How to Smoke a Cigar
Congratulations, you are about to smoke a cigar. Maybe you have a reason to celebrate, or maybe you want to be like Scrooge McDuck and show off your big boss energy by burning a $ 100 banknote with a crispy haystack cherry.
Whatever the reason you light up, there is some cigar etiquette that you should probably adhere to, or at least know. Here are a few things to know about cigars and cigar smoking so that you can approach the world of tobacco with one or two pointers.
There are different types of cigars.
Cigars come in all shapes and sizes. Unlike cigarettes, which usually don’t vary much in size and shape, there is a mini-universe of different cigarettes classified by width, length, and overall shape. (Note: There is a certain niche terminology in the cigar world, and one of the most important terms is “ring gauge”, which Cigar Aficionado defines as “designating the diameter of a cigar split into 64 fractions of an inch”).
Here’s a quick guide to some of the cigars you might come across while browsing your local tobacco shop, again according to the experts at Cigar Aficionado , the authoritative authority on sophisticated smoking.
- Parejo: These are “straight side cigars; most of them have an open ignition stem and need to be cut before smoking. “
- Coronas: “This is the reference dimension by which all other dimensions are measured. Traditional sizes range from 5 1/2 “to 6” with ring calibers from 42 “to 44”. (There are also petit coronas, smaller versions of this cigar.)
- Churchill: “Large crown format. Standard sizes are 7 “by 47 rings.”
- Robusto: “The short, fat cigar that became the most popular cigar size in America. The size is usually 4 3/4 “to 5 1/2” for a ring size from 48 “to 52”.
While these are the most common varieties, you can certainly explore a much wider variety if you so desire.
Inspect your cigar
One similarity between cigars and other tobacco products and perishable goods like milk is that they go bad. If your cigar smells weird or looks harsher than it should, chances are it will taste like absolute trash because it has been spoiled.
It is also possible that your tobacco will not attract the necessary airflow for comfortable smoking. This usually happens because it is too tightly packed. To make sure your cigar is actually smoke-free, here’s how to test it:
According to the Bespoke Unit , there are a few things you need to look out for:
- Dull color
- Spots or defects
- Mold
- Tears
- Holes
- Soft spots
- Hardness
- Ridges
- Wrong shape
How to cut a cigar
To cut a cigar, you will need a cigar knife , ideally in the shape of a guillotine. When you have a cigar and a knife on hand, you can cut them off, but don’t forget about your fingers.
Place the cap of the cigar between both cutter blades, right up to where the wrapper begins. Cut off the cap in one firm motion to prevent the paper from splitting or the tobacco spitting out or breaking.
How to light it up
It’s not as easy as clicking a match or using a Bic lighter at a gas station. To keep the charcoal lighter, you need a real butane lighter with a strong flame or a long wooden match.
Regarding the lighting process itself, WikiHow has some good tips :
The base of the cigar is the part that you actually light. Keep the flame under your foot without touching it, and turn the cigar several times until the foot is evenly heated. This will warm the tobacco and make it easier to ignite.
After that, put the cigar in your mouth, keeping it on the fire, and take a few breaths to light it.
Do not inhale
This is probably the only thing non-smokers can tell you about cigars, and it’s very good advice. (Note that smoking even without inhaling is bad news; according to the Mayo Clinic , cigars are no safer than cigarettes.)
Pull on the cigar slowly and exhale all the smoke. Never inhale. No smoking is good , no matter how cool it looks.
Use a humidor
Cigars are especially sensitive to moisture, so you should consider a humidor if you want to get serious about smoking. It is a storage container that maintains a humidity range suitable for cigars, so the tobacco leaves are not damaged. Without a humidor, your cigars are likely to become at least unusable, if not moldy, over time.
So here it is, and congratulations again – you’re on your way to becoming a regular at your local cigar lounge, if that’s what you like.