Are you new to the world of cigars? Have you just recently taken to the hobby? If so, I have a few ideas that might help to enhance your smoking experience. Enjoying a cigar is great, and after figuring out my own cigar smoking ritual let me pass on what I’ve learned.

Storing/Transporting Tricks

When transporting your cigars, it’s important to know what you’re doing! I used to just grab a couple stogies, toss them into my bag, and forget about them until reaching my destination. Over time, poor smoking performance forced me to pay more attention to my well-traveled cigars. Get a good case. By good, I don’t mean a cheap leather one. Get something that is both crush proof and also water proof. Keep in mind that the relative humidity matters too! Nothing is worse than knowing that damage to a cigar was completely avoidable. Many of the big online cigar retailers carry really nice cases. Don’t worry about what it looks like.

Storing cigars is the most delicate and most overlooked step. If you’re serious about your cigars, you should be equally serious about how you store them. A properly humidified humidor is the lifeblood of this hobby. Don’t be afraid to spend money on a nice humidor and humidification accessories, i.e. humidity beads, hygrometers, thermometers.

I like to avoid humidors that have glass tops. I keep my humidor near a windows (not the best place for it, but it’s the only place in the room that allows for something to take up space). Direct sunlight can do all kinds of negative things to the humidity and temperature. Other than lighting the cigar, humidity is the most crucial in keeping your cigars in peak smoking condition.

Prepping Tricks

Cutting a cigar can be tricky for someone new to the lifestyle. Normally new smokers lop off too much of the cap. This can allow for future wrapper unraveling. Not cool! I’ve learned over time that when cutting to use a sharp, quality cutter. It doesn’t really matter if it’s a guillotine style or a v-cutter. As long as it’s sharp and you have complete control over the cutting motion, you’re golden. My favorite tool is a Xikar multi-tool. It has scissors built in designed for cigars. Perfect!

Lighting is a different animal altogether. You never want to hold flame to the foot of a cigar for too long. This can actually cause the tobacco to get too hot and become bitter. Also, depending on the type of tobacco used in the wrapper, there is a possibility that the tobacco itself could release oils that are extremely bitter. This would likely ruin your smoking ritual!

Toasting the foot of the cigar prior to drawing air through it is really the best way to ensure an even light. If the air is calm enough I like to use cedar matches. Otherwise, I use a torch flame. This allows me to have plenty of flame without fighting the elements. Again, it’s very very important to remember not to get the foot of the cigar too hot!

Etiquette and Tricks-to-not-make-people-mad

Depending on the venue, some people prefer that you remove the band on your cigar while smoking. Why? Sometimes the wrong impression can be emitted whilst around other folks. I guess it’s kinda like showing off your Ferrari at a Hyundai show.

One of my biggest peeves is when someone snuffs out a cigar into an ashtray or sidewalk upon finishing it. This might seem common if you come from the world of cigarettes, but it’s really off-putting to the rest of us. We smoke cigars to enjoy the huge variety of flavors and aromas. So, when you’re done, please just place the cigar in an ashtray and let it die in peace. Stabbing it into something else will only release the pungent aromas of the burnt tobacco. Think before you do that!

Hopefully some of these tricks allow for a more pleasurable smoking experience. It really comes down to humidity, prepping, and smoking etiquette. Tricks of the trade are only tricks to those who know what to do with them!

About The Author
Mike Dean is a guest blogging assistant with expertise in cigars who provides tips for beginners to become aficionados. Visit Famous-Smoke.com for information on winning the cigar lover’s trip of a lifetime!

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