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Cigar smoking, like any other gourmet activity, is one where every aspect of the endeavor matters. This includes when one should ash their cigar. The ash does do a bit of work for the cigar smoker and maintaining the proper amount affects the quality of the smoke.

The first few puffs of a cigar always entail the hottest ember. The flame generated by high-end cigar lighters, such as a Colibri lighter, is very hot and, thus, is held a bit back from the stogie. However, the ember still needs to cool a bit before the taste is at its best.

The more ash, the cooler the ember. Too much ash will actually extinguish the ember altogether so one must endeavor to keep the ash to a reasonable level. Too much of an ash will also mean a hard draw. Depending on the tobacco being smoked, one may be able to smoke with a longer ash or the density of the tobacco may mean that the cigar needs to be ashed quite frequently. Keep experimenting to see what works for any given brand of cigar.  Read more...

Most of those new to the art of smoking cigars find that they need a bit of instruction when it comes to using a cigar lighter to get their smoke going. While lighting that cigar is certainly necessary, it requires more than just a flame. You’ll need patience, as well as the right tools and some vital information. Knowhow is one of the most important factors in this equation, though torch lighters are also important considerations. If you are using a torch lighter and a quality cigar cutter, your process will be much simpler than otherwise.

Now, before you light up, you have to remove 1/8th of the cigar’s cap. You’ll see where the cap meets the cigar, as the shoulders of the cigar are rounded. Place your cutter here and depress the blade. Once removed, it’s time to move on to more important matters. Now that the cutting has been done, it’s time to warm up that cigar with your lighter. Warming the tobacco is an essential step and you should never bypass this, as it can ruin your smoking experience.  Read more...