Cigars are presented as a luxury, reserved for special occasions, holidays or socializing events. In places where tobacco is grown, almost everybody smokes, it’s a daily routine, regardless of social status or time of the day. In Europe, especially in Germany, England, ... there is a strong tradition of Cigar Clubs, so it's worth paying a visit, because their offer is usually very impressive.
In the past, men often withdrew to light a cigar and debated about politics, business, etc. Nowadays, this is more intimate event at home, in a comfortable armchair, paired with a glass of Cognac or Port wine. I have already written about cigar’s composition, shape and strength, so here I will present how to enjoy this ritual, what is important to know and which brands are worth mentioning.
Choose the "right" cigar
Smoking a cigar can last for several hours, so it's good to select the size according to the time available. In addition, also pay attention to the taste, which can be mild, medium or strong. For beginners it’s good to choose a shorter and milder cigar. The best advice is to listen to the sales adviser, especially if you are buying in a specialized Cigar Shop. The price range for such cigars is from 4,00 - 8,00 € per cigar. One of the best brands suitable for beginners, mild in taste, but still an excellent cigar with good price is VegaFina. The brand Macanudo is also strongly represented in this ranking, both brands are made in the Dominican Republic.
How to cut a cap?
It’s best to use a "cutter" known as guillotine blade. There are several types of blades, including those that make only a hole on a cap, suitable just for parejos (straight) cigars. You don’t need to buy an expensive blade, it's perfectly fine to use typical inexpensive blade, offered in most Cigar Shops. If you spend a little more money on cigars, you usually get the cutter for free. The cut needs to be at the very top of the cap, otherwise the wrapper will begin to unfold – nothing dramatic, but it’s better to be precise at this point.
How to light a cigar?
Lighting a cigar is crucial on whether it will burn well and evenly. Avoid pushing a cigar in the flame, because it will destroy it. Use long matches, or better use a gas lighter, don’t use short matches, candles or Zippo lighters because the smell can be transferred and may destroy it. When lighting a cigar, avoid typical movie scenes with cigar in the mouth but in the hand, as it’s the only way to see it properly and control the flame. Keep the cigar slightly away from the flame with only touching it gently while slowly rotating it till nice, evenly burning circle is achieved. Lighting a cigar is not a quick job, so avoid short matches because you will use them a ton.
How to smoke a cigar?
Usually cigars are smoked after a meal, because with an empty stomach we can become dizzy from the nicotine. Never inhale the smoke from cigar, but keep it in the mouth and slowly blow the smoke out. Smoking a cigar is like meditation, we can only achieve cold, fine, tasty smoke slowly and calmly, which is also the goal of this whole ritual. This way, we can actually enjoy it, without the potential sickness caused by nicotine. When we are nervous or stressed out, it can happen that smoke is inhaled in the body, which makes us dizzy. You can get rid of dizziness with a bit of chocolate, but that's not the point of smoking cigars. It’s extremely important to sit comfortably with enough time, relaxed, after a meal and pairing a cigar with a suitable drink. Traditionally, cigars go well with Whiskey, Cognac, fortified sweet Port or Sherry wines, also with sweet predicate wines, but keep in mind that tobacco doesn’t tolerate acid or dairy products. We can pair a cigar with coffee, but it must be milk-free. Leave the ash on the burning cigar till it falls off or just slightly shake it off. "Long Filler" cigars are made from the whole leaves of tobacco (not cut), so the ash doesn’t fall off so fast. Cigars are usually smoked till the band, but we can also take it off and smoke till the end. I smoke as long as it fits me, it's not an obligation, it's a pleasure, so it's important to enjoy without feeling any kind of pressure.
How to store cigars?
Here I write about "Long Filler" cigars, which must be stored in a humid environment, so a humidor with an indicator and humidity control (about 70%) is mandatory. Control is very important, otherwise cigars can get dried or moldy. Humidors are different sizes, some are very luxurious, we have a low-price humidor that works perfectly. New humidor needs to be slightly brushed with a bit of water, so the inner wood is a little bit moist and prepared for storing the cigars. The Boveda bags with 69% humidity are good and simple utility in the cigar’s storage, also suitable for traveling.
Which brand to buy?
In Slovenia (Europe), we mainly have Cuban cigars, among them the best brand for enjoying a good cigar taste is Montecristo. I personally prefer cigars from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, such as Arturo Fuente, Davidoff, Oliva, Padron, Gurkha, Perdomo, ... Price ranging is from 10,00 – 30,00 € per cigar and more for some special selections. Those brands are very difficult to find in Europe, since they are known as “American” cigars, mostly made for American market. Due to constantly changing and strict tobacco legislation within EU member states, we have very limited or no possibility of online purchasing the variety of cigar brands, but if anyone has the opportunity to buy cigars online the German site cigarworld.de is the right place. They have everything you can imagine, but since online sales within EU states is impossible, unfortunately we have our choice narrowed only to Cigar Shops and their limited offer.