Gentleman’s Guide to Cigars Smoking and Proper Storage
While we can spend the whole day debating whether smoking cigars is as harmful as bb cigarettes, especially with the addition of new staff reports from the FDA stating that limited cigar smoking doesn’t carry the same cancer risks, we’ll be talking from an entirely different perspective. If you’re going to smoke cigars anyway, regardless of the risks, why not do it in style as all great people have always done? From world-class athletes like Michael Jordan to great historical strategists like Winston Churchill, smoking cigars is often associated with status, success, and power. While it may not be as popular as it used to be in the past era, it is still in high demand. Whether you’re on the left or right sides of the political spectrum, you’ll probably find the leading figures with cigars in their hand.
Unlike cigarettes, smoking cigars comes with its own set of etiquette and rules; just like you wouldn’t drink from a bottle of high-quality champagne, you wouldn’t want to smoke cigars like an amateur. Whether you’re looking at Che Guevara or John F. Kennedy for guidance when it comes to the right cigar-smoking posture, you’ll find a similar angle, respect for the cigar.
This gentleman’s guide to smoking cigars also includes a section on the proper storage and the right ways to keep them as fresh as possible.
Finding the Right Smoking Time and Strength
When you’re choosing a cigar brand or type, you need to understand that you should feel no pressure to choose a specific one because it’s a very personal decision. There are some considerations that you might want to think about, but they shouldn’t prohibit you from choosing something you intensely like. This is why it’s important to familiarize yourself with the different smoking times and strengths of cigars. Smoking time is the duration the cigar takes on average, from being lit to the final puff. If you’re looking for a cigar that you can enjoy around breakfast time, you want something that doesn’t go beyond 20 minutes, in addition to having a mildly creamy profile, one that’s soft enough for an early cigar.
Big cigars like the ones Winston Churchill used to smoke, which were around 7 inches in length, can take up to 2 hours to be finished. Naturally, these are suited for a relaxed setting with enough time to fully enjoy the cigar, whether it’s a long after-dinner talk or an eventful evening. Full-bodied cigars are known for their strength and rich earthy tones. While they can be enjoyable in other settings, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be able to fully enjoy them in a shorter time frame.
Effect of Humidity on Cigars
If there is one thing that’s essentially the most important metric in the storage of cigars, it’s humidity. Since cigars are natural leaf products, they can easily get affected by the elements surrounding them. Most experts recommend keeping the cigar at a humidity level between 65% to 70%, and the temperature should be kept around 17 to 23 degrees Celsius. As mentioned on https://crownhumidors.com/, using humidors to control the humidity of the cigar’s environment is one of the most effective ways to keep your cigars fresh. There are various types of humidors that you can use, depending on the capacity and quality you need. You can easily tell if the cigar has been kept in a dry environment without smoking it by briefly checking the wrapper or the body of the cigar. If there is any apparent damage to the wrapper or you found it very solid to the touch, it has been wrongly stored in a dry environment.
Choosing Between Hand-Rolled and Machine-Rolled Cigars
There are two ways to make a cigar; the old fashioned way, which was done through manually rolling the cigar by hand, or the relatively new machine-rolled way. A lot of seasoned cigar connoisseurs tend to avoid machine-rolled cigars because they often contain additives and chemically harmful ingredients used to mass-produce and store the product. Hand-rolled is of higher quality and the ingredients are quite minimal; tobacco, tobacco-based binders, and wrappers are the main materials. After hand-rolled cigars are done, they are left to age for a few months to enhance the flavor, reduce risk, and improve the overall quality of the cigar. So, if you’re looking for quality, tend to look for hand-rolled cigars first.
Cutting the Cigar
Cutting the Cigar is one of the most enjoyable moments that you can get to enjoy pre-smoking the cigar. Some beginners may be overwhelmed by the variety of options and types in the market, but it’s worth mentioning that they can all do the job. But a true gentleman knows the right cutters for his cigar. The guillotine cutter is quite popular thanks to its smoothly sharp cut and low pressure on the cigar’s head. Make sure to cut the cigar right above the shoulder, which is indicated by the lack of roundedness. Some cigar types have a pyramid-like shape, so you’ll want to cut a bit below the shoulder to avoid wasting precious tobacco.
Lighting the Cigar
It is worth mentioning that no single part of the process of smoking a cigar should be rushed, whether it is lighting, cutting, or smoking itself. The tool you use for lighting is mainly a personal preference, but some recommendations can help you experiment around with a few combinations. The most important element in the tool you use is that it must not alter the flavor of the cigar, which is why long matches, butane lighters, soft flame butane lighters, and similar ones are the best tools for lighting the cigar. Even though zippo lighter is quite popular with cigarette users, they can leave your cigar smelling like a petrol station. The most popular cigar-lighting tool is the most minimal one; matches. You should start by using the edges of the flame to slightly toast the foot of the cigar while rotating it. Practice evenly lighting the edges of the foot as precisely as possible while gently puffing as you rotate the cigar. Make sure that the cigar isn’t lit too fast because it can ruin the foot’s taste.
