| How to Smoke Cigars | | | | paper matches). Take time and care to light the cigar. |
| Far be it for us to instruct anyone how to smoke their | | | | First, hold the cigar horizontally in direct contact with |
| cigars, but here goes anyway: | | | | the flame, and slowly revolve it until the end is charred |
| Four out of five of your senses have an important role | | | | evenly over its entire surface. |
| to play in assessing the cigar. Sight, touch, smell and | | | | Put the cigar between your lips, hold the flame about |
| taste. Rolling a cigar next to your ear does not achieve | | | | half an inch away from the end, and draw slowly while |
| anything useful - you can leave your ears at home. | | | | rotating the cigar. Its end should now ignite. Ensure an |
| There are two elements to the process of smoking | | | | even burn has taken hold. |
| your cigar. The first is the physical practicality of | | | | Gently blow on the burning end to make sure the cigar |
| cutting, lighting and smoking. The second is the effect a | | | | is fully lit. |
| cigar has on your senses while you carry out these | | | | Smoking |
| various functions. | | | | After five minutes the cigar will have warned up and |
| The Physical Practicalities: | | | | you will have reached cruising altitude. |
| Cutting | | | | Unlike cigarettes, cigars will naturally go out if left |
| Once you have selected your cigar (see below - | | | | unattended. If your cigar goes out, don't worry. |
| 'Cigar Sensations'), you will need to cut the closed end. | | | | Remove any ash clinging to the previously lit end by |
| All handmade cigars have a cap (Havanas have a | | | | tapping the cigar. Blow through the cigar to clear away |
| double cap) over the head end - this end goes in your | | | | stale smoke. Re-light as previously described above. |
| mouth. If you attempt to smoke a cigar the other way | | | | As long as the cigar has not been out for too long, the |
| around, you will find that half way through it will unravel | | | | flavour will not be unduly affected. Continuous |
| and take on the appearance of an exploded stick. | | | | re-lighting of cigars will affect the flavour, and if a cigar |
| There are a number of ways of cutting the cap, | | | | is allowed to cool, then on re-lighting the tastes can |
| ranging from the use of a thumb-nail, to portable | | | | become tainted and unpleasant (due to condensation |
| guillotine cutters (both single and double bladed - see | | | | of the smoke in the remaining part of the cigar). |
| 'Accessories' on navigation bar), from cheap to | | | | Havanas are made from long filler tobacco leaves |
| expensive, to the more exotic cigar scissors and | | | | (another difference to cigarettes and machine made |
| table-top cutters. | | | | cigars). This means that the ash on the cigar, if it is a |
| The cut should be clean and level, or there will be | | | | good one, should not fall off the moment it appears. |
| difficulties with the draw and a risk of damaging the | | | | There is no particular merit in keeping a long ash on a |
| wrapper. Cut the cigar so that an eighth of an inch of | | | | cigar, but neither is there any need to continually tap it |
| the cap is left around the cigar wrapper. It is not | | | | to remove any excess ash. In assessing the quality of |
| recommended that you pierce the cap with a pin, as | | | | construction of your cigar, a long solid cylinder of ash is |
| this will interfere with the passage of smoke, make the | | | | a good sign. |
| cigar overheat and lead to unpleasant flavours from | | | | There is no need to warm the length of the cigar |
| residues condensing at the point the cap was pierced. | | | | before smoking it. This was done in the nineteenth |
| Cap hole-punching devices do work well as long as | | | | century to burn off the rather unpleasant gum used on |
| the diameter of the punch is at least a quarter of an | | | | some cigars made in Seville. Today's handmade |
| inch. Wedge-shaped cutters are also not | | | | Cuban cigars use a small drop of flavourless, odorless |
| recommended, as these have a tendency to cut | | | | vegetable gum at the cap end of the wrapper leaf. |
| through all of the band on either side and the cigar | | | | The "End" |
| wrapper can then unravel. | | | | The final third of your cigar will be when the smoke is |
| Whatever you use, make sure it is sharp, and that you | | | | at its strongest. This is the time to part company |
| expose enough of the filler leaves under the cap to | | | | before flavours become bitter and the effect of the |
| allow the smoke uninterrupted passage. | | | | cigar on your well-being may become detrimental. |
| Lighting Up | | | | There is absolutely no need to stub or grind a cigar out |
| When you light a cigar, use either a butane lighter (not | | | | to extinguish it. Left in the ashtray it will go out by itself: |
| one filled with gasoline) or a match. Anything else, such | | | | if you stub it out, it will release foul odours into the |
| as using a candle, will tend to taint the flavour of the | | | | room. Once the cigar has self-extinguished remove |
| cigar, and will ultimately impede the passage of smoke | | | | any butts and ash from the room before they start to |
| through the cigar with particles from the flame. Avoid | | | | give out unpleasant smells (i.e. before going to bed!). |
| matches with high sulphur or wax contact (don't use | | | | |