This raises some interesting questions. I searched "cigar additives", and one of the sites is a long list of things added to tobacco on its way to consumers. I'm thinking a lot of this is cigarette additives, but some are listed as exclusively for cigars. One is sodium nitrate, which is a combustion modifier for wrappers and binders in cigars (#67). So, wtf?

The thing that comes to mind is a "razor sharp burn" that many use to market their product and that some expound upon in reviews. Now, I've had highly refined product (say, Casa Fuente) that sure enough had a line straight enough to plumb with. It kind of amazes me really how they're able to pull it off and I've always attributed this to superior skills of top rollers. Is this inaccurate? I've also smoked cigars that are not so refined (farmies from, well, I don't remember), although "unrefined" would be misleading. This would be like comparing bleached, fine, lotsa-shit-added cake flour to whole wheat. And, I'll take the latter over the former any time. As long as a cigar will draw, doesn't tunnel, and doesn't run too badly, I don't think I give a shit about a scalloped burn line.