It is important to have patience when smoking your cigar. Wait until the ash is at least an inch long before making your first ash. Allowing the ash to build up and fall off naturally, without tapping it off, will prevent overheating, but wait too long to ash and it may fall unexpectedly, creating an unwanted mess.

Choosing a cigar is dependent upon your own preferences. From fuller-bodied to lighter and more mild, you will likely need to try a few before you know what you like. Choose a shape and size based on how long you would like to enjoy your cigar. You might opt for a bigger cigar for a longer experience, while smaller cigars will provide a quick, convenient indulgence.

Find the shoulder of the cigar, or where the curved part of the cigar begins to straighten out—this is where you’ll make your cut to avoid unraveling. Then, place the head of the cigar in your cutter’s opening, closing the blades just enough to hold the cigar in place. Double check to ensure you are cutting exactly on the shoulder, and then quickly and confidently make your cut.

Find the shoulder of the cigar—right at the seam where the cigar begins to straighten out to avoid unraveling—then place the head of the cigar in your cutter’s opening. Close the blades just enough to hold the cigar in place, and once you’ve ensured you’re cutting in the right place, quickly and confidently make your cut.

The most crucial part of identifying all the nuances of your cigars flavor profile is slowing down and having patience—you might recognize strong notes upon your first draw, but the longer you spend enjoying the mouthfeel, the more you will notice as the smoke continues. Consider cleansing your palate with soda water before smoking so your senses are primed to notice more and more details.

Slow down and have patience—you might notice strong, flavorful notes upon your first draw, but the longer you spend enjoying the mouthfeel, the more you’ll be able to recognize as the smoke continues. Cleanse your palate with soda water before smoking to prime your senses to notice more details.

Slowly rotate your cigar at an angle over your choice lighter, never letting the cigar and a hard flame touch. Avoid using candles or any oil-fueled lighters that can compromise the cigar’s taste, and instead, use an extra-long match or butane lighter made specifically for cigars.

Cigars are sensitive to their environment, but by replicating ideal conditions in a humidor, your cigars can maintain freshness for years. Your humidor should be kept between 68-70ºF and 70-75% humidity, and the lower the temperature is, the higher the humidity should be and vice versa.

In a properly maintained humidor, cigars will retain their quality for years—but left out in an air conditioned or heated room, they can be ruined within hours. To learn more about humidors, read our guide <>.

Investing in a humidor is essential. Humidors are storage devices designed to replicate the tropical climate in which your cigar was grown and crafted with a moderate temperature and high humidity. Ranging in size from small, travel-ready cases to entire rooms, they keep your cigars in precise humidity levels for long-lasting stability.

While all you need to enjoy a cigar is technically the cigar itself, there are a few items you can keep on hand for a more elevated experience. A cigar humidor is essential to maintain quality while storing for later use. You may want to invest in a travel case if you plan to take your cigars with you anywhere. Conveniently, travel cases often have space for other essential accessories, like the perfect cigar cutter and lighter to round out your smoking suite.

A cigar is made up of three main parts: The Head, the Body, and the Foot. The Body refers to the cigar itself. The Head is the end of the cigar you smoke, and the Foot is the end of the cigar you light.

A cigar’s strength typically refers to its nicotine content—and the effect that may have on any particular adult cigar smoker. A mild cigar should not have much of an effect, while stronger cigars may bring about a nicotine buzz, dependent upon an individual’s tolerance level.

While the possibilities and nuances are endless in variety, there are several definitive tasting categories for the types of notes you might find in any cigar: Harbs, Spices, Earth, Fruits and Nuts. Cigars are not limited to these categories, and you’ll often find additional notes like Leather, Must or Toast as well.

Known as a delicacy in the cigar world in comparison to more popular varieties, wrappers grown in Cameroon, Africa are toothy with enhanced sweetness for a truly unique smoking experience.

You will often see cigars rated on a scale of one to 100, with 95-100 being exceptional in quality, classics that stand the test of time. 90-94 are outstanding, while 80-89 are very good to excellent. The range from 70-79 means average on the low end, to good on the high end, while if a cigar ranks below 69, we recommend finding an alternative.

Grown in abundant sunlight, typically in the Connecticut River Valley in the United States, Broadleaf tobacco produces wide, hearty leaves that are typically darker and more mild in terms of tobacco content, but rich with woody, spicy flavor. They are classically used to make maduro cigars.

Named for legendary cigar aficionado Sir Winston Churchill, this large, corona-format cigar is traditionally 7 inches with a 47 ring gauge.

The binder—or filler—is the layer of tobacco directly underneath the wrapper that helps a cigar burn smoothly and hold its structure. They are often crafted from a single leaf, but Double Binders feature a blend for further complexity.

Grown to thrive in full sunlight, this slightly darker tobacco leaf imparts robust spicy and peppery flavor profile, making it an aficionado favorite for the complex smoking experience it delivers.

Also known as a Maduro-Maduro wrapper, a Doble Maduro wrapper goes through a double fermentation process to create a dark—almost black—coloring and richer, more developed flavor palate.

The body of a cigar refers to the impact the cigar has on your palate while you smoke. A full-bodied cigar will have a heavy mouthfeel with dense smoke that lingers after every puff.

Crafted by only the most skilled torcedores, the Perfecto distinctively features two tapered heads, creating a ring gauge size that evolves throughout the smoke for added complexity.

Robusto cigars are one of the more popular and prevalent types of cigars, known for being the shortest, on average 5 to 5.5 inches long with a high ring gauge between up to 50.

A seed from Sumatra grown in Ecuador for great balance. Typically Sumatra tobacco features subtle notes of cinnamon, earthiness, and nectar nuances.

A torcedor is a highly skilled cigar craftsman, specially trained and often with decades of experience rolling premium cigars.

Despite its relatively recent introduction, the Ecuadorian Habano is the most popular premium cigar wrapper. Rich in color, it has a pronounced, complex flavor and heavier bodied tobacco content than many other alternatives.

A mild bodied cigar is light and refreshing on the palate, whereas a full-bodied cigar is distinguished by a denser smoke that lingers on the palate following every draw.

The mildest cigars are more mellow, lower in nicotine content and with a smooth, easy flavor profile. Look for a cigar with shade-grown wrapper for their reliable mildness.

When a cigar is described as spicy, it often refers to the complexity it bestows upon your palate, with specific spiced notes, like cinnamon, nutmeg, or chili, but it can also be used to refer to the strength the tobacco content imparts on the smoking experience. You may notice some cigars have more of a flavorful kick, while others are more mild.

While there are cigars crafted specifically for sweetness, subtle sweetness found naturally in the tobacco plant adds rich complexity when achieved through expert curing—cigars that have had time to expand and contract after being rolled often have sweet undertones for refreshing balance.

Much like wine, as tobacco is aged, it has more time to develop its palate for a richer, smoother smoking experience. Cigars crafted with vintage tobacco are more luxurious due to their rarity, and the time it has taken waiting for the tobacco to be just right.

There’s no better way to elevate the mood than with a drink or meal that pairs perfectly with your choice smoke. When choosing an accompanying beverage, follow your instincts—light bodied cigars often pair best with refreshing white wines or light beers, while dark beers, red wines and rich spirits help bring out the tasting notes in full-bodied cigars. Our master blender has recommended drink and food pairings you can find on each of our product pages.