Cigars can come in any shape or size - it's the ingredients, and the way those ingredients are handled, that makes them good or bad Almost all cigars (except extremely thin models) are made up of three components: the filler, the tobacco at the center which is the most important ingredient; the binder, an elastic leaf that holds the filler in the center; and the outer wrapper, which contains and holds together the binder

Who comes to mind when you hear the word "cigar" smoker If you're like too many people - most of them nonsmokers - you imagine a well-dressed male, perhaps wearing a sweater vest, someone - no matter what age - who exudes a certain personal gravity

The year 2007, like any year, will receive a mixed review from historians War, genocide, epidemic and environmental destruction continued apace, as did public apathy and political ineffectiveness

Some businesses are more romantic than others For example, compare winemaking with toothpick-making

Great cigars can be made anywhere, of course But just as Detroit makes us think of cars and Hollywood reminds us of movies, cigar smokers often think of Cuba as the apex of cigar-making

During the 1990s, as cigars grew popular once again, a new generation of female cigar aficianados has continued to change our stereotypical image of cigars as a "guy thing" From the fabulous to the fictional, let's pause and appreciate some of today's trailblazing female cigar smokers

The smoking jacket: like the cigar itself, it's a timeless emblem of leisure, idleness, "the good life" First widely worn in England during the Victorian period, the smoking jacket has undergone a bit of a resurgence in recent years, as younger consumers turn to it - as they have to, again, the cigar - for a touch of old-fashioned elegance

Like any hobby, cigar smoking has its own special lingo This can make cigar shopping intimidating for new smokers, or even for longtime but occasional indulgers

Like any essential, simple activity, lighting a cigar has been rendered an expensive process by modern capitalism You might think a box of matches would do the trick, but why settle for little sticks of burning wood when you could be lighting your stogies with an S

As more and more entertainment venues close themselves off to the rich, complicated odor of cigar smoke, perhaps it's time to remind ourselves that some of history's great artists - writers, entertainers, musicians - were not just smokers but cigar lovers From comedians to social critics, from rockstar pianists to Christian apologists, these luminaries found the taste of cigars to be their eleventh muse