The Physical Practicalities

Cutting
Once you have selected your cigar you will need to cut the closed end ( also known as the "head"). All handmade cigars have a cap (Havanas have a double TRIPLE CAP cap) over the head end - this end goes in your mouth. If you attempt to smoke a cigar the other way around, you will find that half way through it will unravel and take on the appearance of an exploded stick.! There are a number of ways of cutting the cap, ranging from the use of a thumbnail, (not recommended!) to portable guillotine cutters, from cheap to expensive, to the more exotic cigar scissors and tabletop cutters.

The cut should be clean and level, or there will be difficulties with the draw and a risk of damaging the wrapper. Cut the cigar so that an eighth of an inch of the cap is left around the cigar wrapper. It is not recommended that you pierce the cap with a pin, as this will interfere with the passage of smoke, make the cigar overheat and lead to unpleasant flavours from residues condensing at the point the cap was pierced. Cap hole-punching devices do work well as long as the diameter of the punch is at least a quarter of an inch. Wedge-shaped cutters (also known as V shapes cutters)are also not recommended, as these have a tendency to cut through the entire band Wrapper and binder on either side and the cigar wrapper can then unravel. Whatever you use, make sure it is sharp, and that you expose enough of the filler leaves under the cap to allow the smoke uninterrupted passage.

 

Smoking

After five minutes the cigar will have warned warmed up and you it will have reached cruising altitude. Unlike cigarettes, cigars will naturally go out if left unattended. If your cigar goes out, don't worry. Remove any ash clinging to the previously lit end by tapping the cigar. Blow through the cigar to clear away stale smoke. Re-light as previously described above. As long as the cigar has not been out for too long, the flavour will not be unduly affected. Continuous re-lighting of cigars will affect the flavour, and if a cigar is allowed to cool, then on re-lighting the tastes can become tainted and unpleasant (due to condensation of the smoke in the remaining part of the cigar).

Premium Havanas are made from long filler tobacco leaves (another difference to cigarettes and machine made cigars). This means that the ash on the cigar, if it is a good one, should not fall off the moment it appears. There is no particular merit in keeping a long ash on a cigar, but neither is there any need to continually tap it to remove any excess ash. In assessing the quality of construction of your cigar, a long solid cylinder of ash is a good sign.

There is no need to warm the length of the cigar before smoking it. This was done in the nineteenth century to burn off the rather unpleasant gum used on some cigars made in Seville. Today's handmade Cuban cigars use a small drop of flavourless, odourless vegetable gum at the cap end of the wrapper leaf.

The "End"
The final third of your cigar will be when the smoke is at its strongest. This is the time to part company before flavours become bitter and the effect of the cigar on your well being may become detrimental. There is absolutely no need to stub or grind a cigar out to extinguish it. Left in the ashtray it will go out by itself: if you stub it out, it will release foul odours into the room. Once the cigar has self-extinguished remove any butts and ash from the room before they start to give out unpleasant smells (i.e. before going to bed!).

Sensations

Sight
Inevitably the first sense to be called on. Decide whether the colour is right for you. A visual inspection can indicate whether a cigar has been badly stored. It should look smooth, without any large veins or patches. Although small spots are not a problem, large green chlorophyll marks should be avoided (as this is a sign of poor leaf curing). White mould patches are a sign of maturing and should give cause for concern only if too numerous. This white 'bloom' can be brushed carefully off the cigar. Connoisseurs consider this bloom a good sign of a Havana cigar when aged in the dark conditions of the cigar box.Brush off gently from head to foot with a natural bristle shaving brush or soft tissue before smoking

Weevils
Look for holes, and if you find any, don't smoke the cigar. The tobacco weevil causes these. Tobacco weevil infestation occurs when cigars are stored in conditions that are too hot 1.e. above 73F.That is why it important to use a decent thermometer as well as a hygrometer and ensure that you cigars are store between 65F and 72F maximum.Check the rest of the cigars in the same batch: you may be able to save them from weevil attack. Cigars showing creamy or grey patches should also be avoided. The wrapper should be silky, shiny and with a clean, homogenous colour. A re-humidified "dead" cigar will have an undulating wrapper and probably damaged foot end (the end that is lit): avoid these

Touch
The cigar should feel pliable and soft. When squeezed with the pad of your thumb just under the band of the cigar it should give slightly and then when released, spring back into its original shape without the wrapper leaf cracking (don't squeeze too hard!). Feeling up and down the length of the cigar, you should be able to check the torcedores work. If the cigar is rolled too tightly, it will be difficult to smoke, if it is too loose, it will burn like a bonfire, too quickly, with too much smoke, and may fall apart. Sometimes you can feel a plug in the cigar - being a hard lump along the body of the cigar (not to be confused with the generally firmer part of the cigar at the cap or head end). The plug will impede the smoke through the length of the cigar.

Smell (Aroma)
Combined with tasting, this is the most important element to the enjoyment of your good Havana. Unlit, it will already be expressing a fragrance, spice and melange of flavours, which are waiting to be released when lit. An ordinary cigar will probably just have a herbaceous and simplistic odour, whereas a Havana will exhibit a wide variety of fruit, spice and wood fragrances. The smellbouquet of the unlit cigar will indicate to you the strength of the smoke when lit.

Taste
Combine this with smell, and you have the most important but most subjective instruments for enjoying your smoke. As a guide you should taste the cigar in your mouth before lighting and assess the aroma before lighting. Then taste the cigar as you draw the smoke into your mouth and the aroma given off by the resulting smoke. As the cigar burns down its length, the tastes and aroma will change, most likely becoming more pronounced. The central third of the cigar gives the best flavours, as by then it will be burning at its correct temperature and the smoke will be drawing smoothly.

To help you categorise your subjective feelings of taste and smell (aroma), here is a short list:

Mild:
Smell - Dusty, softened and transitory
Taste - Bland, flat, herbaceous, muted

Medium to Full:
Smell - Animal, cocoa, coffee, floral, green, subtle, supple, tanned leather, undergrowth, young leather and woody
Taste - Aromatic, exotic, fruity, heady, heavy, mellow, nuts, peppery, ripe, robust, spicy, sugary, sweet, tart and woody

Full or Pronounced:
Smell - Coarse, earthy, piquant, pervasive, sharp and spicy
Taste - Acidulous, hot, piquant, scorching, tannic, and peaty

Best wishes