The art of smoking cigars is as old as human history itself. For hundreds and thousands of years, we’ve been intrigued by the things the Earth grows for us. From apple trees to nuts, we find ways to turn the gifts of nature into things we can enjoy, and not just food. Tobacco plants are no different, and they have provided us plenty of use over the course of our civilization. In the early days, we had very little knowledge of what to do with it, but now we have an extensive collection of information on tobacco and tobacco products.

One of the premier uses is in the processes that go into making a cigar come to life. This is one of the ways that people have enjoyed the rich and smooth taste of tobacco for years and years. Beyond the taste, cigar smoking is enjoyed as an experience, a subculture, and a way of life. This is why many people enjoy the act of smoking cigars.

If you’re interested in the cigar lifestyle and want to know more, get involved, or help brush up on your knowledge, this is some must-have information.

Brief History of Cigars

The word cigar goes as far back as the 1700s, but the origins are much older than that. There are depictions of ancient civilizations smoking cigar-like objects, with this being as old as the 10th century. Still, the cigar industry as we know it today, like tobacco farming and cigar rolling, begins roughly in the early 1800s with the creation of many popular Cuban brands. Into the later decades of the 1800s, the U.S. industry started to boom. The creation of cigar machines began in the 1920s, which was around the same time that cigarettes supplanted cigars to become the preferred method of smoking tobacco. Throughout the mid to late 1900s, the cigar industry went through ups and downs, with a rebirth happening into the 2000s after years of bust cycles.

Choosing Your Cigars

Now into the nitty-gritty. The most important part of cigar smoking for many aficionados is choosing the right cigar. This is a long process because there are plenty of different kinds and tobacco blends. Cigars go by sizing, and here are the different types, along with their measurements:

• Petit Corona (4.5” x 42)
• Corona (5.25” x 42)
• Double Corona (8.5” x 49”
• Lonsdale (6.5” x 42)
• Robusto (5” x 50)
• Churchill (7” x 47”
• Pyramid (7” x 54)
• Perfecto (4.5”-9” x 38-48)

These are all the basic sizes of cigars. If you check out the cigars at Hooten Young, you can also see how they vary in the rolling process. Some have a flat side or edge, others are rolling with the pointed torpedo tip, and a Culebra is a cigar that is rolled with three panatelas (the typical cylindrical type of cigar. Choosing your cigar should be based on cost, flavor profile, and smoking process.

How to Properly Smoke a Cigar

The first step will be to light the cigar, and this is a delicate procedure in its own right. You want to first cut the cigar tip, then you hold it at an angle, roughly 45 degrees, then hold the flame close enough to toast, but not fully light it. Once you can see that the cigar is burning properly, you can then bring the flame closer as you inhale to get the cigar ignited. This will help ensure that the cigar is not burning unevenly or too fast, it lets you get a quick puff to check. From here on out, you can start smoking the cigar as you would normally. 

It’s important to remember that smoking a cigar is done for taste, not for the sensation that some people smoke cigarettes. You don’t want to inhale because the amount of smoke and tobacco is going to feel really harsh, and you won’t like it. Puffing a cigar is the preferred method and you hold the smoke in your mouth to enjoy the taste. It’s also meant to be smoked slowly, to enjoy the process, so sit down and take your time with it to appreciate the flavors and the act.

Storing Your Cigars

When you buy cigars, you might be tempted to smoke them as soon as possible, which is perfectly fine and part of the reason why you like it, but others love to wait on their cigars and even age them. In most cases, the cigars will come in some kind of packaging (tube, plastic wrap, or box) which will be a good storage for a few days until you decide to smoke it. If you want to store them for a long time, then you should get a humidor.

A humidor helps keep the cigars fresh by providing them an environment that will simulate where they originate from. As most cigars come from tropical regions, like Cuba, they need to be kept in humidity-controlled environments. The humidor box can provide this protection to keep them over time. It should be set around 60-70%, depending on the type, the water should be replaced every so often, and you shouldn’t leave too much or too little space in the humidor. This is a good purchase for general storage, and if you want to become a more avid cigar collector and smoker.

Cigar Accessories You Should Have

With the humidor off the list, there are still quite a few accessories you need to get the most out of your cigar smoking. The first is a lighting mechanism, as you need a way to actually ignite the foot of your cigars. A regular butane lighter from a corner store won’t do it, and the butane can damage the cigar, so you should find long stick matches, a torch lighter, or a cigar lighter. Similarly, you need to get a good cutter so you can enjoy your cigars easily. Maybe not a necessary accessory, but whiskey pairs excellently with cigars if you want a great sit down to smoke.

Cigars have been around for hundreds to thousands of years, but the actual art of smoking them is only getting more robust. With this quick guide, you can find out all you need about cigars.