Lesson 3: Smoking a Cigar

Son(s),

While I generally discourage you from taking up any type of regular smoking, whether cigarette, cigar or pipe, smoking on occasion is something you must be prepared for. If you are anything like me, you will at some point, smoke a cigar. So listed below is the basics on smoke a cigar.

Step 1: Cutting the Cigar

There are two ends of the cigar, the head (where you will put your mouth) and the foot (where you will light the cigar). You will make your cut on the head of the cigar right above where it starts to curve, which is called the shoulder. I like using a guillotine cutter, although there are different preferences on the cutting tool. Once you have cut the cigar, before lighting it, put it to your lips and draw on it to make sure you have cut the hole large enough to draw smoothly. If you are having a hard time pulling air through the cigar, cut a little more off the head. However, be careful because if you cut too far up the cigar, you have a chance of messing with the wrapper and letting the cigar unravel.

Note: The wrapper is the section of cigar that the tobacco is wrapped in, this is not to be confused with the label.

Step 2: Lighting the Cigar

Hold the cigar at a 45 degree angle and char the foot of the cigar first. Use the tip of the flame as this is the hottest. The key to a good light is a slow, even burn so rotate the cigar as you light it to get the entire circumference smoldering. Then put the cigar in your mouth and draw slightly while rotating it. You shouldn't touch the flame to the cigar. Continue to rotate the cigar until the foot bursts into flame with each puff. If you notice that one side is lit more than the other, the tobacco will not draw properly and you will not have a good time smoking the cigar. If you have lit the cigar properly then a cone will form at the foot of the cigar as you smoke it.

Step 3: Smoking and Dealing with Ash

I leave the label band on my cigar as I smoke so to make sure that I don't tear the wrapper off the cigar, but it's up to you. As you smoke you should see the ash start to gather on the end. Once this gets to about an inch, gently tap the end of the cigar to let the ash fall off. If it doesn't al off with a gentle tap, then continue smoking and try again in a minute or so. If the ash doesn't fall off, that's a good sign of a well made cigar. Don't inhale the smoke while smoking, not only is that extra bad for you, but it also is unnecessary with a cigar as it is meant to be tasted not inhaled. Remember, drawing on a cigar is like sucking on a straw.

Step 4: Extinguishing the Cigar

You don't need to snuff out the cigar to make it go out. You can just let it go out on its own. A word of warning, if you start to feel dizzy or light headed, stop smoking. Even though, you might think you can smoke more, when you stand up the effects get worse. Just put the cigar down on the ash tray and let it go out, you can still enjoy the smell of it. Finally, the darker the cigar, the stronger it usually is.

Love,

Dad