I still consider myself a relatively new cigar smoker. I’ve smoked quite a few sticks, but nothing in comparison to some of the veterans that I interviewed for this post. I reached out to some guys I know in the industry. Fellow bloggers, people that create cigars for a living, and even a brick and mortar shop manager who gets to educate new smokers daily. I asked these veterans two simple questions. Give me 1 Do and 1 Don’t for new cigar smokers. Their answers were all fairly consistent with one another. Without any further delay, here we go the Do’s and Dont’s of Cigar Etiquette for New Smokers:
Nate McIntyre
I met Nate at a cigar event here in Nashville and ended up sitting and talking with him and his brother Cameron for almost 2 hours. We talked about everything from college football to martial arts. Nate became my first friend in the cigar industry. He even sold me my first humidor. He was needing to get rid of it to make room for his gigantic custom built one that he had just moved into his house. Currently Nate is the Sales Manager for Cubanacan Cigars.
Check out his blog: The Smoky Life
Follow him on Twitter: @CigarNate
Do:
Smoke as many different cigars as possible. For every one you love, buy one of those AND something new early on. There are numerous great cigars out there that you’ve never heard of.
Don’t:
Buy based simply on a magazine or rating. The most important opinion on a cigar is yours, and yours alone.
Ben Lee
Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to meet Ben yet. I’m a big fan of the blog of the blog he writes for, Stogie Review. I’ve been following him on Twitter for awhile and we’ve exchanged some jabs back and forth about SEC football and he seems like a great guy. So I reached out to Ben to get his expert opinion on cigar etiquette for new smokers. He gave me a nice long list of things to do’s and dont’s.
Make sure and check him out on one of my favorite blogs: Stogie Review
Follow Ben on Twitter : @Cigar_Ben
Do:
Smoke what you like and don’t feel like you need to smoke something else to fit in or impress someone
Enjoy yourself
Clip just the tip of the cigar, not below the cap. Best way to ensure that is to set the cutter on a flat surface, put the tip of the cigar down in the cutter and clip it.
Ask a lot of questions. Knowledge is power.
Make sure you keep your cigars at the right temperature and humidity. This is key to proper burn.
Retrohale your cigar if you can to pick up those hidden flavors
Don’t:
Don’t give unsolicited smoking advice to other smokers
Don’t share your cigar cutter. Some people lick their cigars before cutting them and their saliva will be on your cutter.
Don’t let the lighter flame touch the end of the cigar
Don’t ash on the shop floor or furniture and expect others to clean it up
Don’t put your nose on a cigar when smelling it and then put in back in the box in the humidor at the shop for someone else.
Don’t drop a cigar in the humidor in a shop and just put it back. Give it to one of the shop associates.
Don’t smash out your cigar in the ashtray. Just set it down in there and let it go out on its own. Smushing it out creates a horrible odor.
David Jones
David is fellow blogger over at the Tiki Bar online. I actually started following him on Twitter thanks to Nate. David seemed like a great guy so I decided to reach out to him and see what he thought on the matter.
Last week I actually got to meet David here in Nashville at a Four Kicks launch party for their latest release Seleccion No 5. David’s a great guy, we chatted for almost an hour. He even let me sample some of the new Chattanooga Whiskey that he brought with him.
Check out David’s Blog: Leaf Enthusiast
Follow David on Twitter: @dmjones1009
Do:
Smoke what you enjoy and enjoy what you smoke
Try new things
Don’t:
Let me or anyone else tell you what you should or shouldn’t smoke
Get stuck in a smoking rut.
As a blogger I give my opinions about cigars on an almost daily basis, but they are still just opinions and I don’t believe in trying to talk anyone out of smoking something they really enjoy just because I don’t like it.
Scott Partridge
Scott used to be the General Manager at UPtown’s Smoke Shop in Nashville,TN, my local B&M. I’ve been going to UPtowns for close to 5 years and I finally met Scott last week. You couldn’t meet a nicer person that Scott. I look forward to more conversations with him down the road after I finally made my introduction. As with most of the guys that I interviewed Scott gave me more than one answer for my questions which is great. Most of these guys just want to share their knowledge and thats one thing I love about the cigar community everyone is friendly and always willing to help one another.
