Along with the basics of type, shape and size, there is a very important characteristic of cigars worth knowing about: color. Since the word refers to the shade of the outer wrapper leaf, you might think it has little bearing on the taste of the cigar. Oh, not so.

Today there are about a dozen different shades, though sometimes one will blend gradually into another. Whether the tobacco used in the wrapper is grown in Honduras or Connecticut, Ecuador or Cameroon it will have an effect on the flavor. After all, you don’t merely smoke the interior tobacco, but the burning wrapper as well.

The six major color grades used today are:

1. Natural. This is a light brown to medium brown tobacco that is generally grown in the shade. This gives the wrapper tobacco a very light touch and a delicate flavor. Thus, it doesn’t overpower the main ingredients.

2. Colorado. Colorado is a darker brown than Natural, shading off sometimes into reddish-brown. Not a heavy leaf, though, it adds only subtle aromas to the main ingredients, while having a mild flavor.

3. Claro. A tan leaf, grown in the shade that is so delicate it adds only the lightest aroma and flavor to the main ingredient. This neutrality is highly favored by those looking to emphasize the cigar, not the wrapper.

4. Maduro. Maduro, by contrast, is a dark-brown wrapper with a full, pungent aroma. The oily compounds produce a full-bodied flavor that mixes with the main ingredients.

5. Oscuro. This ‘negro’ or very dark tobacco leaf is from very ripe plants. Using it as a wrapper produces a noticeable effect and many find that its full taste adds decisively to a good cigar.

6.Candela. This green leaf has traditionally been associated with lower quality cigars and, hence, has fallen out of favor as a wrapper in recent years. But many enjoy its distinctive taste, the result of applying heat to the leaf before use.

As an agricultural product, cigars will vary in quality and taste from year to year. Though modern quality control methods have produced much more uniform products, much of cigar manufacturing - at least for high quality cigars - is still carried out largely by hand.

As a result, you can’t judge a cigar predominantly by its color. Nevertheless, it’s one component that shouldn’t be ignored. Experiment and you’ll discover for yourself which you prefer. That, in the end, is the only truly important fact.

Cuba remains among the premiere tobacco growing regions in the world. Despite decades of deterioration caused by the Castro regime, Cuban cigars are still some of the very finest.

The Vuelta Abajo section of the Pinar del Rio area in western Cuba has the natural conditions and the skilled growers and tobacconists needed to keep them ranking high. Factories in Havana still attract the best labor needed to make one of Cuba’s few outstanding exports.

Though illegal for import into the U.S. since 1962, many Americans continue to find a way to enjoy a great Habano. Full-bodied, spicy and robust, Cuban cigars are a favorite of those who like a very strong smoke.

Many in the tobacco business fled Cuba after 1959 to settle elsewhere. Their sons and grandsons continue the tradition of producing fine tobacco and quality cigars learned from their ancestors. Chief among these are the growers and cigar makers of the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Ecuador and other Central American and Caribbean countries.

Ecuador, for example, has a full line of tobacco products used in filler and wrapper. Tobacco growers use both shade-grown and sun-grown techniques to produce a range of flavor profiles. Some use seeds from plants that originated in Cuba, others from as far away as Sumatra. Wrapper tobacco is even produced using Connecticut seed from the famed Connecticut River Valley.

Honduran growers also take advantage of that fine Connecticut seed to produce shade-grown wrapper leaf, along with the Cuban-seed tobaccos they grow. Long troubled by blue mold infestations, the industry is fighting back against great odds.

Part of the odds the Hondurans suffer from is a border with Nicaragua, which is still shaking off the effects of a 10-year long Civil War. Though contained to a relatively small part of the country, it had a significant effect on the entire tobacco industry in both countries. Yet they continue to produce a strong, spicy tobacco very reminiscent of native Cuban.

The Dominican Republic is probably home to the finest cigars outside Cuba. Made from tobacco grown in the northern part of the country, their output is based largely on Cuban seed ancestors. The climate and the knowledgeable growers combine efforts to make a complex, full-flavored cigar.

Central America remains one of the premiere regions for producing great tobacco and quality cigars. Thankfully, quality cigar production is still largely a hand craft and the skill doesn’t require modern machinery and infrastructure. Cigar smokers everywhere are the beneficiaries.

Though they are the most well-known, the countries of Central America and the Caribbean are not the only major tobacco growers in the world. Quality leaf and fine cigars are made in several other regions.

