What is the best way to prepare and smoke a cigar?

Question

Bearing in mind I have NO knowledge whatsoever about cigars (imagine i'm an alien). Although, if it helps, I found out the cigar i'm going to have is a parejo corona in a tube.
(I can't wait to smoke it, it smell gowjuss, but i dont wanna ruin it)

(also, is smoking a cigar unhealthy?)

Answer 1

Open a pack of liverwurst.
Squeeze it all out onto a sheet of notebook paper.
Roll. Light. Smoke.

Answer 2

Well, make yourself comfy on a sofa, cut off the tip only if uneven, if the body of the cigar is a bit dry and peeling, then do a good lick around but dont wet it, just a slight dampness will sort the peeling out. Then ensure nobody else is in the room because you are bound to get people complaining of suffocation and breathlessness, altough you as the smoker of that cigar dont have to worry about it, you wont feel the thick smell of it until you killed it off, walked out of the room and back to the room again, hence my suggestion to smoke it outside in the current nice weather. Try not to enhale all of it but some little bit of it is fine to do so. Beware if you are not usually a cigarette smoker then you might get a bit dizzy but that is not a big deal it soon wears off after a few puffs. Have fun and dont chew the end as you see in the movies, they are old timers and can chew without affecting them. Hey have fund with your famous cigar now.

Answer 3

Cut off the tip. People have always told me that it tastes better if you light it with a match but I couldn't tell the difference.

Hold the smoke in your mouth. Don't inhale as it will make you feel really sick. Savour the taste and then exhale.

Smoking cigars is unhealthy but not as unhealthy as cigarettes.

Answer 4

I think you cut a bit of the top off with a special cigar cutter, pop it in your mouth and light with a lighter not matches, inhale and enjoy, still have a box full of Cohiba that we brought back from Cuba if you fancy one.

Answer 5

Cut off the tip and DON'T INHALE. Kinda hold the smoke in your mouth and roll it around like mouthwash.

DON'T INHALE. and start off with thin gars, not big fat stoggies.

It is unhealthy, but one cigar probably won't kill you for another 20 years, and then you won't even link it to the smoke.

Answer 6

Put on a jacket.
leave via the back door making sure it's closed behind you.
Go to the bottom of the garden.
Light it.
Smoke it.
Come back when the smell has faded.
Wash your clothes immediately.
Shower.

Answer 7

Smoking a cigar, first of all, is a pretty unhealthy habit, yeah, especially since you've got no filter to keep out even the heaviest of the tars and all of that stuff the health people scream about.

However, you didn't ask me if /I/ would smoke a cigar, and this is one of /your/ life experiences you want to savour, whatever the consequences, so since you might as well do it right, here goes.

All this comes from the Cigar Smoker's FAQ. There's a ton more information there, which you might as well go and see for yourself, including ashes, ashtrays, smoke rings and the proper disposal, so it's best if you do read up thoroughly first.

That way, there's a good chance that others might believe you're an expert yourself. ;)

"Squeeze the cigar gently. It should "give" but not be too soft. Don't roll it in your fingers, as some suggest - this can damage the wrapper. Squeeze gently up and down the body to look for lumps or soft spots. A good cigar should have neither. Remember to be gently. Even if you don't buy that cigar somebody else might - don't damage it!

"Inspect the wrapper for "odd" discolorations, looseness, or cracks. The wrapper should be smooth and tight, and not damaged on either end. Smaller veins are good to watch for, as these often smoke smoother, but compare your single to other cigars with the same wrapper! Veins appear differently in different wrapper types.

"Look at the tobacco in the exposed end. Some variation of color is normal, as most cigars are made from a blend of tobaccos. What you're watching for is extreme or abrupt color changes. This sometimes means an inferior leaf was used, or the leaves weren't laid together properly in the bunching process. Off tastes and uneven burns will often be the result.

"Clippers, cutters, etc. - The first thing you should do is closely examine the "head" of the cigar - this is the closed end that needs to be clipped. Almost all have what is called a "cap" - a bit of tobacco leaf used to close of the end - you should be able to see how far down the length of the cigar the cap goes by inspection. Typically only a 1/4" - 3/8" or so; sometimes much less, and on figurado shapes sometimes quite longer. Anyhow wherever the cap stops is your cutting limit - cut beneath the cap's line or even too close and your cigar will start to unwravel, and as you pointed out this is extremely unpleasant. Typically I cut the minimal possible while trying to open approx. 75%-85% of the cigar end's surface area. Sometimes this means a cut as little as 1/32" down, where other times almost 3/8" - it depends entirely on the individual cigar's roll and cap construction.

