Weddings, childbirth, and the closing of big business deals all have one thing in common among men: the smoking of cigars. A cigar is a unique smoking experience because it is for the flavor and to set the mood of a relaxed conversation. This six inch stick of carefully crafted tobacco leaves truly holds a place of style and sophistication in society. While cigars are often associated with celebration, many refined gentlemen enjoy puffing away as they slowly sip on their bourbon or scotch on a nice evening or during a poker game or while grilling on a saturday afternoon. One can also live vicariously through cigars as they have defined many Hollywood characters like Lieutenant Columbo, Tony Soprano, Boss Hogg, General Jack Ripper, Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Name, Scarface, as well as many others. It seems many men are turned off by the thick taste and powerful draw of the stogie, but I'll show you how to enjoy it from choosing the right cigar all the way to putting it out.
The first and most critical step for the aspiring aficionado is the selection. Cigars are about as varied in strength, price, and flavor as cars, so one will want to start out on the Honda Civic of cigars and not the F1 race machine. You don't need to break the bank on a cigar; in fact, my favorites cost around $7. If it is your first time, get a mild cigar; a full one contains massive amounts of nicotine, has an overwhelming flavor, and will certainly make a rookie sick. When choosing, it is important to get a quality stick. Most reputable cigar shops will have a well stocked and maintained humidor and someone knowledgable on hand who can lead you to make a worthwhile purchase. If there is not someone around you can make an educated guess as to what looks to be quality by first looking at the construction. A well-made cigar will be held together well with no loose ends and even color in the wrapper. Cigars are meant to be firm; not as stiff as a board, but not soft like a medium rare steak.
Once you have made a selection you can get ready to smoke. First, a cutter will be needed to slice off the cap. There are a few types, but the cheapest and most used is the guillotine. When cutting off the cap you will see that it is typically a small piece that is stuck to the end; cut enough off to have good draw, but not too much as the wrapper may start to come apart if the whole cap is lopped off. After this get ready to light, but DO NOT use a cigarette lighter; any experienced smoker will tell you that these taint the flavor with gas. The proper tool to light is a wooden match, but there are other clean ways to light like a cigar like a butane lighter or the conventional electric car cigar lighter.
After lighting, the fun can begin. Puff enough to keep it going, but don't smoke too fast or you will ruin the experience. A cigar should take about 30 minutes to finish. The most important thing to remember is "DO NOT inhale." If you breathe in the smoke there is a one hundred percent chance you will get sick. Draw the smoke into your mouth, but blow it out before taking a big breath; your lungs and your stomach will be happy if you do this. Check the burn every few minutes to make sure it is even around the cigar, if one side burns faster than the other this is called "canoeing," and you will need to burn the wrapper with a match so you don't ruin the cigar. If all is well keep puffing away until you get so close to the end that your fingers and tongue start to burn.
Once you finish the only downside is the smell, like you came out of the back room of a bar, but that isn't all bad, especially when you can feel like Tony Soprano for half and hour. I will warn that cigars, while not addictive like the cancer sticks that are cigarettes, can cause sudden spending sprees on items like specialty lighters, humidors, and variety packs of more cigars.
