A good Cuban cigar, like a fine wine, proclaims its origin and quality even before you start to enjoy the exquisite flavor. That's because Cuban cigars are made from one unique ingredient - Cuban tobacco.

To help you choose the best Cuban cigars, it's important to know how the tobacco is selected. Every cigar is made up of three types of leaves, the wrapper, the filler and the binder, each with distinct characteristics. They must all complement each other exactly to produce the perfect smoke.

To grow quality Cuban tobacco is an art form in itself, and all tobacco must have very good combustibility. So what's the difference between the components of a fine Cuban cigar?

The tobacco used for wrappers is grown under a cheese cloth awning which cuts out 30% of the sunlight, and ensures a fine textured leaf.

The best wrappers have the following characteristics:

* A large leaf, over 40cm long and 20cm wide.
* A faint pattern of veins, the less visible the better
* Fine leaves with a velvety texture
* No sign of damage from disease or mechanical processes.
* A high content of essential oils or resin to keep the leaf pliable for rolling.
* Clear and uniform color.

Cuban cigars need the very best wrapper, so a good one will have all these as well as good nicotine content and a superb flavor.

Of course the most important part of cigars is the Cuban tobaccos used for fillers. The cigar gets most of its character and flavor from these leaves, and they're grown in full sunlight to ensure the optimum maturity.

The best tobacco for filling a cigar has:

* A high nicotine content.
* Strong and substantial flavors
* An aroma characteristic of the area it was grown in
* Good contents of essential oils and resins
* Low fragility and good elasticity

When you're smoking the cigar, you'll appreciate the bold flavor of a quality Cuban tobacco filling. But your cigar needs to be bound perfectly too for the ultimate smoking experience. This is why the leaves used for binding your cigar are vital.

The Cuban tobacco leaves used for binding are grown in direct sunlight.

Binding leaves must have the following properties:

* Porous leaves from the centre of the stem, allowing the air and smoke to circulate.
* Precise nitrogen content.
* Delicious aroma.
* Underdeveloped vein patterns.
* Strength and elasticity.

Who'd have thought so much attention went into the leaves of a fine Cuban cigar? So before you smoke, take a long, slow look at your cigar. Examine it closely, roll it between your fingers and savor the aroma - it's amazing what you can tell from the leaves.

And remember: you can't make a good Cuban cigar from bad tobacco, but you can make a bad cigar even from good Cuban tobacco. The finest ingredients must be assembled with consummate skill to become the perfect Cuban cigar.