Jeff Runokivi is a professional tobacconist and a serious cigar smoker. We asked him to give us some advice on cigars, and to tell us what a tobacco pro looks for in his own smokes. Runokivi dispelled a couple of myths for us, too. He says price is not the way to pick a good cigar.

“There are many really good smokes for fewer than five dollars and even more for under ten. I find it a common superstition that the more one pays for a cigar, the better the smoke. This is patently not true. If one wants an affordable cigar they need look no further than some of the really good bundle cigars out there. One brand that springs to mind is Oliva.” Runokivi says the Oliva family makes handmade cigars in the three to four dollar range. Taste-wise, these cigars range from the Gold series, which is a Connecticut wrapped cigar (Connecticut shade grown cigar leaf is a very mild smoke) to the more hearty Maduros. According to Runokivi, “Maduro leaf is packed in a bail called a “hogs head��? and the pressure of the leaf heats up the bail, concentrating the sugars in the leaf and darkening them. This leaves us with a rich sweet and spicy smoke…all for under four dollars.”
Is there a little list of things he personally looks for in a cigar? “I prefer a cigar with a little bit of a kick. I tend to smoke Maduros, and what are called ‘sun grown’ cigars. They both have a high concentration of sugars in the leaf and tend to be dark and potent. Both are spicy and rich in their own ways. I also look for good construction. Is the cigar well rolled, too tight or too mushy? Personally, I tend to favour cigars that are larger…my favourite shape being the ‘Churchill,’ named after Winston Churchill, no stranger to cigars himself.”

Runokivi adds, “I also like an oily complexion on the cigar. It denotes a potent flavor. Usually, I also tend to smoke cigars that are under six dollars for a daily smoke However, when I treat myself to something more expensive I will go as high as twenty…depending upon what is available.”