In the realm of cigar appreciation, mastering the art of smoking like a pro elevates the entire experience. From selecting the perfect cigar to savoring its flavors, each step contributes to the ritualistic pleasure of indulging in a fine smoke. Let's delve into the nuances of cigar smoking and uncover the secrets that distinguish aficionados from novices.
Choosing the right cigar
Understanding Cigar Sizes
When selecting a cigar, it's essential to understand the term "vitola," which refers to the cigar's shape, length, and ring gauge. Cigars come in various standard sizes, each with its own specific name, as detailed below.
Cigars are measured in length (in inches) and by their ring gauge, which represents the diameter in units of 1/64th of an inch. For instance, a 64 ring gauge cigar would be an inch in diameter, though most cigars are smaller.
How Much Should You Pay for a Quality Cigar?
Many people wonder about the appropriate price for a quality cigar. While it may appear that you need to spend a significant amount to enjoy a good smoke, prices can be quite reasonable. Quality cigars can be found for upwards of EUR15.
Several factors influence a cigar's price, including the brand, the aging duration of the tobacco used, and the size of the cigar.
Inspecting the cigar
Most cigars are handmade, which means inconsistencies are common. Discolorations and spots might simply result from a faulty curing process or could be plume, indicating a well-aged cigar. However, some defects, like mold, beetle holes, or a torn wrapper, can render a cigar unsmokable.
To ensure a quality smoke, you must learn to check your cigar for any taste-altering blemishes. Ask your cigar vendor if you can inspect the cigar before purchasing. Look for hard or soft spots, ridges, irregular shapes, mold, holes, or tears. Ideally, the wrapper should have a uniform hue, be neither too dry nor too moist, and exhibit uniform construction. The cigar should feel firm in your hand, with no soft or hard spots.
Cutting the cigar
The first step in preparing your cigar is to cut the cap with a cigar cutter. This allows you to draw through the cigar and puff it properly.
Using a knife (or your teeth!) is a big no-no, so a proper cigar cutter, such as a guillotine, cigar punch, double-blade cutter, or V-cutter is essential. It is important to use a quality cutter with a sharp blade to ensure a clean cut.
Using a blunt or low-quality cutter can cause damage to the wrapper, which you want to keep intact. The cap is a small piece of wrapper that has been glued to the end of the cigar.
Only 2-3mm of this needs to be removed with the cutter, although this distance can vary depending on the type and vitola of the cigar. Use a strong, quick motion to chop off the end, as this will prevent the wrapper from tearing. For those new to smoking, a double-bladed guillotine cutter is the best bet.
How Do You Light a Cigar?
Lighting a cigar takes a surprising amount of skill; however, with practice, it will become second nature!
What to Use
The first step in how to light a cigar is to choose your lighting tool. As cigars are more complex than cigarettes, consider upgrading from cheaper disposable lighters to long cigar matches, a butane lighter, or a torch lighter.
Cigar Lighting Technique
Toast the Foot: Hold the cigar at a 45-degree angle slightly away from the flame. The flame should be close enough to gently toast the cigar's foot without touching it. This initial toasting ensures that the wrapper and binder burn evenly along with the filler.
Check for Even Burn: Puff a little on the cigar and check that it is burning evenly. The wrapper and binder at the foot should appear white.
Fully Ignite the Filler: Bring the flame about half an inch away from the foot to fully ignite the filler. Draw air through the cigar, allowing the flame to take hold. Keep spinning the cigar to achieve an even ember around the foot. You can continue drawing on the cigar with the flame still positioned below the foot.
Achieve Spontaneous Combustion: Sometimes, puffing on the cigar creates a flame at the foot. Some cigar aficionados prefer to keep toasting the cigar until the foot spontaneously combusts. This is the optimal sign that your cigar is ready to smoke.
Enjoy the Smoke: Once lit, exhale a puff of smoke. Allow the burn to stabilize and burn evenly before fully enjoying your cigar.
How Do You Smoke a Cigar?
All that remains is to enjoy your stogie. Hold your cigar between your thumb and forefinger. Holding it between your forefinger and middle finger makes you look like a confused cigarette smoker. Also, do not inhale. Draw on your cigar and hold the smoke in your mouth to discern the flavors.
Retrohale is a bit more complicated. To retrohale, draw on your cigar, hold the smoke in your mouth for a bit, then exhale most of the smoke. Push the remaining smoke up your nasal cavity and out of your nostrils. Retrohale is a great way to discover subtle flavors you couldn’t discern otherwise. Remember, cigar smoking is a leisurely pastime. Do not rush your cigar. Take up to a minute between draws. A cool cigar holds flavors better than a warm cigar.
Pro Tip: After smoking a significant portion of your cigar, it might start to taste bitter. This bitterness is caused by the accumulation of gases. Blow air out through the cigar to clear these gases, refreshing the flavor.
How Far Down a Cigar Should You Smoke?
Knowing when to stop smoking a cigar is often more down to personal preference than strict rules. Some smokers say the best part of the cigar is the first half, stopping there, but this seems wasteful! Other enthusiasts leave about three-finger widths by the time they stop smoking.
Some people stop at the cigar band (if it’s still on), but this could be wasteful depending on where the band is positioned. The type of cigar matters too; some turn hot and harsh as they burn closer to the nub, while others taste great until the end. Experiment with different cigars to discover which ones you enjoy smoking longer and which ones you prefer to stop earlier.
How to Taste
Adapting how you taste your cigar can significantly enhance your smoking experience. Learning to distinguish different flavors and subtleties can make a world of difference. Here are a few tips:
Pre-light Tasting: Smell and taste the cigar before lighting it. Place it in your mouth to see if any key flavor notes hit you.
