How to Enjoy Your Cigar

Full-flavored cigars may not be advisable for beginners like you. You might get caught off-guard and find the taste too strong for your liking. So do choose mild cigars for your practice smoking. When you've gotten used to it, you can switch to the full-flavored ones.

You will love how mild cigars are much cheaper and easier to handle. You won't have to worry about lighting it the wrong way or cutting the closed end too much.

Do the Necessary Inspection

So how do you know if what you got is of good quality? You can do simple inspections. You can squeeze the cigar, checking for any spot that is too hard or too soft. You may also check the wrapper for any unwanted discolorations or cracks. Or, you can simply make sure that you go to reputable tobacconists. You will less likely get bad cigars and they readily replace plugged cigars.

Learn to Protect Your Cigars

You have to have a humidor to conserve the cigars that you keep. If you don't have one, then you might as well purchase only those that you can smoke within a few days. Also, make sure you keep the cigars in their original cellophane packaging (if they do have one). You may also keep the cigars in plastic containers. The idea is to protect them from elements as they tend to dry up very easily.

Notice the closed end of your cigar, or what they call the head? That's where you puff it, but you have to cut it first if you wish to get the best experience. You can cut your cigar in either one of three ways: straight cut, punched hold, and V cut. And there are many different types of cigar cutters: Guillotine Cigar Cutters, Cigar Punch, Scissor Cigar Cutters and V Cigar Cutters.

The most commonly used among cigar cutters is the Guillotine type. When using this cutter, you hold your cigar using one of your hands and the cutter with the other. You then insert the cigar's head into the guillotine. This is when you make the cut (at least 1/16 to 1/8 inch down the cap).

If your cigar's head is cone-shaped, the proper way to cut it would be to follow the same cone shape. But do make sure that you don't cut at the wide part. More so, make sure you don't cut right through the cigar's body. You will ruin your cigar by unraveling the wrapper.

Now what if you don't have cigar cutters? Well, you can go primitive and use your teeth instead. This should only serve as a last resort though, especially if you are using a premium cigar. You face the risk of damaging the filer tobacco and the binder, and you will very easily unravel the wrapper, too - practically everything you need to ruin your smoking experience.

You can also try using a sharp knife coupled with a shopping board. Sharp scissors can come in handy, though. And if a hole is what you have in mind, you can rely on a pencil or a pen to do the punching. Still, you do face the risk of damaging your cigar.

So how do you properly light up a cigar? It is recommended that you use wooden matches or butane lighters. And you must avoid using a scented candle as it will introduce chemicals and foreign substances and flavors to the cigar. And if you like to smoke outdoors, your choice of lighter would be the butane torch type.

When lighting the cigar, you simply hold it with one hand while gripping the cigar around the band (that is, at least 1-2 inches from the head). Then position the cigar above the flame. Be careful not to touch the flame. The cigar and the flame don't need to have contact to actually light up. You can then puff on the cigar. Make sure you keep the cigar rotating while you continue to puff.

Cool Gifts for Men

Another great way to enjoy cigar is to give them away as cool gifts for men. They even make for unique groomsmen gifts. Don't forget to wrap up those cigar cutters, too!