Unfortunately, cigars are regularly being subjected to bad science and bad journalism.

A few months ago, Parade magazine ran an article called “The Dangers of Pipes and Cigars”. In the article, they reference a report done recently by Columbia University which, the article claims, showed that “smoking pipes or cigars doubled the odds of having an airflow obstruction.”

If this were indeed true, many of us would have to seriously reconsider our cigar habits.

The problem many cigar smokers have with this report, however, is that it is based on fluffy science.

As Smoke Magazine pointed out recently:

The Columbia study contained no new research, but an examination of a previous study that included just 56 individuals who smoked either cigars or pipes and did not smoke cigarettes.

Moreover, the study itself says “few participants smoked pipes or cigars…Effect estimates in this group were therefore relatively imprecise…” No kidding; what the survey actually showed was that among cigar-only smokers, the odds for decreased airflow to the lungs increased a trivial 1 percent when adjusted for age, race, sex, and height, and were 37 percent less than non-smokers when more carefully adjusted for 13 factors also including body mass, education, family history, and so on.

Additionally, the study report states “no U.S. studies have reported on the possible effects of cumulative pipe and cigar smoking on lung function.” This is wrong. In fact, the impact of cigar smoking was exhaustively reviewed by the National Cancer Institute in its monograph on cigars published in 1998.

Incidence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) was examined using the American Cancer Society’s massive CPS-I study, which included 15,072 cigar smokers. The result? For those who smoked an average of 1–2 cigars per day, there was no impact at all vs. non-smokers up through age 64, and for those who do not inhale, no impact through age 79!

Now consider that in the U.S. in 2009, smokers of all types of cigars averaged just 2.93 per week and smokers of handmade, premium cigars averaged a grand total of 1.59 per week!

But the CPS-I results are nowhere mentioned in the Columbia “study.”

As I’ve said on the blog before when I covered the CPS-I study, I take my health very seriously and so I’m always keeping an eye out on the latest science on cigars and health. It is unfortunate that a lot of the media coverage on the subject is pretty fluffy and either out-right biased or based on bad science.

The blog is called “Her Humidor Cigar Reviews”, it’s written by Lisa B. and she summarizes her lengthy review of the 10th Anniversary Maduro with this paragraph:

Overall, the cigar did not transition too much from it’s primary flavors. Once you get into the heart of the cigar, it pretty much gives you consistent enjoyable flavors of mocha, sweet cream and spice, then eventually rich leather, roasted nuts and smooth aged tobacco with a long finish. I had no complaints with the medium body and lack of a red pepper kick. However, there was some ligero present, it just doesn’t slap you around like a fuller-bodied peppery smoke. This cigar seemed intent on keeping me relaxed and comfortable. On that note, I strongly believe this is a cigar that everyone can enjoy. My husband, who prefers mild cigars, took a few draws off my cigar and almost didn’t give it back. The nerve of him!

Perdomo 10th Anniversary Maduro

Purchase your Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary cigars here.

Felting and smoking a delicious 10th Ann. Maduro Perdomo Reserve cigar

via @porktree

Congratulations, guys!

I’m sure Jason would want me to share the lovin’ and I’ve been sitting here scratching my noggin trying to think what I can do.

So… I’m going to run a competition for the next 24 hours for Perdomo fans in Australia!

It’s all about spreading the lerve.

At 5pm tomorrow (that would be Thursday 01 July 2010… ooh, end of the financial year) I will be picking someone at random from our followers on the Perdomo Cigars Australia Twitter account. That person will receive a FREE three-pack of Perdomo cigars!

All you need to do to be in the running is to follow us on Twitter. If you don’t know how to do that yet… well, Google it. You can work it out. I’ll pick someone at random but you HAVE to be in Australia to qualify. Limited to one person only.

Shhh… don’t tell Jason I’m doing this. He’s left me in charge of the Perdomo stash while he’s away and I figure I might as well have some fun.

Of course the answer is ‘yes’. Cigars are made of tobacco. Smoking tobacco in any form is going to have health consequences.

However lots of things are bad for your health if you indulge in them too often – alcohol, Big Macs, chocolate, ice cream, coffee, cheese – however, in moderation, the risks are minimized.

Is that same true for cigars?

According to the most comprehensive report completed on the subject, the same report referenced by the U.S. National Cancer Institute:

“When cigar smokers don’t inhale or smoke few cigars per day, the risks are only slightly above those of never smokers.”

(page 8, paragraph 2).

But how can that be? Aren’t all tobacco products equally as dangerous?

It seems to depend a lot on how many cigars you smoke each day and whether or not you inhale.

According to the research, most cigar smokers only indulge occasionally.

From the report:

The fraction of adult cigar smokers who smoke cigars every day is much smaller than the fraction of cigarette or smokeless tobacco users who use every day.

Most cigar smokers also don’t inhale.

Most cigarette smokers report inhaling the smoke into their lungs, while over three- quarters of the males in CPS-I who have only smoked cigars report that they never inhale.

So, in terms of health risks, the majority of cigar smokers fall into the summary quoted up top:

“When cigar smokers don’t inhale or smoke few cigars per day, the risks are only slightly above those of never smokers.”

Okay, let’s look at what the scientists have to say.

The report I referred to at the beginning is called “Cigar Smoking: Overview and Current State of the Science” by David M. Burns that you can find on the U.S. National Cancer Institute’s site. This report is the most comprehensive scientific study of cigar smoking and is referenced by most cancer councils (including in the US and Australia).

The report says that cigar smoking can be very dangerous to your health under certain circumstances. So, if you *are* going to smoke cigars, then please make sure you are aware of the risks.

