Mocha

Welcome to cigar 101. Here you will find general information to help you get started in the world of cigars. There are many terms, and descriptions used when talking about cigars, cigar brands, and cigar equipment and it can get pretty confusing for a novice.  Hopefully this will help you understand these terms and provide you some insight on selecting and smoking a fine cigar.

Tip for novice: Is smoking cigars bad for your heath? Technically doing any type of smoking is not a healthy practice especially if you inhale the smoke and smoke a lot. That said, smoking cigars is different than smoking cigs, in that you do not inhale cigar smoke. The pleasure of smoking a cigar is enjoying the taste of a quality hand rolled cigar. It is not to be a substitute for cigarette smoking.

 Ok, that said, its best to start out slow. Enjoy your cigar with friends and/or to celebrate a special event in your life.  Although you can enjoy a fine cigar by yourself, you will find its best if done with a group of friends (like those you will find here at Cigarz).  So let’s get started in providing some basic terms you will hear when conversing about cigars.

Terms:

Selecting your cigar:

When trying to find your cigar, it really depends on YOU! Do not let others push you into this cigar or that cigar. Talk to Cigar Joe and tell your preferences regarding:

·         Taste (full flavored, spice, cream)

·         Size (short for a quick smoke, to a longer cigar for hours of enjoyment)

·         Ring size: a larger ring size typically produces a more complex and fuller tasting cigar 

Tip for novice: It is recommended to start out with a smaller ring size

·         Wrapper color: A cigar with a darker color will typically be sweeter full bodied tasting cigar; lighter colors tend to be more mild

·         Cost: You really can’t judge a cigar by its price. Some lower cost cigars have excellent taste, but some also taste really bad!

So when talking with Joe, tell him your preferences and he will provide you with a number of choices, and truthfully any one he recommends will be great.

Smoking your Cigar:

To start smoking your cigar, you will need to cut the head, light it up and take you time enjoying the flavor of the cigar.  

Cutting your cigar requires using either a cutter or a punch to remove a small piece of the head. You should try to keep the cut around 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch. For most cigars you will see a line near the cap indicating where the cap has been joined to the cigar. Do not cut beyond this line or you might cause your cigar to start to unwrap as you smoke it.  Here again Cigar Joe can show you how to properly cut your cigar.

Lighting the cigar is performed by carefully putting the cigar into the flame and rotating to ensure a even burn. Then place the cigar in your mouth and the flame about 3/4inch away from the end and while rotating the cigar take a draw of the cigar. Once lit, gently blow on the end of the cigar to ensure it is burning evenly. Otherwise it will cause the cigar to burn lopsided.

At the end of the smoke… wait, when is enough, enough?  Here again it is up to you. Enjoy the cigar until you feel you had enough. That maybe halfway through or when the cigar becomes a stub.  When done, do not stub out the cigar in an ashtray as this will cause an unpleasant odor. Simply place it in the ash tray and let it go out on its own.

 Next, where and how to store your cigars