Quality cigars are worth protecting. The gap between a well-kept cigar and a neglected one shows up immediately in the smoke, and most of the factors that cause problems are avoidable.
Start With Storage
A cigar is a living product. It continues to age and change after purchase, which is the whole point of a humidor. Keep your cigars at 65 to 70 percent relative humidity and around 16 to 18 degrees Celsius. Use a calibrated digital hygrometer rather than guessing, and avoid storing cigars in a regular fridge, which is too dry.
If you’re only buying one or two cigars at a time, a small travel case or a sealed bag with a Boveda pack will keep them in good condition for a week or two.
Common Mistakes and What to Do Instead
| Mistake | What Goes Wrong | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Lighting too fast | Uneven burn, harsh first draw | Toast the foot slowly before applying full flame; let it establish before you draw |
| Wrong cut depth | Wrapper unravels, draw too tight or too loose | Cut just above the shoulder of the cap; a few millimetres, not a chunk |
| Stored too dry | Brittle wrapper, harsh smoke, short burn | Re-humidify slowly over several days using a Boveda pack in a sealed container |
| Puffing too often | Overheating, bitter smoke | Allow 30 to 60 seconds between draws; a cigar is not a cigarette |
| Relighting repeatedly | Harsh, stale relight taste | If it’s been out more than a few minutes, purge gently before relighting |
Cut and Light Technique
Use a sharp straight-cut guillotine or punch cutter. Dull blades tear the cap rather than cutting it cleanly, which leads to wrapper damage and unraveling. Cut just enough to open the draw without removing so much of the cap that the wrapper has nothing holding it.
For lighting, a butane torch is the standard. Avoid petroleum lighters; the fuel taints the taste. Hold the foot above the flame and rotate the cigar to toast evenly before drawing. The goal is a glowing, evenly lit foot before you take your first proper draw.
While You’re Smoking
- Don’t tap the ash off prematurely; a solid ash helps maintain an even burn temperature
- If one side burns faster than the other, let the slower side catch up naturally before touching up with a lighter
- Stop before you reach the last inch or so; the final portion concentrates tar and gets too hot
- Don’t stub it out like a cigarette; just rest it in the ashtray and let it go out on its own
None of this is complicated, but the habits take a few cigars to become automatic. The investment is worth it given what a decent cigar costs.
