Welcome to the world of cigars and cigar smoking. In the next few minutes, I shall describe to you the entire process on how to smoke a cigar.
To many people, cigar smoking is one of the most irreplaceable pleasures in life, and I'm glad that you've come to discover for yourself what this indulgence has to offer.
We smoke cigars to celebrate the birth of child, a wedding, a personal or business triumph. Ever heard of the phrase "close but no cigar?" Roughly translated, it means something is close enough, but never quite made it to give a reason to celebrate.
Some people use the time to smoke a cigar as a time for meditation, touching base with oneself. As you progress further into your cigar smoking experience, you will come to appreciate the relaxing effect of this activity. It settles you down gently and allows you a moment of peace and quite in which you can collect your thoughts, regroup, or just relax and recharge for the challenges ahead.
Whatever your reason is for smoking a cigar, the pleasure of the act will be much more heightened if you take the time to learn how to smoke a cigar the right way. Before you think about choosing your first cigars, consider first how much time you are going to spend on it.
Cigar smoking as a non-hurried, langorous (if you will) affair that you must savor and enjoy. A half hour to 1 and 1/2 hour will be enough. As you will see, the time you intend to spend smoking your cigar affects your choice.
To many people, cigar smoking is one of the most irreplaceable pleasures in life, and I'm glad that you've come to discover for yourself what this indulgence has to offer.
We smoke cigars to celebrate the birth of child, a wedding, a personal or business triumph. Ever heard of the phrase "close but no cigar?" Roughly translated, it means something is close enough, but never quite made it to give a reason to celebrate.
Some people use the time to smoke a cigar as a time for meditation, touching base with oneself. As you progress further into your cigar smoking experience, you will come to appreciate the relaxing effect of this activity. It settles you down gently and allows you a moment of peace and quite in which you can collect your thoughts, regroup, or just relax and recharge for the challenges ahead.
Whatever your reason is for smoking a cigar, the pleasure of the act will be much more heightened if you take the time to learn how to smoke a cigar the right way. Before you think about choosing your first cigars, consider first how much time you are going to spend on it.
Cigar smoking as a non-hurried, langorous (if you will) affair that you must savor and enjoy. A half hour to 1 and 1/2 hour will be enough. As you will see, the time you intend to spend smoking your cigar affects your choice.
Choosing your Cigar
Size. A corona would probably take half an hour for you to finish, while a Double Corona or a Churchill, which measures 50/64" by 7" would probably take you an hour or more to finish. You see why I was adamant on you allocating the time to smoke your cigar. Cigars are measured in inches (length) and ring gauge (diameter). One cigar ring is equivalent to 1/64th of an inch. Since a large ring cigar apparently allows the cigar maker to place and blend different leaves, it tends to be more complex and full-bodied in flavor and will be cooler-burning than the smaller cigars.
The first step in learning how to smoke a cigar is deciding which cigar to smoke first (assuming this is your very first time in smoking a cigar). In choosing your first cigar based on size, go for something you are most comfortable with. If you feel that you look ridiculous with a large torpedo hanging from your mouth, then you can try and smoke the narrower panatela, instead.
Remember, the longer and larger the cigar is, the more flavorful and stronger it will be. And this brings us to our next criteria for choosing your cigar.
Strength. As an indicator of cigar strength, other than size, of course, you may also want to look at the color of the wrapper (the outermost leaves of the cigar – the primary factor in determining the strength of a cigar). Cigars come in 3 main categories: mild, medium-bodied, and strong. As a rule, the darker the wrapper is, the stronger the cigar will be. We shall study these in detail in the next few days, but here's a summary of the common wrappers in use today:
Strength. As an indicator of cigar strength, other than size, of course, you may also want to look at the color of the wrapper (the outermost leaves of the cigar – the primary factor in determining the strength of a cigar). Cigars come in 3 main categories: mild, medium-bodied, and strong. As a rule, the darker the wrapper is, the stronger the cigar will be. We shall study these in detail in the next few days, but here's a summary of the common wrappers in use today:
- Double Claro – (also called Candela or American Market Select)- has a light green to greenish brown color and very mild-flavored.
- Claro – has a light tan wrapper and a smooth, mild flavor. Made mostly from shade-grown tobacco leaves, an example of which is the Connecticut Shade wrappers, which are said to be among the finest in the world.
