For cigar lovers, every cigar is like a living thing, it has spirit. It can hear, see, and feel, just like a friend who understands you. (Sound creepy but not, this is not a ghost story, don’t worry)

Do you know, cigars have a long history and deep culture? So, whether you are tasting, cutting, smoking, or maintaining a cigar, you need to follow some basic rules. Here are some things you should never do when you smoke a cigar:

Don’t Use Only One Way to Taste Cigars

Tasting a cigar is not just about smoking it or judging it by one sense only. This can lead to a biased view and miss out on other experiences. Proper cigar tasting should involve sight, touch, smell, and taste. In short, it's about looking, pinching, smelling, and tasting.

When you know how to taste a cigar properly, you’ll understand it better, just like knowing a person’s inner qualities and not just their looks. (Says it by the guy who dress up nicely all the time.)

Don’t Cut Too Much Off the Cigar Cap

Before smoking a cigar, you need to cut it. The purpose of cutting a cigar is to create an air passage so the smoke can flow smoothly. Handmade cigar caps are glued with vegetable gum to prevent cracking. But if you cut too much or remove the whole cap, it can ruin the cigar, causing the wrapper to come off and filling your mouth with bits of tobacco.

The correct way to cut a cigar is to use a sharp cutter to neatly remove one-third of the cap. There are many types of cutters, but the key is that they should be easy to use and make a clean cut.

Don’t Use Non-Cigar Specific Lighting Tools

Using lighters that are not meant for cigars, like kerosene, gasoline, or methane lighters, can ruin the cigar’s taste. Candles and regular lighters are also not recommended. It’s best to use specialized tools like a cigar torch, cigar matches, or cedar wood

Don’t Inhale the Smoke into Your Lungs

Many beginner cigar smokers, who are often cigarette smokers, tend to inhale the smoke into their lungs, which can cause dizziness. When smoking a cigar, you should use the "small cycle" method, where the smoke stays in your mouth and doesn’t enter the lungs. The fermentation process of cigars reduces nicotine and removes impurities, making cigars milder. Since the smoke doesn’t enter the lungs, cigars are less harmful to the lungs.

Also, keep a steady pace when smoking a cigar. Smoking too quickly can make the cigar burn hot and affect the taste. Smoking too slowly can cause the cigar to burn unevenly or go out, making it taste bitter.

Don’t Discard an Unevenly Burning Cigar Immediately

Sometimes cigars burn unevenly due to poor humidification, overly dry wrappers, or mishandling during storage. When a cigar burns unevenly, don’t throw it away immediately. There are methods to fix this, such as turning the slower-burning side downwards, using a cigar lighter to help it burn, cutting off the uneven part and relighting it, or slowing down your smoking pace. These techniques can save an unevenly burning cigar. If all else fails, then consider discarding it

And lastly, just like your girlfriend said: Don’t end it too quick.

When smoking a cigar, follow the “333” rhythm: inhale for three seconds, hold for three seconds, and exhale for three seconds. Unlike cigarettes, which involve quick inhales and exhales, smoking a cigar is slower. Additionally, there should be at least a 30-second interval between puffs. Rest the cigar in an ashtray for a while; as long as the rest period isn’t too long, the cigar won’t go out.

Smoking too quickly not only prevents you from enjoying the cigar’s aroma but also causes the cigar to overheat, affecting the overall experience.

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