Expert: James Yee - 2/11/2008

Question
Hi James. This is a quirky one. Why do cigars unravel when the uninitiated light te wrong end? The logic of this has always escaped me! On a related subject, I just wanted to share the virtues of Romeo y Julieta Cazadores. These are excellent. I recently picked up a box stamped 00 at the airport shop in Madrid. Delicious! Best regards.
Joe  

Answer
Hi Joe,

It's hard to explain this without visual aids but I'll try my best...

When rolling a cigar, the head of the cigar (the end that we put to our mouths) is where the wrapper leaf seam ends.  Because the wrapper leaf slightly overlaps itself (in a diagonal pattern) as the cigar is being rolled, the wrapper at the foot of the cigar (the end that we light) is very secure (it's held in place by the edge of the wrapper leaf overlapping itself).  

The wrapper leaf end at the head of the cigar however, doesn't have anything overlapping it to hold it in place so what cigar rollers do is apply a finishing cap at the end to keep the wrapper leaf secure.  This cap is really just a piece of tobacco leaf cut in the shape of a flag and applied over the cigar head.  This cap holds the wrapper leaf in place but when this cap is loosened or removed, the cigar can unravel.  This cap is only held in place by vegetable glue so it's quite easy to loosen.  Typical moments when the cap is removed/loosened includes cutting the cigar head too deeply with a cigar cutter, lighting it on fire or gnawing on the head during smoking and loosening the flag/cap with excessive saliva.  When these moments occur, the cigar will begin to unravel.

Hopes this answers your question.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I'll be happy to help.

Regards,
James

P.S. - RyJ Cazadores are fantastic. It's one of my favourite "everyday" cigars because it's the perfect length and the perfect ring gauge to smoke comfortably all the time. :)