A-      Cigars come from a tropical environment so the answer is NO.  Pardon the joke but a cigar store should remain room temperature 70 degrees or at least the humidor should.  The reason is not just that if it is warmer than 70 it completely changes the RH (relative Humidity).  The main problem here is tobacco beetles.  They are in most every cigar but lie dormant and pose no problem. If they come alive due to increased temperatures, however, your cigars will resemble Swiss cheese.  The really scary part is that small studies have been done that seem to show that beetles may come alive years after the cigars were exposed to high temperatures.  So be VERY careful taking cigars from a warm store and adding them to your humidor at home. Also, when a cigar beetle comes alive you may not see the beetle but you will see a noticeable perfectly round hole in the cigar.  A good cigar store checks all cigars before selling them to the consumer.

A-     Sometimes.  This is an awful answer, I realize, but there is simply no better way to go at it.  Sometimes cigars receive ratings due to advertising.  Sometimes people who rate online have very little knowledge but they feel they should like cigar because it is rare or expensive.  My way to go at it is to do my own ratings.  After all, who knows better than the smoker?  Some of my favorite cigars get subpar ratings and are never rated at all.  The best case scenario is to find a store owner you trust that knows his or her cigars, a task that is almost impossible. But, have faith, we are out there.

A-     No, no and no.  A strong cigar can easily be smooth.  It refers to the amount of nicotine in the product.  Many stores decided that their awful cigars are not smooth so instead of saying “we sure messed these up” they say “wow these are really strong!”

A-     No, mild refers to the body or strength of the cigar. There are three mild, medium and full bodied.  Any one of these bodies should be smooth no matter what.  Smoothness is the product of a good cigar stored in a good humidor.

A-     Many stores will recommend cigars that they are hoping to get rid of and not what are their most popular cigars.  If a cigar is strongly recommended and there are endless boxes and have been over time, I would be worried.  Ask a lot of questions.  Ask what is good and why.  Say “what is the flavor profile?” or “the body is mild?”  Seeing if the person you are talking to actually smokes is the trick.