Cigar Smoking "How To"
Enjoy & Take Your Time
To thoroughly appreciate your favorite cigar, smoke slowly.
Drawing too frequently and quickly will heat up the cigar and
spoil the flavor. You should take about one draw or 2 per minute.
Allow yourself around an hour to appreciate the cigar.
Inhaling
Try not inhale cigar smoke. Cigars are made to enjoy their flavor
and body without inhaling.
When
to Put it Out
When a cigar begins to give off too much heat and leaves an
aftertaste behind in your mouth (generally during the last couple
of inches), it is time to extinguish it. Normally, the smoker
does not put it out like a cigarette by crushing it into the
ashtray. Instead, just place it in an ashtray and let cigar
stop burning itself.
How
to Light up a Cigar properly - Before Lighting Up
1. If you choose to use a match, wait until the sulphur burns
off before lighting your cigar.
2. If you insist on using a lighter, use one with butane. Gasoline
based lighters pass an undesirable flavor to your smoke.
3. Some people are partial to lighting up a cigar is through
the use of a cedar spill. A cedar spill is a thin long strip
of Spanish cedar which is lit first and then used to light up
your cigar.
Steps to take to Light a Cigar:
1. Start by preheating the foot (the open end) by slowly rolling
the cigar back and forth above the flame at a bit of an angle
until a small black ring forms 360 degrees around the wrapper.
Try not to let the flame to touch the cigar.
2. With the cigar in your mouth, drawing in and carefully roll
the cigar at an angle just above the flame without permitting
the flame to touch the cigar. Do not forget to rotate the cigar
to ensure an even burn.
3. Once the cigar is lit, remove it from your mouth and examine
the glowing foot to see if it is properly lit.
If the burn appears uneven, revert back to the previous step
until an even burn is achieved.
If you are outside and wind is present, a good flame-torch can
be used to light the foot. Although there may be a bitter taste
initially since the flame is actually touching the cigar, you
will ensure a fast light and even burn.
How
to Correctly Hold a Cigar
Hold a cigar between your index and finger and thumb. Do not
hold it like a cigarette between your index and middle finger.
How
to Correctly Cut a Cigar
A clean and even cut made with a cigar cutter of your choice
in the right section of the head is important. To guarantee
a clean cut and to avoid splitting the wrapper make sure you
always cut just before the cap leaving 3-4 mm of space. For
optimal results, always squeeze your cutter in a single quick
motion.
How
does one Ash a Cigar
It is not imperative to shake or tap a cigar to knock its ash
into an ashtray, nor is it a must to keep the ash building up
to a ridiculous length: Long ash at the tip of your cigar obstructs
airflow which can cause an uneven burn.
Enjoying a Cigar - Don't rush - Take Your Time.
Location, Location, Location:
Select a spot where you could sit back and relax and truly enjoy
your favorite cigar. Some options:
1. In your favorite restaurant, cigar lounge or club.
2. At your home or in your favorite smoking area.
3. During some good conversation with family or friends.
4. After or Before Dinner
5. For a Special Occasion
Beverages
Choose an non-alcoholic or alcoholic beverage. Sip on a cocktail
while enjoying your cigar. Reach for a cognac or fine whiskey,
a glass of Merlot, Pinot or a Chardonnay. Some prefer a cranberry,
soda, lemonade or water.
Be
polite and do not offend others
Be as courteous when smoking in public areas
B e polite and ask the company your are in they mind if you
smoke a cigar.
Cigar Lighting & Cutting Etiquette
• It is said to not cut the end off of someone else's
cigar without at least first asking that person. Most cigar
enthusiasts prefer to handle this themselves.
• Never light up a cigar with a candle, standard matches
with high sulfur levels or with gasoline type lighters as these
can affect the flavor of cigars.
• The optimum lighter to use work on butane fuel. Butane
is odorless tends not affect the aroma and taste of your cigar.
There are also sulfur-free wood matches that work well when
lighting up a stogie.
• Don't hold a lighter or match up for a smoker to light
their cigar as it can possibly force the smoker to draw in too
fast and could possibly ruin the flavor of their cigar. It’s
best to hand them matches or your lighter and allow them to
light their own smoke at their own pace.
Smoking Etiquette for Cigar Smokers
• While puffing away, you should not tap the ash off the
end of the cigar as the ash helps keep the cigar burning cool.
The idea is to get mouthfuls of cool smoke. Overheated smoke
ruins the flavors and characteristics of the cigar. When the
ash appears as if it will drop off by itself, just place the
end of the smoke over an ash tray and allow the ashes to drop
off by themselves.
• So how to smoke a cigar? Do not smoke a cigar like its
a cigarette - you know better then that! Cigars are designed to
be a calming and relaxing experience. Take your time, don't rush
it. Enjoy and savor the taste and aroma with each draw. One puff
per minute should be plenty enough to enjoy the cigar and enough
to keep it lit and burning.
• Evaluating the flavor of a cigar is similar in line
to evaluating a glass of wine. To get a good feel for the flavor
of a cigar, hold the smoke in your mouth for a 2-5 seconds and
allow your taste buds to take in the different sensations.
• When you are finished with your stogie don't put it
out against a wall or stomp it out. This will create a mess
and will pass on an unpleasant odor. Its best to permit the
cigar to smolder out on its own set inside an ashtray and disposal
should always be in a suitable location.
• Always be considerate of those who do not smoke. Only
light up in designated smoking areas.