- Natural (also called English Market Select)- light brown to brown. And has fuller bodied flavor than the Claro.
- Colorado - reddish dark brown, with a robust, rich flavor.
- Colorado Maduro – a dark brown wrapper with a rich, aromatic flavor.
- Maduro – this wrapper is more textured and veined than other wrappers, very dark brown-colored, and usually has a strong, sweet flavor.
- Oscuro - the darkest maduro wrapper, oscuro is almost black and is stronger than the lighter maduro wrappers.
As you can see, the darker the wrapper, the stronger the cigar is. The strongest cigars have the most exquisite and subtle nuances of flavor, but they take getting used to. They might taste too strong or just plain repulsive to new smokers. As a beginner, the rule of thumb is for you to choose the milder and lighter cigars first. (They're also the least expensive).
In time, as you go beyond learning how to smoke a cigar and gain more experience, you can venture into the stronger ones, hopefully finding a favorite, in the process.
Some of the brands suggested for beginners are: Arturo Fuente Curly Head, Excalibur No.5, Baccarat Luchadores, Punch Grand Cru Robusto, and Flor de Oliva Torpedo. You might also want to purchase 6-cigar or 12-cigar samplers from reputable manufacturers since you are essentially still in the process of selecting a favorite cigar.
We shall explore the different sizes, types, categories, strengths, and qualities of cigar in subsequent posts. Choose your first cigar based on the preceding recommendations.
We shall explore the different sizes, types, categories, strengths, and qualities of cigar in subsequent posts. Choose your first cigar based on the preceding recommendations.
Cutting Your Cigar
The second part in your 'learning how to smoke a cigar' lesson is mastering the skill of cutting your cigar. To accomplish an even cut, the best cutter to use is a double blade guillotine cutter as this produces the cleanest edge. The ideal cut should be about 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch (about 2 millimeters), taking off about 2/3 of the cap (the tip closest to the band), at the curved end of the cap just before it begins to straighten.Don't cut the whole cap off and whatever you do, never cut into the body of the cigar. This will cause the wrapper to unravel, ruining the experience for you. On the other hand, if you cut too low, the opening might be quite small, and you will find your cigar difficult to smoke.
Lighting your cigar
Use a butane lighter or torch or a slow burning wood match to light your cigar. If you use a match, wait for a moment or two to before moving the cigar close to the flame to burn off the match stick's initial chemicals like sulphur or phosphorous. You don't want those or other chemicals to coat your cigar. Never use paper matches, gas lighters or scented candles in lighting your cigar. A butane torch lighter is recommended if you smoke outside on a blustery day.
Achieving an even burn in lighting your cigar is the third skill you will acquire as you learn how to smoke a cigar. Some friends of mine prefer to light their cigar with cedar wood. It's actually pretty easy to get some, since most cigar houses actually use cedar boxes in their packaging. So, next time you buy a box of cigars, break off a small piece of cedar wood from between the cigar layers, and use that in your next cigar session.
Experienced cigar aficionados recommend that you "toast" or "warm up" your cigar first before actually lighting it. This is done by exposing the foot of the cigar close to the flame (about 2cm.) without actually touching it. Rotate slowly. This ensures that the exposed tobacco is ready once you light your cigar. (Watch it in "How To Smoke A Cigar"video).
Achieving an even burn in lighting your cigar is the third skill you will acquire as you learn how to smoke a cigar. Some friends of mine prefer to light their cigar with cedar wood. It's actually pretty easy to get some, since most cigar houses actually use cedar boxes in their packaging. So, next time you buy a box of cigars, break off a small piece of cedar wood from between the cigar layers, and use that in your next cigar session.
Experienced cigar aficionados recommend that you "toast" or "warm up" your cigar first before actually lighting it. This is done by exposing the foot of the cigar close to the flame (about 2cm.) without actually touching it. Rotate slowly. This ensures that the exposed tobacco is ready once you light your cigar. (Watch it in "How To Smoke A Cigar"video).
After the cigar has been warmed sufficiently, it's now time to light up. Put the cigar in your mouth at a 30 degrees to 45 degrees angle. Apply the flame just close enough to touch the foot of your cigar. Draw lightly on the cigar and rotate gently. Drawing too fast will oxidize the tobacco and give you a bitter taste. Although this will pass, but it's an unnecessary hassle that can be avoided.