Cameroon in Africa, squeezed between Nigeria and the Central African Republic, is known for producing a high quality wrapper leaf that makes its way into cigars made elsewhere. Based on Sumatran seed, the tobacco made from it is very mild. This gives it a favored position for those seeking to emphasize the filler. The distinctive vein pattern helps pick out a Cameroon wrapper.

Indonesia, too, has made use of Sumatran born seeds to develop a native industry. Dark-brown and neutral in flavor, the leaf is much like the Cameroon and often used in wrappers. The small size of Indonesian cigars makes them easier to spot.

Even the Philippines maintain a tobacco growing business that produces cigars worth investigating. Though not considered at the level of the Central American product, the hybrids grown there make an aromatic cigar that’s distinctive to this small, but prosperous nation.

Conditions in Mexico are conducive to fine tobacco cultivation and cigar production. The San Andreas Valley there uses a cultivar of Sumatra-seed that forms the base of filler for good Mexican cigars. A variation is used for maduro wrappers, dark-brown or reddish-brown tobacco that adds delightful accents to the local product.

That strain makes an excellent starting point for the multi-step process that creates Mexico’s distinctive cigars. Full-flavored, dark and aromatic they are definitely worth a try when you travel there.

Though the South in the United States is no longer the tobacco king of the country, fine wrapper leaf continues to be grown in the U.S. Just look north to the famed Connecticut River Valley north of Hartford. The shade-grown brownish-yellow product from that region is so highly prized it has its own name: Connecticut Shade.

Highly elastic - a quality very useful for rolling and other steps in the production process - it also has a wonderful medium-bodied flavor. That adds delightful accents to a blend of Ligero fillers. The result is frequently a premium smoke.

But Connecticut Shade isn’t the only type grown. The equally renowned Connecticut Broadleaf has earned its reputation over the centuries as it has developed in the northeastern United States. Heavier than shade-grown tobacco, that dark leaf often makes its way into maduro-style cigars.

Wherever the tobacco originates, the same quality standards apply to the final result. If it tastes good and burns well, it’s a fine cigar. In the end, if you enjoy the smoke, you’ve found a good cigar.

Even if you don’t have Arnold Schwarzeneggar’s bank account, you can still treat yourself on those special occasions to a truly fine cigar. You’ll spend a little more but, as the women’s hair ads say “You’re worth it”. Whether as a birthday gift you give yourself, or just a reward for a good day’s work, these cigars will make you feel like the Chief Executive.

Of course, in the world of expensive cigars - just as in the world of fine wine - there are items that can best be labeled ‘collectibles’. The Montecristo No. 2 made in 1961 that sells for around $400 per stick might better be framed than smoked. Similarly, the 1947 Flor de Farach Coronas are probably best displayed under glass than smoked with a glass, even if they do come wrapped in the original cellophane.

But there are still fine cigars with a hefty price tag that are definitely made for smoking. The Padron Anniversary series at around $65 per stick are a case in point. The Graycliff for slightly more (around $75) are another. Either of these would compete well with a fine snifter of brandy for any cigar aficionado’s attention.

Even the $35 Cohiba Piramides would be appreciated at a fine club where you need feel no shame lighting up. Smooth, medium-bodied and with a distinct aroma these are quality cigars at a very affordable price.

H. Upmann also has a Piramides worth investigating. Very strong, reminiscent of a Montecristo No. 2, with hints of mocha. Be sure to clip the cap well to get a good draw. This Cuban cigar with a German name continues to rank among the greats, despite its reaching out to the masses.

On the higher end of the scale, Cohiba has a Lanceros that goes for around $350. Creamy, lightly veined and a very smooth draw. This slender wonder has hints of espresso and a very spicy aftertaste.

Punch makes a small Habano that is very mild, goes easy on the spice, and still maintains a full flavor. The Churchill is especially well liked by those who know cigars. They also make a very heavy cigar, full of earthy tones and oriented toward those who like their smoke strong. The Monarcas, for example, is a definite ‘must try’.

If you’re searching out the unusual you’ll want to try some Ashton Cabinet limited edition cigars from the Dominican Republic. Full-bodied with complex overtones, they are available in a range of sizes.

Of course, if it happens that you really are looking for a collectible that you can also smoke, there may be a few of the 1937 La Corona sticks still around. This 5½ x 42 baby runs for about a cool $1,000.

At that price, you’ll want a free glass of cognac to go with it. And, you would be in luck, since Prohibition was repealed in 1933. So, 1937 was a good year in at least one way.