I think 2020 has had a much greater impact on us than we ourselves might have thought. And the result of this testing time was not only the enrichment of our vocabulary with such new phraseological units as “partial isolation” or “complete lockdown”, but also a radical change in habits and life priorities.

“Small pleasures” which in a past life were perceived by us only as an episode of something more significant came to the foreground. Today, a bottle of good wine or a good cigar is becoming more and more important, and you just need to know how to enjoy them properly.

And just like you will not drink cold red wine barely getting it out of a fridge instead of a beer, there are certain rules to follow when it comes to cigars. So instead of puffing like an amateur, let’s take as an example Winston Churchill, who certainly knew a lot about this business and any important event in his life, be it a hearty lunch or the signing of the Yalta Treaty, was invariably marked by smoking of an excellent cigar.

Size matters

In fact, it is not so much the size as the strength and duration of smoking of a cigar, which can vary from 20 minutes to 2 hours. And you should know in advance how much time you are ready to devote to this noble occupation.

Choosing a cigar is a purely personal decision, but for me, a short and light Rafael Gonzales Perla or Davidoff Signature Petit Corona with a 20-minute smoke would be ideal as the first cigar or cigar for short smoking.

On the contrary, if you have just had a rich and tasty lunch, and you have a couple of hours of free time left, which you are ready to devote to thinking and blowing puffs of smoke, like a fabulous caterpillar from “Alice in Wonderland”, then a large and strong Partagas Lusitania is indispensable. Its rich taste with a lot of velvety, rich spicy and woody notes will turn anyone, even the most pragmatic gentleman, into a philosopher and romantic.

But let me remind you once again: each cigar is intended solely for its own occasion and time. And it is quite possible that by smoking Partagas right after morning exercises, you will give up this habit for a long time, or maybe even decide to head the tobacco consumption control society for the fight against tobacco smoking.

Attitude of care prolongs life (of a cigar)

A good cigar is rolled by hand from natural tobacco leaves, and therefore is a delicate product that requires not only respect, but also proper storage conditions.

The air humidity at which the cigar is best preserved should correspond to the equatorial climate, which will remind it of its homeland, and will preserve its southern temperament and expression. If you have not yet had to take a breath of the air of Cuban freedom, then I will explain it easier: the optimum humidity should be 65-70%. With a lower humidity, the cigar will soon go into depression, its leaves will dry out and become brittle, and the aroma will lose its rich taste.

Equally important is the temperature at which the cigar retains its original qualities. It should in no way exceed + 22-23 degrees (so that damage to the leaves does not begin with such humidity) and can range from + 16 to 21 degrees.

If you do not live in the tropics, it is extremely difficult to achieve the ratio of these indicators. For this occasion, for gentlemen and their cigars, one of the greatest inventions of human civilization was created, a wooden box specially equipped for this purpose with the musical name – humidor. Storing in it will make your cigars’ life long and comfortable, and you will be a happy and worthy owner of an exquisite collection.

There is no smoke without fire

With rare exceptions, most cigars have the same structure: the “head”, that is, the tip of the cigar through which the gentleman actually enjoys the taste of the smoke; the “body” is the main part of the cigar and the “foot” is the opposite end of the cigar, which we have yet to light up.

But before we move on to performance of the Zoroastrian rites of fire worship, you will need to cut the tip of the cigar head to open the hole for drawing of smoke. Just do not do this with your teeth or nail scissors, you can severely deform the tip and smoking will no longer be so comfortable. It will be much more convenient and aesthetically pleasing to use a special guillotine or cigar knife.

And only now we come to the most important thing, namely, how to properly ignite life in a cigar!

But first, remember two important rules that a gentleman should not break under any circumstances. Firstly, you cannot recklessly trust women, especially pretty ones. And secondly, in any case, do not try to light your cigar from a aromatic candle or Zippo lighter. No, if you want to feel in your mouth all the charm of a Parisian perfume boutique or taste a Texas gas station forgotten by God, then do it without the slightest doubt.

But, if your desire is to enjoy all the notes and shades of taste of your cigar, then you should light it from a gas lighter or from a long cigar match. In addition, lighting from a match is also a ritual, unhurried and beautiful.

First, bring the fire to a cigar foot and gently burn edges, slowly rotating a cigar in your hand. Then take a couple of light pulls without removing the flame from it and, as soon as it grows smolder, turn the burning side towards you and gently blow on it.

Try to do this in such a way that a cigar does not catch fire with an open flame. This can burn it too much and cause a bitter aftertaste. In a word, when you light a cigar, the main thing, as with further smoking it, is to enjoy the process itself.

Cigar with Drinks – Compatibility by Horoscope

A good friend of mine, by the way, an astrophysicist by education and also a big fan of cigars, developed and presented me a table of incredible sizes. In its form and in essence, it resembled the periodic system of chemical elements created by the great scientist Dmitry Mendeleev. In it he displayed combinations of all possible types of cigars and drinks, based on their strength, tastes and aftertaste.

I had great respect for the work done by him, and even suggested that his work simply should be published in some reputable scientific journal. But, taking advantage of his absence, I can safely assume that there are no strict rules for combination of cigars with certain drinks, and any gentleman has the right to choose them independently to his liking.

Probably, you should not get carried away in your experiments and try a cigar with a strawberry milkshake. But I have not yet met a single gentleman who would not appreciate the classic combination of cigar smoke with the taste of good coffee.

However, combination with stronger beverages such as whiskey, cognac, rum or wine can be a little more difficult and ideally should match your cigar’s notes, but that’s just my preference. I would recommend not to limit yourself to any conventions, and, having overcome the force of gravity of clear-cut rules, to go to conquer the vastness of the cigar space on your own.

Put in a Good Word about a Poor Cigar …

I had almost decided to devote a private conversation to this topic under the heading Manners and Etiquette, but today I accidentally saw how a young gentleman ruthlessly crushed a half-smoked cigar in an ashtray. This act of cruelty and disrespect for a cigar made me, at least briefly, recall a few simple but obligatory rules of etiquette regarding dealing with a cigar.

So, at what point it is worth stopping smoking depends on a cigar itself and your desire. Although some gentlemen I respect, consider smoking a cigar to the very tip a bad manners, I still disagree with this opinion and take the liberty of claiming that it is in the last third of a cigar that all aromatic oils accumulate, and from this its smoking becomes especially tasty.

You should not try to shake off the ash of your cigar often, as this will show your incontinence, and it will not allow a cigar to cool naturally and keep the aroma less uneven and more delicate.

And finally: it is highly discouraged to crush a cigar yourself. Perhaps for such a rude act you will be able to avoid corporal punishment, but other gentlemen will definitely regard it as a sign of bad taste and an act of disrespect for the entire cigar community. Leave a cigar on the edge of the ashtray, it will nobly and quietly die down itself.

A cigar, like a woman, is not to blame for the fact that you have grown cold to it and lost all interest. It gave you all of itself and your duty, referring to urgent matters, to leave it without reproach and humiliation. Moreover, after spending some time in separation and breathing in the fresh air of freedom, you will definitely return to it.