The increase in cigar smoking is not limited to the adult population. Surveys show that the current level of cigar use among adolescents and teenagers is higher than that of smokeless tobacco use. Most cigars are made up of a single air-cured or dried burley tobacco. Cigar tobacco leaves are first aged for about a year and then fermented in a multi-step process that can take from three to five months. Fermentation causes chemical and bacterial reactions that change the tobacco and give cigars a different taste and smell from cigarettes.
Cigars come in different sizes, some as small as a cigarette, others much larger.
Large cigars typically contain between 5 and 17 grams of tobacco. It is not unusual for some premium brands to have as much tobacco in one cigar as in a whole pack of cigarettes. Large cigars can take between one and two hours to smoke. As with cigarettes, the amount of exposure to cigar smoke is a key factor in determining the risk involved. Smoking more cigars each day or inhaling cigar smoke leads to increased exposure and increased risks.