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