. Consumption of premium cigars has increased by more than 40 percent since 1995, and some of the most popular brands are back-ordered by 8 million to 10 million "sticks." The cigar-smoking craze has spawned several slick magazines, such as Cigar Aficionado and Smoke, and cigar dinners, where what's being served takes second place to what's being smoked. Smoking clubs such as Beverly Hills' celebrity hot spot Grand Havana and the new Club Macanudo in

Opposite page: Our new superpremium Playboy cigar by Don Diego (hand-rolled with Cuban-seed tobacco in the Dominican Republic) comes in a distinctive box embossed with Hef's monogram and signature. Smokes available include an imposing double corona, a short, thick robusto, a hefty churchill, a slim lonsdale and the grand corona shown here. Prices range from $125 to $375 for a box of 25. Also pictured are Davidoff of Geneva's gold-plate-and-stainless-steel cigar scissors ($450) and Alfred Dunhill of London's classic crystal teardrop ashtray ($350). Right, top to bottom: Hand-lacquered and inlaid mahogany humidor made in France by Elie Bleu ($1300). Regal mahogany butane table lighter with inlaid brass by Michel Perrenoud ($400). Zino double-action cigar cutter by Davidoff of Geneva (about $55) is just above an 18-kt.-gold-plated barleycorn-pattern Rollagas butane lighter ($450) and matching guillotine cigar cutter ($540), both from Alfred Dunhill of London. Last, a box of Pléiades cedar cigar matches (about $5.50) and an ostrich-skin cigar case by Alfred Dunhill of London ($595).

New York have become elegant enclaves. Women are holding cigar-smoking seminars and creating their own cigar clubs. Jam-packed cigar gatherings, such as Cigar Aficionado's Big Smoke events, attract thousands eager to light up samples of the latest hand-rolled offerings. And syndicated Top 40 disc jockey Rick Dees has produced a new cigar video entitled Cigars: The New Rage (and promises the world's first cigar CD-ROM).

With more than 10 million smokers nationwide, it seemed the perfect time to launch the Playboy cigar by Don Diego. In fact, this superpremium smoke should be in your tobacconist's humidors by now. Patterned after Don Diego's European blend, the Playboy cigar is hand-rolled in the Dominican Republic from all long-leaf tobaccos. The filler is a Cuban-seed Dominican blend, encased in a Dominican binder. The cigar is topped off with a smooth and oily Connecticut shade wrapper. Like a fine wine, the cigars are aged. The resulting upscale smoke is smooth and rich in taste, with an undercurrent of spice. The (concluded on page 138) You MaySmoke (continued from page 106) distinctive marbled cigar band and box label are emblazoned with Hef's signature in silver and a bronze-embossed HMH monogram. Both box and label are subtly accented with the Playboy Rabbit. Later this year, Playboy will introduce the LeRoy Neiman Selection (also from Playboy by Don Diego), a limited-edition cigar that features original Neiman artwork on a specially commissioned box.

The top cigars that are smoked in the U.S. today are handmade in the Dominican Republic (which exports 80 million a year), with Honduras (55 million) close behind. After that, Jamaica, Mexico and Nicaragua help fill the world's humidors. Since the 1962 embargo of Cuba, sales of Havanas have been outlawed in the U.S., which may be just as well. Quality-control problems plague Cuba today, and many Havana cigars are being underfermented to cut manufacturing time and underrolled to conserve tobacco. In addition, there's a thriving black market in counterfeit Cuban cigars that preys on naive Americans who shell out up to $35 for a shoddy Cuban-banded stogie made from Brazilian or Mexican tobacco. The only thing genuine about these counterfeit smokes may be the bands, which are often smuggled out of Havana's cigar factories by workers looking to augment their wages.

New cigars call for new accessories, and there have never been more to select. First, you'll need a cigar cutter. Biting off the end of your cheroot a la Clint Eastwood is not considered good form. Although there are many different styles on the market, the guillotine remains the choice cut. With one deft slice it exposes a wide, flat area for the passage of smoke. Just make sure the cutter is large enough to handle at least a 50-ring gauge, the most popular size of cigar smoked today.

Lighting a cigar is a ritual. To perform this baptism by fire correctly, only a wooden match or a butane lighter should be used. Anything else contains chemicals that will taint the taste of your smoke. Long cedar matches provide plenty of flame and the aromatic wood provides a hint of spice during the first few puffs. Double-flame versions of the clean-burning butane lighter can torch the widest-ringed robustos and churchills. Whichever lighter you choose, it is important to know that the hottest part of the flame is just above the tip, not directly in the fire. Never plunge your stogie deep into the center of the flame for this will only char the wrapper. To light up correctly, keep the tobacco directly above the flame, but never let it touch.

To leave the cigar band on or off--that is another question. In Europe, the matter is set: Take it off or be met with the same disdain as one who confuses his finger bowl with a thin lemon soup. In America we are more realistic. Because cigar bands are affixed with glue that can adhere to the wrapper, trying to peel off the band can eventually unravel your stogie. Besides, taking the band off a superpremium cigar is tantamount to stripping a Mercedes of its emblem.

Because it is made of pure tobacco with no chemical additives, a cigar may expire before its time if unpuffed. Relighting it without first warming the ash will produce an acidic taste because of the ammonia and nicotine condensed on the ash. To avoid this, rewarm the cigar as if you were lighting it for the first time. This burns off all the impurities.

Another way to improve the taste of your cigar is to mix the flavor of the smoke with an after-dinner drink. Today, the classic companions of port and brandy are joined by small-batch bourbons and single-malt scotches. Remember, the practice of dipping the end of a cigar into a snifter is more an affectation than a practicality.

Depending on how many cigars you smoke, you'll probably want a humidor. Its sole purpose is to duplicate the warm, humid Caribbean conditions where tobacco is grown and rolled, so your smokes will remain fresh. That means about 70 percent humidity and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, the soul of a good humidor is its humidification system. For the most part, blotting paper and white clay moisturizers are history. Today's top brands normally use a glycerin-based water solution combined with an absorbent foam affixed to the inside of the humidor. These humidifiers can often be adjusted to increase or decrease moisture according to the number of cigars being stored.

Not all humidors have to be stationary. When you venture away from office or home, you'll find that a small travel humidor is the best way to enjoy your favorite brands. For shorter jaunts, a vest-pocket case is the best way to keep your stogies from being crushed. When you choose a case, select one designed for larger ring gauges. This will make your case more versatile, as you can always slip a smaller cigar into a bigger tube.

Where & How to Buy on Page 156.

Later this year, Playboy will introduce the LeRoy Neiman Selection, a limited-edition cigar.