Guide · 45 minutes to 2 hours
How to Smoke a Cigar
Everything a first cigar needs, in the order you need it. None of it is hard. Most of it is slowing down.
By CigarMind Editorial · Updated
The short answer
To smoke a cigar, cut the head just above the cap line, toast and light the foot evenly, then draw the smoke into your mouth and let it out without inhaling. Take a slow puff about once a minute, let the ash grow to about an inch before tapping it off, and set the cigar down to go out on its own when you are done.
Step by step
You will need: A cigar; A cutter; A butane lighter or wooden matches; An ashtray; Water. Time: 45 minutes to 2 hours.
Choose a milder first cigar
Start mild to medium in a smaller size, like a robusto or corona. Strength is nicotine, and a full-bodied cigar on an empty stomach is how most first cigars go wrong. The picks further down are all rated mild.
Cut the head
Snip just above the cap line, about 2 mm from the tip, in one quick motion. Take a cold draw to check it pulls freely.
Toast and light the foot
Hold the foot just above the flame and rotate it until the edge glows, then draw gently while rotating until it is lit all the way across.
Puff, do not inhale
Draw the smoke into your mouth, hold it for a moment to taste it, and let it out. Cigar smoke is not inhaled. About one puff a minute keeps it burning cool and tasting its best.
Let the ash grow
A well-made cigar holds its ash. Tap it off gently against the ashtray when it reaches about an inch or starts to crack.
Notice the thirds
Most cigars change as they burn: the first third is often lighter, the middle develops, the last third is fuller. Noting what you taste in each third is how you learn what you like.
Let it go out
When it turns hot or bitter, or you have had enough, rest it in the ashtray. It goes out on its own in a minute or two. Do not stub it out like a cigarette.
Tick it off as you go
Your first-cigar checklist
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What cigar should a beginner smoke?
A mild or mild-to-medium cigar in a small or medium size: a robusto (about 5 by 50) or a corona (about 5½ by 42) takes 45 minutes to an hour. Connecticut shade wrappers tend to be the gentlest. Save the full-strength maduros and big 60-ring cigars for later.
Eat first and keep water nearby. Nicotine in a strong cigar can make a new smoker dizzy; if you feel it, put the cigar down, drink water and eat something sweet.
Do you inhale cigar smoke?
No. Cigar smoke is drawn into the mouth, tasted and let out. It is thicker and stronger than cigarette smoke, and the flavor is on your palate, not in your lungs. Experienced smokers sometimes retrohale, pushing a little smoke out through the nose to pick up aroma; try a small amount once you are comfortable.
How fast should you smoke a cigar?
About one slow puff a minute. Puff too often and the cigar overheats and turns bitter; wait too long and it goes out. Plan on roughly 10 to 15 minutes per inch of length, so a 5-inch robusto is about an hour.
| Size | Typical dimensions | Rough smoking time |
|---|---|---|
| Petit corona | 4½ × 42 | 30 to 45 minutes |
| Robusto | 5 × 50 | 45 minutes to 1 hour |
| Corona | 5½ × 42 | 45 minutes to 1 hour |
| Toro | 6 × 52 | 1 hour to 1½ hours |
| Churchill | 7 × 48 | 1½ to 2 hours |
When and how do you ash a cigar?
Let the ash reach about an inch or show cracks, then rest the cigar against the edge of the ashtray and tap it gently; its own weight should drop the ash. Do not flick it hard or knock off the glowing tip. A long, firm ash is a sign of good construction, and it also helps the cigar burn cool.
How do you put out a cigar?
You do not stub it out. Rest it in the ashtray and it goes out on its own within a few minutes. Stubbing crushes the ember and makes the room smell. Most people finish around the band or a little past, when the smoke turns hot or bitter; there is no rule, only taste.
Common mistakes, and the fix
Starting with a full-strength cigar
Strength is nicotine. Start mild or mild-medium, and never on an empty stomach.
Inhaling
Keep the smoke in your mouth. The flavor is on your palate; inhaling only brings harshness and more nicotine.
Puffing like a cigarette
Rapid puffs overheat the cigar and make it bitter. About once a minute is plenty.
Stubbing it out
Let it rest in the ashtray and go out by itself. It is cleaner and smells less.
Questions
How do you smoke a cigar for the first time?
Pick a mild cigar in a small size and eat first. Cut the head just above the cap line, toast and light the foot evenly, then take a slow puff about once a minute, holding the smoke in your mouth without inhaling. Tap off the ash at about an inch and let the cigar go out on its own when you are done.
Are you supposed to inhale a cigar?
No. Cigar smoke is drawn into the mouth, tasted and exhaled without going into the lungs. It is much stronger than cigarette smoke. Some smokers retrohale a little through the nose to catch the aroma, but that is optional and best tried in small amounts.
How long does it take to smoke a cigar?
Roughly 10 to 15 minutes per inch at a relaxed pace of about a puff a minute. A robusto takes 45 minutes to an hour, a toro an hour to an hour and a half, and a Churchill up to two hours.
What is a good cigar for a beginner?
A mild or mild-to-medium cigar in a robusto or corona size, often with a Connecticut shade wrapper, which tends to be the smoothest. The picks on this page come from the CigarMind catalog, where each is listed as mild strength, with a guide to what it is like.
Why does a cigar make me feel dizzy or sick?
That is nicotine, usually from a cigar that is too strong, smoked too fast or on an empty stomach. Put it down, drink water and eat something, ideally with sugar. Next time choose a milder cigar, eat first and slow your pace to about a puff a minute.
How far down should you smoke a cigar?
As far as it tastes good. Many smokers stop around the band or an inch or two past it, when the smoke turns hot or bitter. Remove the band once the cigar has warmed up and it slides off easily, or leave it on; either is fine.
Keep going
Sources
- Holt's: Are you supposed to inhale cigars?
- Cigar Aficionado: How to Ash a Cigar
- Holt's: How to relight a cigar
- Cigar Aficionado: How to Light a Cigar