Cigar Smoking Technique

[Catfish]

Originally Posted by SilverFox

Every single puff gets a nasal exhale.

QFT. Every puff. I am a 100% snorker.

[Razorhog]

Originally Posted by Catfish

QFT. Every puff. I am a 100% snorker.

I find that I am too. I wouldn't exactly call it an exhale though, I just push a little bit of the smoke remaining in my mouth out through my nose (after the initial exhale). I then continue that same motion with my tongue for a bit and the flavors really jump out.

If you're ready to join the ranks of cigar smokers, here is how to get started. The first step is selecting the right cigars to "practice" with. You should start by choosing several different single cigars at your local tobacconist. Do not buy a box of cigars until you have sampled a few singles, first. Don't be afraid to ask the owner or manager for advice.
Choose Cuban Cigars
Cuban cigars are recommended for beginners, since the more full-flavored cigars would most likely taste too strong (or just plain bad) to a new smoker. Cuban cigars are also the least expensive, so you won't have to worry about ruining an expensive cigar by lighting it incorrectly, or by cutting too much off the closed end.
Inspect the Cigar
Once you have determined which type of cigar(s) to purchase, then gently squeeze the cigar to determine if there are any hard or soft spots. You don't want to take a chance on buying a cigar with a bad draw, or worse yet, one that is plugged and not smokeable. Tip: Reputable tobacconists will usually replace a plugged cigar. Also, inspect the wrapper for cracks or discolorations.
Protect & Smoke
If you do not yet own a humidor, do not buy more cigars than you can smoke within a couple of days, and make sure to leave them in their cellophane packaging (if applicable) until you're ready to smoke. Never leave an unprotected cigar exposed to the elements, as it will quickly dry out. You can temporarily store cigars in a Tupperware or similar container.

[pnoon]

Welcome to Cigar Asylum.

[gbum]

Originally Posted by stphen

Cold smoking is a lengthy process of curing salmon also known as dry or wet curing. It typically takes about two to five days to cure, then 12 hours to smoke. Most salmon that people recognize in stores is cold smoked, sold as Nova Salmon. The process starts by placing the fish in a brine (salty solution) preparation which includes sugar (typically brown), salt & pepper, as well as a variety of spices (chosen by the particular tastes of the smokehouse). It is then drained, rinsed carefully, and refrigerated for about half a day.

[bobarian]

Nice review.

This is good stuff. I met Christian Eroia at a show where he showed me how to exhale thru my nostrils. It changed for ever the appreciation for any cigar. takes a little practice but the rewards are tremendous. yor really begin to understand what herfers mean when they talk about pepper, chocolate, coffee etc.

You have great post of the Cigar Smoking Technique.Take a short, what I call a 1/2 puff, let it out the side of your mouth while beginning a full puff....kinda like you see pipe smokers do. Exhale slowly with with your lips kinda in a whistling position and enjoy the flavor.

[LasciviousXXX]

Every so often, its great to go back and read thru threads like this. Always remember the essentials

[BloodSpite]

This was really informative

Personally I used guillotines only for a short while. Now I just use my thumbnail.Bad habit I guess picked up in Honduras a few years ago.

My own personal preference for lighting is wooden matches.

Sounds weird I guess but I swear I can taste and smell the fuel used in Butane lighters through the cigar.

Wooden matches also seems very traditional and I think I get a much more leveled burn on the tip.

The rest of this was just awesome!

[OLS]

Originally Posted by Cyanide

But, one of the things one can do to possibly limit the chances of laryngeal cancer (one of the risks that doesn't disappear to near-zero simply by having less than 2 cigars a day and not inhaling....it might have to do with swallowing your smoke-ridden saliva) is to rinse your mouth out regularly with water, remembering to spit the water out.

This is strange, but good advice. It is also quoted a bit out of context.

