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Smoking the cigar:
There's many ways to do this but I will go trough the process as I tend to do it.
Cutting:
Your going to need something to cut your cigar..... No don't bite it.
In general cutters are Guillotine, Punch or V-Cut. I tend to use Guillotine and Punches.
Always wet the (Sealed) end of the cigar lightly with your mouth before cutting.
Notice that the Cigars tapers at the end, this is called the shoulder and your going to want to cut somewhere in this region. Determine the line of the Cap and cut as little of the end of the cigar as you feel comfortable with, you can always cut more. Don't cut the whole cap off (Flush Cut) because this can cause the Wrapper to unravel which is hugely annoying. When cutting be decisive and cut in one swift movement.
Punching is even easier you literally lightly twist the punch into the closed cap end of the cigar, Once you have a hole, lightly suck through it to determine the (Draw) now draw is a personal thing but you neither want a wind tunnel or a Golfball in a hosepipe. Somewhere in between is ideal, a slight resistance but certainly not hard work.
Lighting:
Now I'm going to walk you through using a jet flame lighter as this is what I normally use.
With the cigar in one hand and the lighter in the other, ignite the lighter and start to offer it up to the (Foot) end of the cigar that isn't going in your mouth. The flame does not need to be touching the tobacco. Roll the cigar lightly and you will see the cigar foot start to darken (Char) and smoulder. Once this starts to happen bring the flame slightly closer as you continue to roll the cigar. You will start to see the end smoulder orange/red (Cherry), you want this to be as even as possible and it might require a gentle blow to help it on its way.
Once it's going your done with your lighter unless you let the cigar go out.
Smoking:
Now it's time to put the end (Unlit) in your mouth and gently suck, be sure not to inhale or take the smoke too far back. Keep the smoke in your mouth and feel free to gently roll it around the inside of your mouth for a moment before gently exhaling it. You don't want to over smoke the cigar as this will cause it to heat up and turn the flavour bad. I tend to take between 2 and 4 draws every minute, but you will find your own rhythm with different cigars. Continue this way until, the experience stops being pleasurable. If you cigar goes out, repeat the relighting process within a couple minutes of it going out to keep it at it's best. If the cigar is starting to seem like it's going out, try lightly blowing through it momentarily (Sometimes called purging.)
Ash: Some people like to leave the Ash intact, personally I like to knock it off. Try both ways and come to your own conclusions.
There's many ways to do this but I will go trough the process as I tend to do it.
Cutting:
Your going to need something to cut your cigar..... No don't bite it.
In general cutters are Guillotine, Punch or V-Cut. I tend to use Guillotine and Punches.
Always wet the (Sealed) end of the cigar lightly with your mouth before cutting.
Notice that the Cigars tapers at the end, this is called the shoulder and your going to want to cut somewhere in this region. Determine the line of the Cap and cut as little of the end of the cigar as you feel comfortable with, you can always cut more. Don't cut the whole cap off (Flush Cut) because this can cause the Wrapper to unravel which is hugely annoying. When cutting be decisive and cut in one swift movement.
Punching is even easier you literally lightly twist the punch into the closed cap end of the cigar, Once you have a hole, lightly suck through it to determine the (Draw) now draw is a personal thing but you neither want a wind tunnel or a Golfball in a hosepipe. Somewhere in between is ideal, a slight resistance but certainly not hard work.
Lighting:
Now I'm going to walk you through using a jet flame lighter as this is what I normally use.
With the cigar in one hand and the lighter in the other, ignite the lighter and start to offer it up to the (Foot) end of the cigar that isn't going in your mouth. The flame does not need to be touching the tobacco. Roll the cigar lightly and you will see the cigar foot start to darken (Char) and smoulder. Once this starts to happen bring the flame slightly closer as you continue to roll the cigar. You will start to see the end smoulder orange/red (Cherry), you want this to be as even as possible and it might require a gentle blow to help it on its way.
Once it's going your done with your lighter unless you let the cigar go out.
Smoking:
Now it's time to put the end (Unlit) in your mouth and gently suck, be sure not to inhale or take the smoke too far back. Keep the smoke in your mouth and feel free to gently roll it around the inside of your mouth for a moment before gently exhaling it. You don't want to over smoke the cigar as this will cause it to heat up and turn the flavour bad. I tend to take between 2 and 4 draws every minute, but you will find your own rhythm with different cigars. Continue this way until, the experience stops being pleasurable. If you cigar goes out, repeat the relighting process within a couple minutes of it going out to keep it at it's best. If the cigar is starting to seem like it's going out, try lightly blowing through it momentarily (Sometimes called purging.)
Ash: Some people like to leave the Ash intact, personally I like to knock it off. Try both ways and come to your own conclusions.
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