Slow Smoking: Take the smoke slowly to avoid overheating the cigar, which can negatively affect the taste.
Let It Linger: Allow the smoke to linger in your mouth for a more pronounced aftertaste.
Retrohale: Exhale through your nose to detect additional flavors in the aroma.
Keep Your Palate Fresh: Ensure your palate is clean to better taste the cigar's flavors.
Can You Relight a Cigar?
Cigars tend to extinguish themselves if not puffed on periodically, so you may need to relight your cigar. To do this, hold the flame just in front of the foot and blow through the cigar to get rid of any trapped ash. Then, simply repeat the lighting process.
Try to keep the cigar going by taking a puff every minute or so, as continuously having to relight it can alter the cigar's flavor unpleasantly. Relighting a cigar is acceptable if it’s the one you have just been smoking. However, if you’ve left the cigar for more than a few hours, it’s better to start fresh rather than relighting it.
Pairing
Pairing your cigar with the right drink can enhance the experience. Depending on the time of day and the flavor profile of your cigar, consider pairing it with coffee, cognac, bourbon, scotch, or even beer. Pairing is about personal preference. Matching or contrasting flavors from drinks or food can create more complex tasting experiences and may even draw out hidden notes within your cigar.
What to Do with the Band
Do You Remove the Band Before You Smoke a Cigar?
This is a matter that is debated back and forth between even the most advanced aficionados out there. As a beginner, it's fine to be unsure of the protocol regarding band removal! Here are arguments for and against removing the band.
For Removing the Band:
If you smoke a cigar with the band still on and the band begins to burn, your cigar will taste like burnt paper, which is not good. To prevent this, some remove the band as a preventative measure.
Against Removing the Band:
The band is usually affixed to the cigar with a small amount of gum adhesive. Sometimes, too much adhesive is used, causing the band to fuse to the wrapper leaf. When the band is removed, a small amount of the wrapper may come away too, impacting the cigar's structure.
Best Practice:
Start smoking for a few minutes to allow the heat of the cigar to soften the gum, making it easier to remove the band. After a few draws, the cigar gets warm, and you can easily remove the band. If gently tugging doesn't work, smoke a little more until the glue holding the band warms up and melts. Forcefully removing the band can tear the wrapper and ruin your stogie. Do not under any circumstances smoke the band.
Note: One of the common issues when removing the band is damaging the wrapper, leading to a less enjoyable and challenging smoking experience. For instance, in Zaven by G.P. Grant cigars, there is a small tab at the adhesive point shaped like a crown, allowing you to easily grip and remove the band without harming the wrapper.
How to Take the Ash Off
Everyone wants to show off a 2-inch mast of cigar ash. However, pros know precisely when to drop the ash to avoid making a mess. When your ash goes beyond an inch, it's time to drop it to prevent it from falling on your lap. Place your cigar on the ashtray and gently tap it.
Tip: A thick layer of ash cools the smoke, making the smoking experience more pleasant.
Sometimes this won't work. Premium cigars can have sturdy ash for up to 2 inches. If the ash doesn't drop, let it be. Take a few more draws and try again. Forcing the ash to drop exposes the ember, which may result in temporary harshness.
How to Put Out a Cigar
To properly put out a cigar, let it rest in the ashtray. It will go out on its own. Do not crush it like a cigarette, as this can create an unpleasant smell. Simply let it extinguish itself naturally.
How Do You Store Cigars?
If you plan to smoke a cigar shortly after purchasing it, there's no need for elaborate storage. Many single cigars come in protective tubes, which are ideal for short-term storage until you're ready to enjoy them. These tubes can also be reused to carry additional cigars later.
Cigars also often come in clear plastic wrappers. As long as these are kept in a cool, dry place, they should remain in good condition for a few days until you’re ready to smoke them.
Use a Humidor
If you decide to enjoy cigars more regularly, investing in a humidor is essential for maintaining your collection in optimal condition. Without a humidor, cigars can dry out, leading to cracks, peeling wrappers, and diminished flavor. Additionally, dried-out cigars tend to burn faster, compromising the smoking experience.
A humidor is crucial for keeping cigars fresh and maintaining the right humidity level, ensuring the perfect smoke every time. By investing in a quality humidor, you'll preserve the flavor, integrity, and overall enjoyment of your cigars.
Should You Age Cigars?
Some cigar lovers choose to age their cigars, as this process can enhance the smoking experience. While most cigars don't actually need to be aged, as the producer will have aged the tobacco for at least a couple of years before rolling, and possibly again after the cigar was rolled, many still find the process enjoyable.
Best Practice:
Rather than aging one singular cigar, it is typically best to buy a box of cigars and put them in a humidor to age. This allows you to experiment with aging while always having a good supply of cigars on hand.
Aging cigars can be a fun and rewarding process, adding depth and complexity to the flavors. However, it's important to remember that not all cigars benefit from aging, so it's best to experiment and find what works for your palate.
Accessories
There are many accessories for smoking cigars, primarily including:
Humidors and travel humidors
Cigar cases for carrying cigars outside the home
Cutters for trimming cigars
Pocket and tabletop lighters
Ashtrays
Final
As we observe the ash settling on our cigar, we contemplate the journey we've undertaken - a journey marked by sensory pleasures and nuanced decisions. From managing the ash to handling the band, each choice shapes our experience and refines our skills in cigar smoking. Let's appreciate the elegance of this timeless tradition with a practical mindset, focusing on the craftsmanship and expertise it demands. With each puff, let's savor the nuances and complexities, embodying the essence of a seasoned enthusiast