1. Don’t Inhale.

“Cigar smokers who inhale deeply, particularly those who smoke several cigars per day, have higher rates of coronary heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).”

2. Avoid Breathing In Cigar Smoke

“Tobacco smoke produced by cigars contains most of the same toxic and carcinogenic constituents found in cigarette smoke.”

So if you are going to smoke, do it either outside in a well ventilated area, or do it in private rooms with extraction fans.

3. Risks of Oral Cancers Go Up

Other Studies – Centenarians In Cuba

When we were in Nicaragua recently, we met a couple of old Cuban men in their late 70s who had been smoking cigars every day all their lives and they are as fit as a bull. These gentlemen spent most of their lives in the cigar business and certainly don’t think cigars are bad for your health. A 2006 report on centenarians by Dr Nancy Nepomuceno in Cuba claimed that

“Cuba’s high number of centenarians say their longevity is down to laying off alcohol, but indulging in coffee, cigars and sex.”

Think about some of the most famous cigar smokers of all time:

Winston Churchill – Died Age 91. The man for whom the imposing Churchill cigar size is named smoked eight to 10 cigars a day.

Fidel Castro – currently 84. Until he gave up the habit in 1985 (to try to reduce cigarette smoking in Cuba), the man who has ruled Cuba with an iron fist for 50 years was synonymous with cigars.

George Burns – Died Age 100. Credited his 10- to 15-cigar-a-day habit over a 70-year span with not only keeping him spry on stage but also with helping him outlive his physician.

Groucho Marx – Died Age 87. Rarely seen without a cigar.

Sigmund Freud – Died Age 83. He began smoking at 24, enjoyed an average of 20 cigars a day, and was rarely photographed without his tobacco companion.

Mark Twain – Died Age 85. The author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn smoked at least 22 cigars a day, maybe as many as 40. Twain, née Samuel Clemens, supposedly once declared, “If smoking is not allowed in heaven, I shall not go.”

Orson Welles – Died Age 70. Welles was a lover of the good life, especially fine cigars; he intentionally wrote cigar-smoking characters, such as Touch of Evil’s police captain Hank Quinlan, into his films.

Charlie Chaplin – Died Age 88.

Conclusion

Let me end this post by repeating what I think are the main points we all need to know regarding cigars and health.

1. Cigars are made of tobacco. Tobacco isn’t good for you. So if you are going to smoke cigars, do it in moderation, the same way you might eat pizza, cheese and chocolate. Or the same way a sensible person drinks alcohol or coffee. Be sensible.

2. According to Burns’ report, “When cigar smokers don’t inhale or smoke few cigars per day, the risks are only slightly above those of never smokers.”

3. Avoid environmental smoke by smoking cigars outdoors or by making sure you smoke in a very well ventilated room.

I’ll report back when more evidence comes out about moderate cigar smoking. Until then, enjoy your cigars in moderation, folks!

I was reminded of this today when I stumbled on this article on Cigars International. Of course you’d expect someone from Perdomo to tell you the above story, but Cigars Intl aren’t biased, they sell cigars from all over the place. (Thanks to @jasondemott for pointing out that CI, being an American company, don’t sell Cubans! I hadn’t thought about that… being in Australia, I sometimes forget the silly embargo.)

I won’t copy the whole article (you can find it at the above link), I’ll just quote the conclusion:

Consistently, the quality of cigars from such countries outside of Cuba has improved to the point where they are truly superior, on average, to Cuban cigars (even despite the ideal climate that exists in Cuba). Blending talents, attention to detail, growing and experimenting with tobacco crops, and establishing a talent base of cigar rollers are things that only time can accomplish. Today, despite the myth of Cuban superiority, we are enjoying the fruits of the past 40 years – and when the Cuban embargo ends, with but a few exceptions many cigar connoisseurs will finally see that many of today’s Dominican, Honduran and Nicaraguan premiums will be established as the world’s finest.

So there you have it – don’t be surprised if many of the more educated cigar aficionados you know seek out non-Cuban product. They are chasing quality.

If you want to read the Perdomo story (and it’s a great story), check it out here.

My name is Cameron and I’m going to be your pilot on this journey into a taste experience you’ll never forget!

It’s going to be a very exciting year at Perdomo Oz and we’re going to be using the blog to keep you up to date. So register now to get updates: subscribe with RSS if you’re into that kind of thing, follow us on Twitter, join the Facebook page, or enter your email address below to get blog updates via email (we promise to keep your email address private!):

We’re ramping up the business here in Australia this year and looking forward to connecting with cigar smokers old and new from around the country. We’ll be running cigar education and appreciation events up and down the East Coast, starting a weekly video podcast very soon, and featuring cigar reviews from our VIP members.

Last night we had a small video shoot at “Casa Perdomo” in Brisbane with some friends and I thought I’d share with you a sneak peak via some quick  iPhone photos taken during the proceedings:

Chrissy Dunaway smoking a Perdomo Lot 23 cigar

Jason Nelson (Perdomo Australia Managing Director) and Dale Schmidtchen enjoying a cigar in the den

Cameron Reilly (Perdomo Cigars Australia Marketing Manager) enjoying a Perdomo Lot 23 Churchill

Jason and I are heading over to Bangkok on the weekend to catch up with the team from Perdomo Cigars Asia and to hang out at Club Perdomo, so I’m sure we’ll be blogging and tweeting like mad while we’re there.

Meanwhile, check out this video from The Smoking Hot Cigar Chick! She’s speaking with David Dietrich of Perdomo Cigars during the latest event at Cigar Towne, a great new cigar shop located  in Houston’s Energy Corridor.