Continue drawing on your cigar and rotating it until you achieve an even burn, and the draw is easier and smoother. You're almost done with the preliminaries in learning how to smoke a cigar. Put out the flame and inspect the burning foot of your cigar. I sometimes blow very softly on the glowing end to make sure that it's burning evenly. Now that you have a lighted cigar, go ahead and smoke it. Indulge.
Continue drawing on your cigar and rotating it until you achieve an even burn, and the draw is easier and smoother. You're almost done with the preliminaries in learning how to smoke a cigar. Put out the flame and inspect the burning foot of your cigar. I sometimes blow very softly on the glowing end to make sure that it's burning evenly. Now that you have a lighted cigar, go ahead and smoke it. Indulge.
How to Smoke A Cigar
The proper way of holding your cigar is to hold it between your index finger and thumb. Again, cigar smoking is a slow, unhurried activity. Allow yourself enough time to smoke your cigar, to taste and savor the complex aromas and subtle flavors of the smoke. Smoke slowly, one puff per minute is ideal. Sit back, relax, and try to have a drink that complements the richness of the cigar, enjoy.
Never inhale the smoke from your cigar or swallow the residue of any tobacco product. This could make you ill because of the smoke's high alkalinity and high nicotine amount. Certainly, you can enjoy the flavor of your cigar of choice without inhaling the smoke. For more information on cigar smoking sickness please see "How To Smoke A Cigar and Not Get Sick."
If the cigar goes out, as it sometimes does after you've smoked it halfway through, or if you smoke too slowly, just relight your cigar as you would a fresh cigar. Remember to tap it first to gently on the ash tray to remove any clinging ash and then blow it to clear out stale smoke, before relighting.
This will suffice for your first cigar smoking experience. Some aficionados, however, consider a cigar that went out halfway, a minor crisis. Relighted cigar will rarely taste like the original if done improperly, but this is a process all to itself that is best discussed in my next posts in this How To Smoke A Cigar web log.
Among cigar aficionados, it is considered unnecessary, even in bad form to flick the cigar to make the ash fall prematurely. Unlike cigarette ash, cigar ash is sturdier and can last longer before falling on its own weight. This is because cigars are constructed more densely and some consider the length of the ash as one indicator of quality (discussing the many types and brands of quality cigar will be part of our posts on how to smoke a cigar, in the next few days).
In any case, ash build-up is actually good, since it creates an air block, helping to cool the cigar. Too long, however, and it can completely block the airflow and will cause irregular combustion. I must confess I'm one of those who find some pleasure in seeing just how long the ash can be maintained before it falls off, on its own. Rolling the ash gently on the ash tray to remove it, every 1/2 or 1 inch of build-up may be appropriate.
How far down should you smoke it? Sometimes, during the last couple of inches, the cigar lets off excessive heat and leaves an aftertaste in your mouth, so it may be time to put it out. Some people, though, vastly enjoy the progression of tastes they experience in superior cigars and will relish smoking these last two inches or until they can actually feel the heat in their fingers.
When putting out a cigar, don't crush it on an ashtray. It's not cigarette. Just put it on the side of the ashtray and allow it to go out on its own. Dispose of the stub immediately to avoid leaving the tenacious smell of cold tobacco.
When putting out a cigar, don't crush it on an ashtray. It's not cigarette. Just put it on the side of the ashtray and allow it to go out on its own. Dispose of the stub immediately to avoid leaving the tenacious smell of cold tobacco.
Congratulations, you've finished your first cigar and I sincerely hope it's been a pleasant and memorable experience for you. In the next few days, we will examine the many different facets of how to smoke a cigar, including its social aspects and etiquette, to provide you with a fine introduction on the subject.
Remember, what you'll find in these posts are general suggestions based on personal experience and those of other aficionados. You don't need to follow any set of guidelines just for the sake of following.
I would be the first to ask you to experiment and broaden your cigar horizon, so to speak. Now that you've learned how to smoke a cigar properly, please go ahead and try other cigars, explore the varied textures, nuances, and richness of different cigars until you find a true favorite. Until next time. Ciao!
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