y’know, im not for one second going to say that I think smoking is cool. However, watching the Nelly vid for “tilt ya head back”, I cant help but say that he cuts an impressive image kickin back sucking on a big Cigar. Supposing someone like me who, at 24 has never smoked in his life, were to go into a cigar shop to purchase, what would I start with? I’m assuming you dont just go in and get the biggest cigar in the shop, so what a decent cigar for a beginner, not one of those spitty little death sticks, now, but a nice pleasant smoke. And also, whats the ettiquette when smoking? Do you inhale them like cigarettes? I dont want to look like a doofus. I wanna look… cool…
Do NOT inhale cigar smoke. You’re only supposed to hold it in your mouth. I can’t give any advice about what qualifies as a good cigar, I just know that you aren’t supposed to inhale.
Well, I don’t know about looking cool, I smoke cigars, and I’m sure I don’t look cool.
I personally don’t inhale. Some people do, I think they’re nuts. Way too much tobacco involved in a cigar to inhale all of that. Yes, I know this doesn’t make them any safer. I’ve been smoking cigars since I was 15, and I enjoy them.
Don’t go into a tobacco shop and grab a giant cigar to start with. You’ll get sick. Ask for something mild, about 5-6 inches long, with around a 45 ring gauge. They’ll understand that.
Personal recommendations? Well, you probably shouldn’t smoke, but I do, so I can’t really talk. I prefer CAO Golds, Helix X652s, and India Tabac Cameroon Naturals. YMMW. I also prefer the double corona size cigar. 6-7 inches, 52-54 ring gauge.
Cigars had a resurgence in their trendiness a few years back. I forget what the big moment was that made them THE thing, but since then most women I know have realized that sometimes a cigar isn’t just a cigar and secretly laugh at guys who try to look impressive while puffing away on one. People with allergies will secretly hate you in restaurants. Smoking a cigar says to all sorts of people “I’m an inconsiderate ass who doesn’t care if you have allergies or if your stomach is turned by the smell, because all I care about is looking cool.”
My advice: if you’ve never done it before, why risk the enmity of strangers; the ridicule of smart and sassy babes; and lip, gum, or throat cancer? You won’t look cool, you’ll just look like someone who bought into the trend. That said, if you still really need to know, go pick up a copy of Cigar Aficionado, but carefully evaluate it with the knowledge that it is a publication designed to sell cigars and perpetuate cigar snobbery.
So, Diku, talk me through it. Say I’ve got my cigar, its fairly small and mild. Heres where i get lost, the whole cutting the end off bit and not lighting with a butane lighter (I learned that in the hellboy movie) , after that its just puff away, right?
They make some where you don’t have to cut the end off yourself; a small hole is pre-drilled into the end of it. They’re definitely not the high-end ones, of course, but if you’re just starting out, it doesn’t make sense to be spending that much money on something you’re probably not going to like.
Any dedicated tobacco shop is going to be able to recommend ones for you if you’re just starting out. (Some of them have smoking rooms and they’ll show you how to light it and everything, if the thought of that doesn’t embarrass you.) They’ll try to sell you a cigar cutter and all the other nonsense accessories that go along with it, but if you make it clear you’re just in “I want to see what it’s like” mode, they’ll probably back off.
And as others have already said but it bears repeating: don’t inhale it! I’ve been smoking cigarettes for (too many) years, and every time I try a cigar my first impulse is to inhale the thing, and it’s just about as nasty as you can imagine. People smoke cigarettes to get the smoke into their lungs; with a cigar the point is to taste the smoke, so you keep it in your mouth and nose. It’s easier to do than to describe, but you either just leave the thing in your mouth and breath in, or suck in just enough to where you can feel the smoke at the back of your throat and then stop.
All that said: Don’t do it. It’s not going to make you look cool; if anything, it’ll turn people off. And it can turn you into a smoker – I was one of those rabid anti-smoker people in college; I thought it was nasty, self-destructive, and gross, and it just made the people who did it look stupid. I started going to monthly poker games where we’d all smoke cigars, just once a month, and after a couple of years of that, stopped. Then just out of the blue got a nicotine fit one night and started smoking cigarettes. That was about 12 years ago, and I haven’t been able to quit. Let SolGrundy be a lesson to you! Don’t be like SolGrundy!
Basically. Don’t get pre-cut ones, they suck. And I use a butane lighter all the time. In fact, I only use matches or a butane lighter. A regular fluid lighter puts a nasty taste in the cigar. So I won’t use a Zippo or anything like that.
Odd, I’ve been smoking cigars forever, and I’ve never had the desire to smoke a cigarette. I don’t smoke cigars in restaurants(I mostly smoke at home), and I’ve always enjoyed it. I don’t buy this “cigar isn’t always a cigar” crap, but whatever. If you want to try them, go for it.
Tip no. 1: Cigars will go out if you don’t puff them. Cigarettes won’t, because most have glycerin in them(excepting Nat Shermans and that type).
Tip no. 2: Don’t just puff and puff and puff. The cigar will get extremely hot, and will have a very bitter taste. Just take it easy. It should take thirty minutes or so to smoke a typical cigar. It’s not a quick thing.
Always use a butane lighter. The idea is to flavor the cigar as little as possible. Smell a blown-out match or Zippo…yech.
For all those saying smoking isn’t cool, what planet are you from? Smoking is definitely cool. It’s also, of course, a ticket to an early death, but that doesn’t make it look less cool.
–Cliffy
Not that anybody asked, but IMHO a woman smoking a medium or larger gauge cigar can be one of the sexiest things in the world, particularly if she has full lips. Picture Angelina Jolie sucking on a big old stogie. Or go look here. (Somewhat work safe at least on the first page… all very artful that I saw)
I smoke cigars only on very rare occasions. Usually Cuban Cohibas with a medium gauge, so that means I’m usually out of the country. I don’t know much about domestic cigars, if anyone can recommend some nice ones for the occasional smoker.
Also I like to have my cigar with a nice brandy/cognac or whiskey. Both are relaxing, feel slightly decadent, and give one pause to reflect.
My wife enjoys an occasional cigar. It is indeed a sexy thing to see. 
Recommendations for a cigar available in the US? When visiting the States, I’ve always enjoyed Henry Clay Toros (the original Connecticut broadleaf wrapper), Don Diego Robustos (with the Connecticut Shade wrappers), or for a treat, Avo XO Intermezzos. None are terribly expensive, and all deliver a good smoke with nice flavours.
Lot’s of good advice here, but I’ll reiterate two things to the OP: don’t inhale, and visit a good tobacconist. He or she (yep, there are women tobacconists) can help you find something you’ll like, and will help with all those other things too, like cutting the cigar, and so on.
And once more: don’t inhale!
Punch is a good, inexpensive, starter brand.
I agree with Homebrew. My first few cigars were Punch cigars.