Since 1997 the Sub-Group Cigars has been working on the development of standardised cigar holders. Before this period, most laboratories involved in mechanical smoking of cigars, members of the Sub-Group as well as others, used different sets of holders that gave inconsistent and incomparable results. Cigars, known for their wide variety in shapes and sizes, require a set of holders that can handle this variety and solve these problems. Therefore it was decided to develop a standard set of holders typical for cigars of all shapes and sizes. Splitting the sealing and holding functions of the holder proved to help solve the problem. The sealing problem was solved using a range of sleeves with different diameters fitting tightly around the cigars. Holding the cigar is mainly a problem for larger cigars. This problem was solved using an adjustable, horizontal bar to support the cigar. A collaborative test proved the holding and sealing functions of the holder to be satisfactory. However, the practical handling of the holder needed some further fine-tuning. After some more tests with this redesigned holder, a study indicated that the influence of different bobbin and sleeve combinations on the smoke chemistry was not significant. In a last collaborative study, cigars covering the whole range of shapes and sizes available in the market were tested with the new holder. This test confirmed that the newly developed holder was useful, did not leak and held cigars well. Therefore it was decided to accept this holder as the standard holder for all shapes and sizes of cigars to be smoked mechanically.