Pairing the Cigar with a Drink
When it comes to drinks, there are no such things as standard one-fits-all combinations with cigars. It’s hard to argue that a strong shot of espresso won’t ever go well with a fine creamy cigar, but whisky, on other hand, is a very different story. What makes whiskey an interesting choice is that it undergoes an aging process to enhance its flavor, similar to high-quality cigars. The earthy undertones of cigar coupled with the wooden nuances of whiskey is an ideal combination. While it is still more of an opinion than a law, it is the choice of experts and seasoned cigar smokers. The type of whiskey can vary, but the most common metric between them is aging.
Don’t Stub a Cigar
This is one of the most common pitfalls that beginner cigar smokers fall in. Aside from being disrespectful to a high-grade cigar, it will ruin the rich flavor of a cigar. Stale smoke and moisture from the previous lighting will make it taste quite poor and unenjoyable. The key to resolve this matter is to have a collection of cigars that work well with variable timeframes. You can mix small cigars that last no more than 15 minutes with their bigger counterparts that could last up to 3 hours. Depending on the smoking time that works for you, choose the cigars that can be properly enjoyed during that time frame, and remember, avoid stubbing as much as possible.
Miscellaneous Cigar Recommendations
The etiquette of smoking cigars can sometimes vary from one person to another, but some core values can be commonly found among all seasoned cigar smokers.
1. Removing the Band
This rule used to be the standard until recently. Removing the band of the cigar can be done after a minute or two of lighting the cigar, which ensures smooth removal. Some circles find it easier to remove the band before lighting the cigar. If you’re smoking in a group, it’s wiser to follow the host’s inclination to ensure proper etiquette display.
2. Smoking is not a Chore
A lot of beginners tend to huff and puff on the cigar like it’s their last one on earth. You need to understand that proper cigar smoking is an experience and not a chore like doing laundry. Allowing the foot of the cigar to cool properly will ensure that the flavor stays consistent and easier on your mouth. One or two strong puffs every minute is more than enough to enjoy the flavor and experience to the max.
3. Maintaining an Elegant Hold
Even though the way you hold the cigar won’t ruin the flavor or posture of the cigar itself, it can reduce the magnetic and charismatic presence the cigar is known for. The most popular and elegant way to hold the cigar is between your index finger and thumb; this is one rule that most cigar enthusiasts obey with ease. Holding a big cigar like you’d hold a cigarette is never a pleasing sight for seasoned cigar smokers.
4. Letting the Cigar Go Out
Out of respect to the cigar, you shouldn’t smoke it until you reach the foot. Naturally, as you close down the distance of the smoke traveled to your mouth, it becomes harsher and stronger. You won’t be able to truly enjoy the cigar if you reach a quarter of its length.
Removing the Plastic Wrapper during Storage
If you’re keeping the cigar around to smoke it within the next couple of days, you don’t have to remove the plastic wrapper that it comes with. If you’re aging your cigars, it’s recommended to remove the plastic cellophane because it can negatively alter the taste and the aging process itself. If you are carrying your cigars whilst traveling, it’s better to leave the plastic wrapper on to protect it from elements of nature. If you don’t have a humidor and want to ensure that the cigars stay fresh for a little while, you can resort to ziplock bags. Keep in mind that these bags will work fine for short-term storage, but don’t use them to age the cigars because they can’t provide the required humidity for long-term storage.
Dealing with a Beetle Infestation
This is one of the most dreaded problems that cigar lovers face during storage. The tobacco beetle is a pretty resilient tiny insect that can withstand even the highest efforts to remove them by the manufacturers. The larvae are quite small to see by eye and they will easily die if the humidity levels aren’t high enough. If you’re using a humidor and the humidity levels reach upwards of 72%, these larvae will start to hatch and they are quick enough to tunnel out of the cigar and multiply within a couple of days. The good news is that such an outbreak can be easily averted with routine inspection of the cigars. Once you notice signs of cigar beetles, such as tiny pin-like holes, freeze the cigars for 4 to 5 days. This will ensure that all larvae are exterminated and will allow you to re-humidify the cigars again easily. Make sure that the humidor supplies you with the perfect humidity level, which is around 65% to 70% before you put the cigars back inside.
The art of smoking a cigar may be more subtle than many beginners think. Like anything worthwhile, doing it right will only enhance the experience. You need to make sure that you’re able to see what makes smoking a cigar enjoyable to properly display it. As you search for your favorite cigar, expect to spend a considerable amount of time experimenting and testing, but this process is also meant to be enjoyable. Once you land your favorite cigar collection, ensure that your storage techniques are impeccable to avoid damaging the precious cigars. Always remember that experience and practice will help you master the gentlemanly art of cigar smoking.
