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7. Smoking Your Cigar

A cigar is not meant to be inhaled like a cigarette. The enjoyment of smoking a cigar comes from the flavor and aroma of smelling and holding the smoke in your mouth a minute or two, or longer if you can. You should smoke your cigar slowly. Drawing or puffing often causes the cigar to burn too rapidly and causes over heating, which spoils the flavor.

Cigars will become stronger or have a more intense flavor as they are smoked, although sometimes it is not that noticeable until its last half or third. With most cigars there comes a point where the cigar becomes bitter, usually when it is about three quarters finished. It is quite noticeable and at that point should be discarded. Otherwise it will leave a bad aftertaste in your mouth.

A good cigar, of any length, will take at least 45 minutes to smoke, with some taking as much as an hour and a half. If you need to lay it aside and finish it later, you can do so for about an hour or so without affecting its taste. After that length of time, the cigar will not taste the same. When relighting, you should follow the same procedure when first lighting up, and you will have more satisfaction if you first cut off the burnt part before doing so.

When you have finished your cigar, do not stub it out, but lay it gently in your ashtray and let it die with dignity. It will quickly extinguish itself. Stubbing it out will only make the tobacco burn longer and cause an unpleasant aroma in the air.

Smoking a cigar, especially a premium cigar, should be done in a leisurely atmosphere. It should be a time of relaxation, either alone or with fellow smoking companions.

Any serious cigar smoker does not smoke only expensive premium cigars, but also smokes less expensive ones as well, whether they admit to doing so or not. I keep less expensive cigars for casual smokes or for use while working, and reserve my premium cigars for times of relaxation or celebration. The finest part of the day is sitting down for a premium smoke, relaxing for an hour or more with a fine cigar and the beverage of choice, the smoke drifting slowly above as I reflect on life or let my mind wander to some fantasy world.