Not a lot of people understand how they get sick to their stomachs when smoking a strong,
or even a mild cigar. In my view it is from swallowing spit laden with nicotine and burn
compounds/chemicals. One could go a long way to cancer prevention with a little rinse
and spit now and again.

Also while it is good advice for tasting purposes, not everyone should be nasal exhaling.
It can sting and permanently casue them to react in a stinging way.

[OLS]

Sorry, I got distracted by some Aholes and didn't get a chance to edit in time.
If you have EVER had trouble with a sinus infection or irritable sinuses, the snork
is a very bad idea. Once your sinuses start to be irritated by smoke, it will negatively
affect your smoking pleasure for some time to come. YOU KNOW your own sinuses,
and whether or not it is a good idea for you. Be guided by that common sense.

Thanks for sharing the information regarding cigar smoking techniques.

Originally Posted by Da Klugs

So you learn a few things along the journey of discovery that is cigar smoking. There are so many, it's what keeps the hobby fresh. Nothing like sitting down next to a brother/sister and "noticing something". I'm pretty slow but over time you pick up things that can be useful.

How you choose to smoke a cigar is many times based upon circumstances. Time constraints, location, need to do something productive while smoking, etc can all have an impact on "how you smoke". The interrelated subject is "what you choose to smoke". Anyone with more than 1 cigar is confronted with this choice.

But.. let's stick with technique.

Once you choose to smoke a specific cigar, for whatever reasons it comes to you to do so (mine more often then not are that I could find it) there are basic things you need to do.

Cut: Most folks use some form of guillotine cutter. Either single blade or dual blade. Lots of hype regarding which style is better and within style which brand. Palio and Xikar being the most popular dual blades. Personally, I tend to cut most cigars with my $ 1.50 single blade Havana cutter. The very thin razor edge seems to be the most reliable for me particularly with crumbly older cigars. However, the Palio and Xikars do a fine job as well. One technique I have seen is to lay the cutter flat on the table, put the cigar in vertically, and make the cut with the cigar head resting on the table. Seems to be pretty good at making a straight cut, particularly with the Xikar and Palio, where a bit of twisting and off angle cuts are easy without a firm steady hand. Going too slowly on a cut is normally where problems of "pinching" occurs. So commit to the cut!

Once you have smoked a particular cigar / box sometimes you find cigars that have a draw that is looser than you prefer. For me, this is the application for a Punch. By making a smaller hole/restricting airflow in the cap vs cutting the whole thing off, the draw can me made to "feel" more normal.

Light: Lots of chatter about "how to" light a cigar. Cedar strips, toasting to avoid flame touching the tobacco with torches, soft flame lighters, etc, etc. From my perspective have never really noticed a difference in flavor based upon "how a cigar was lit". However, there are huge differences in how a cigar smokes based upon the light. I believe that most poorly burning/running cigars start with a bad light.

There are probably an infinite number of ways to get a good light. Here is one. I toast the foot.. flame on or a little off of the tobacco. In between I blow on the glowing foot. Take no draws on the cigar during the process. Try to get the entire foot including the wrapper glowing. Usually its 2-3 toast and blow alternations to get a good even burn. After it is achieved wait a few seconds and start taking light draws on the cigar and recheck the evenness of the burn. If necessary torch and blow again.

Starting with light vs heavy draws on the cigar helps prevent an initial run and improves the burn for the entire cigar.

Draw Intensity: How hard you draw on a cigar has a big impact on the flavors. The nature of a cigar and where it is in its burn interrelate on this issue as well. Drawing too heavily and sharply will tend to heat a cigar beyond it's optimal flavor profile. However, cigars that are too moist (too being relative to what you like) may require heavier or more frequent draws to get the proper amount of smoke. This relates to a separate but related issue of what RH to store your cigars and why some folks choose to "dry box" (store cigars in lower RH just prior to smoking).

Every cigar has it's sweet spot, at least for me, regarding the pace and amount of draw to "get it's best". It's something you need to think about but tends to come naturally... sometimes through a head spinning surprise.

