The process of fermenting cigar tobacco is complex. It's as important to your smoking experience as is the humidity of the leaves when you smoke it or the cigar accessories you use to trim and light your cigar, however. It can be broken down into broad steps. When you learn about how much work goes into a fine cigar, you'll appreciate the taste even more.

Tobacco leaves are gathered and sorted before fermentation begins. The leaves are pruned off and separated into wrappers, binders and fillers. These roles are determined by the size and quality of the leaf, with the wrappers being the widest and smoothest of the tobacco leaves. The binder leaves are the smallest and are cut up into the filler, which is most of what you smoke.

Curing is the next step. This involves hanging the leaves upside down and keeping them in the right temperatures. The temperatures required are hot, from 95 to 175 degrees. In some cases, these leaves have to be stored in a heated area to maintain these temperatures. Some regions, however, may have temperatures that permit outdoor curing of the leaves. In the heated rooms, the manufacturers will sometimes burn wood to flavor the tobacco slightly.

Fermentation starts when the leaves are placed into a container. All the different types are placed together at first. This can be a very long-term process. The leaves may take only a few months to ferment, or they may be left to do so for years. This process is a great deal of the reason that cigar tobacco tastes so distinctive. Like wines, longer fermentation processes are believed to produce better-tasting cigars. The leaves are kept in piles that have to be rotated to provide even temperatures. This stacking speeds up the fermentation process. If it isn't done correctly, however, it can cause some leaves to fall apart and others to rot. This process also varies a great deal depending upon the producer.

The cigars are then deveined before being rolled. The best leaves are used for hand rolled cigars, as these are known for their quality. Less desirable tobacco can be machine rolled into cheaper cigars. The cigars are wrapped and package and sent to market after this step. The way a cigar is fermented greatly affects the smoking experience. Remember to shop around and to try different brands to see how different methods produce different results. The process is complex enough and time-involved enough that manufacturers can greatly differentiate themselves from one another in terms of taste by using different techniques