Smoking Your Cuban Cigars

 

Smoking Your Cuban Cigars
 
Here is the procedure to follow to have the best Legitimate Cuban Cigar smoking experience.
 
 
Cutting
 
  • The first step once you have chosen your cigar is to cut the closed end
 
Once you have selected your cigar, you will need to cut the closed end. All Cuban Cigars have a double cap over the head end. Make sure  this end goes in your mouth. If you attempt to smoke a cigar the other way around, you will find that half way through it will unravel and be unsmokable. There are a number of ways of cutting the cap, ranging from the use of a thumb-nail, to portable guillotine cutters (both single and double bladed), from cheap to expensive, to exotic cigar scissors and table-top cutters. The cut should be clean and level, or there will be difficulties with the draw and a risk of damaging the wrapper. Cut the cigar so that an eighth of an inch of the cap is left around the cigar wrapper. It is not recommended that you pierce the cap with a pin, as this will interfere with the passage of smoke, make the cigar overheat and lead to unpleasant flavours from tars condensing at the point the cap was pierced. Cap hole-punching deviceas work as long as the diameter of the punch is at least a 1/4". Wedge-shaped cutters are also not recommended, as these have a tendency to cut through all of the band on either side and the cigar wrapper can then unravel. Knives are not recommended as regular ones are not sharp enough, and will tear the cigar. Whatever you use, make sure it is sharp, and that you expose enough of the filler leaves under the cap to allow the smoke uninterrupted passage.
 
Lighting Your Cuban Cigar 
 
  • Light your Cuban cigar
 
When you light a cigar, use either a butane lighter r a match. Don’t use a gasoline lighter or a paper match.
 
  • Let the sulphur burn off, otherwise you will get the unpleasant taste of sulphur
 
Do not use a candle, or other ignition devices. It will tend to taint the flavour of the cigar, and will ultimately impede the passage of smoke through the cigar with particles from the flame. Avoid matches with high sulphur. Take time and care to light the cigar, slowly.
o       Hold the cigar horizontally in direct contact with the flame, and slowly revolve it until the end is charred evenly over its entire surface.
 
o         Put your Cuban cigar between your lips
 
o       Hold the flame about half an inch away from the end, and draw slowly while rotating the cigar
 
The end of the Cuban cigar should now ignite. Ensure an even burn has taken hold. If not, relight being carefully not to burn the outside of the wrapper.
o         Gently blow on the burning end to make sure the cigar is fully lit
Unlike cigarettes, cigars will naturally go out if left unattended. If your cigar goes out, remove any ash clinging to the previously lit end by tapping the cigar. Blow through the cigar to clear away any stale smoke. Re-light as described above. As long as the cigar has not been out for too long, the flavours will not be unduly affected. If you let it go out and leave it for a few hours, the cigar will cool, and the condensation of the smoke remaining in the cigar will give it an unpleasant taste.
Hand rolled Cuban Cigars are made from long filler tobacco leaves which is different from cigarettes, and machine made cigars. This means that the ash on a good Cuban cigar will not fall off the moment it appears. There is no benefit to keeping a long ash on a cigar, but nor is there any need to continually tap it to remove any excess ash. A good indication of the quality of construction of your cigar is a long solid cylinder of ash.
o       Do not warm the length of the cigar before smoking it
This was done in the 19C to burn off the unpleasant tasting gum used on some Spanish cigars. Today', this is not necessary. Hand rolled Cuban cigars use a small drop of flavourless, odourless vegetable gum at the cap end of the wrapper leaf.
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Cuban’s Cigar Etiquette
It is considered crude to smoke a cigar while it is clenched in your teeth. Also, holding it in your mouth will cause the end to become overly wet, from saliva, and then disintegrate. To enjoy your Cuban cigar to the fullest., hold it in you hand, and bring it to you mouth to puff. The only exception is when you are driving. Some smokers like to use a cigar holder to prevent the end getting wet.