Also follow him on Twitter: @cigarsguitars
Do:
Learn how to properly cut & lite the cigar! Doing it wrong from the beginning will give a new smoker a bad experience.
Try many different cigars….you will quickly learn what you like and don’t like.
Don’t:
Don’t try to smell the cigar through the cellophane! You can’t do it and guys working in the cigar shops will laugh at you about it!
Don’t slobber and lick the cigar all over! Proper humidification does the work for you these days!
Don’t butt the cigar out like a cigarette……just set it down, it will go out on its own and won’t stink!
Patrick Ashby
Patrick is one of the co founders of the blog Stogie Guys. I’ve been reading SG for a long time and these guys really know what they’re talking about when it comes to cigars. I reached out to Patrick to get some insight and he offered some great suggestions for new smokers.
If you haven’t already check out his blog: Stogie Guys
Do:
Smoke through the nose to allow your entire palate to enjoy all of the flavors your cigar has to offer. Just don’t inhale.
Don’t:
Smoke too quickly. Doing so will overheat the tobacco, make the cigar’s taste harsh, and potentially cause construction problems. Cigars are meant to be enjoyed slowly, and there’s no prize for finishing first.
Mike Conder
Mike is one of the co-founders of Crowned Heads they make a phenomenal line of cigars known as Four Kicks. I got to meet Mike a couple of weeks ago and he’s a great guy. I hung out the Crowned Heads Headquarters here in Nashville. Mike and Jon Huber were incredibly hospitable and answered a ton of questions that I had for them on my visit. Mike has been around the cigar industry for a long time so I really took his words and advice to heart.
Make sure to check out their line of Four Kicks at a retailer near you
Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeConder
Do:
Always bring an extra to share with a friend and don’t worry about all of the buzz words on taste and flavor, just smoke what you enjoy and appreciate the differences for what they are…just like the concept of different foods…many different tastes but good in their own way. After all you wouldn’t eat the same meal every day….
Don’t:
Stub out a cigar like a cigarette. When you are finished just set it in an ashtray and it will go out on it’s own
Jerry Cruz
Also known as “The Great Torpedo” Jerry seems like he’s one of those guys that others just gravitate towards. I’ve honestly never met Jerry, but I can’t wait to share a stick with him sometime in the future. From following him on Twitter and reading his reviews on Stogie Review he has a great personality when he’s writing. He is also full of cigar knowledge. Whatever he writes I read it. SR was the first cigar blog that I ever read and I’ve been a dedicated fan ever since.
Make sure and stop in over at Stogie Review they have thousands of cigar reviews!
Follow Jerry on Twitter: @jcruz
Do:
Use an ashtray no matter where you are smoking.
Don’t:
Put your cigar out like a cigarette. Place it in the ashtray and let it die naturally.
Clint Aaron
Clint is the President of 262 Cigars. “Smoke the Revolution” is their slogan and they stand behind it. 262 cigars are phenomenal and I have a couple aging in my humidor and the reviews will be coming soon. If you see some of these in your local shops be sure to go pick a up a couple and then shoot Clint a message on twitter and tell him what you thought about his cigars!
Learn more about 262 Cigars on their website: www.smoketherevolution.com
Follow Clint on Twitter: @262cigars
Do:
Buy from the shop where you’re smoking.
Don’t:
Dispose of your cigar butt properly. Don’t throw it on the ground and let somebody else clean it up. Extinguish it and dispose of it properly.
Well, there you have it from the veterans. The Do’s and Dont’s of smoking cigars. Everyone is a beginner at some point in their life. So if you’re just starting out smoking, try to avoid these beginner mistakes. They won’t only improve your smoke, but it will let others around you enjoy theirs smokes as well.
A final thank you to all the guys that gave me input for this post. I am incredibly thankful to you all for your help and guidance!