Frequency of Draw: Numbers like every 30 seconds or 45 or 1 minute get thrown out as being the "right pace". I think every cigar has it's optimal pace. Older dryer = lighter puffs, longer intervals. Newer, wetter harder puffs shorter intervals (cuz they will go out is one reason). It really depends mostly on how hard you draw and finding a "pace" that makes the cigar taste best for you.

Nose Modulation: Everything we give him he stick up his nose! (Old Cheech and Chong line) Try eating or smoking something while pinching your nose. No discernible flavors! The sense of taste regarding smoke comes primarily from your nasal cavity. For me it was a serendipitous thing for many years. I'd smoke a cigar... smoke in the mouth, smoke out the mouth. Got preferences. Bought more of them. Basically a happy lil mouth smoking camper. Then the SOB named Bruce noticed my "technique" and showed me the "nose exhale". The world changed from there. Every cigar I smoke I exhale some portion of the inhale consciously through my nose. Milder cigars... more nose. Stronger cigars.. less nose, but every cigar some nose. Usually more nose at the beginning of a cigar less at the end. If you don't do it now, you need to learn.

Summary: Storage RH starts the process. Cutting it right sets the stage. Lighting it evenly positions you for pleasure. But, the combination of finding a cigars pace and consciously modulating the strength of draw and the amount of "nose" on exhale is "it". Once you get "it" there are many paths to enjoy any particular cigar at any point in its all too short death by fire.

Of course we violate many of these rules by hot boxing some of the worlds finest cigars in PPP's.

I quite enjoyed this. Well thought out. Well written. East to understand. Kudos!
Note: Xikar sent me a cutter I hadn't seen before. It looks like your standard inexpensive guillotine cutter but only one side is exposed. On the other side, they've placed a shiny plastic American flag.
So when you place the cap of the cigar into the cutter, it now has a back stop that behaves in the same way as described in this article. It takes the smallest, but necessary, amount of cap. Because it's Xikar, I'm guessing the stainless steel blades are way above average. It's virtually, an idiot proof cutter.

Originally Posted by Katmancross

I quite enjoyed this. Well thought out. Well written. East to understand. Kudos!
Note: Xikar sent me a cutter I hadn't seen before. It looks like your standard inexpensive guillotine cutter but only one side is exposed. On the other side, they've placed a shiny plastic American flag.
So when you place the cap of the cigar into the cutter, it now has a back stop that behaves in the same way as described in this article. It takes the smallest, but necessary, amount of cap. Because it's Xikar, I'm guessing the stainless steel blades are way above average. It's virtually, an idiot proof cutter.

Sounds interesting, got a URL to this item ?

Originally Posted by mrt

sounds interesting, got a url to this item ?

I discovered a few minutes ago that this cutter was part of a promo gift for Xmas 2010. But apparently, they don't sell them.

[Flounder]

Quick question about cutting.

A lot of cigars will come to point on the end you need to cut, how do you all recommend cutting those? I've heard to do it at an angle, but that seems funny to me, but I don't wanna just lop the whole tip off of it. Suggestions?

[NCRadioMan]

Originally Posted by Flounder

Quick question about cutting.

A lot of cigars will come to point on the end you need to cut, how do you all recommend cutting those? I've heard to do it at an angle, but that seems funny to me, but I don't wanna just lop the whole tip off of it. Suggestions?

Start cutting about the size of a pencil eraser off the tip. Test the draw. If too tight, cut off another 1/8 an inch. Test draw. Repeat as needed.

It's better to not cut enough and adjusting than cutting off too much first.

[Flounder]

That's what I figured, just wanted to check to see if I was supposed to cut it at the angle or what.

[NCRadioMan]

Originally Posted by Flounder

That's what I figured, just wanted to check to see if I was supposed to cut it at the angle or what.

You can, that's up to you. I cut them at an angle (dickman cut) but not on purpose all of the time.