"The single bladed cheapie cutters that most newbies are given or buy for $3 typically do a very poor job of clipping the cap, and result in crushed, split, and tatterted cuts. One thing to keep in mind when using a guillotine cutter is to line up your cigar at eye level and to them clipped it quickly and decisively - I have found this method to give satisfactory results nearly 100% of the time.

"Many smokers swear by the .44 Magnum cutter which is a relatively inexpensive punch that is easy to use, makes a perfect round opening, and completely bypasses the problem of how much to clip. I personally don't use one because they do not work as well on figurado shapes, nor can I get as large an opening as I sometimes would prefer. Crestmark also makes a nice cigar punch that extracts the cut cap from itself. I own both types of punches and think they are excellent products and would recommend that you try one at your tobacconist, it may be ideal for you.

"V-Cut clippers are also available, and a few cigar smokers I know think this is the ONLY way to clip your cigar. You don't have to worry about the caps length using this type of cutter since you rest the cigar against it, and it "automatically" takes out a v-notched shaped bit of tobacco of the same size everytime. Personally I hate this type of cut, I find that it tends to build up tar on the edges and that some cigars tend to burn unevenly when cut this way. These cutters typically work better on some sizes than others, depends on the size of the v-notch blade.

"Cigar scissors are elegant, but they are difficult to use in my opinion. Plus they are damn near impossible to carry around.

"Some people use x-acto blades, swiss army pen knives, their teeth, and so on. How you clip your cigar is a matter of what works best for you. Just keep in mind where the cap ends and you should be fine.

"Is there an etiquette for lighting a cigar? This is as delicate as that wrapper color question! Everyone seems to have their own opinion on this, so what I am going to do is pass on is IMHO only! I light my cigars this way is that it provides me an even burn from the start, prevents any bitter taste during the lighting process, and also because I do enjoy the quiet ceremony of being so deliberate.

"If you use a match, wait till the sulphur burns off before using it to light you cigar. Also if you can find those fancy long cedar matches all the better.

"If you use a lighter, use a butane one. The gasoline based ones impart a foul flavor to your smoke. Of course this statement irritates the hell out of the Zippo manufacturer, so in rebuttal they actually published a rather nice little book that explains that if you allow the flame to burn for a few seconds all of the disturbing odor will dissapate. Try and see for yourself is my advice. Personally I use a butane lighter. I have no experience with the new fancy flameless lighters, so to put it simply: ask someone else.

"Some people claim that the only proper implement for lighting up is a cedar spill. A cedar spill is a long thin strip of spanish cedar which is lit first and then used in turn to light your cigar. You will typically see these in use at fancy cigar dinners, rather elegant way to light your stogie, but not all that practical in the car...

"Here is where it gets messy, "how to actually light it" has been the key stumbling block to peace in many a nation. I have heard so many different methods, with such subtle differences it is perplexing. So what I am going to share, is how -I- light my cigars. Here we go:

"I preheat the foot (the open end) by slowly rolling the cigar above the flame at an angle allowing a tiny black ring forms all the way around the wrapper. I don't allow the flame to touch the cigar.

"Then I place the cigar in my mouth, and draw in as I repeat the process, slowly rolling the cigar at an angle above the flame, but never letting the lighter flame actually touch the cigar. I guess about a 1/2 inch or so away. What appears to happen is the flame seems to leap from lighter up onto the foot of the cigar, even though my stogie never comes in direct contact with the lighter's flame. Remember to slowly spin the cigar to establish an even burn.

"Once I think I have it lit, I pull it from my mouth and actually look at the glowing foot to see if I did my job properly. Now if the burn is really uneven, I will reapeat the previous step on the appropriate side to even the burn. If it is just a bit uneven (which in my case it typically is) I gently blow on the end in the appropriate place to intensify the heat there, and will then take a couple steady draws, but will then just wait a minute before continuing to puff. This short delay seems to allow the cigar a chance to stabilize and self correct the burn.

"Then I sit back and relax and smoke to my heart's content!"

Answer 8

insert into mouth, light up and unlike ciagarettes do not inhale!!!!!