The mere act of puffing on the Cuban your cousin smuggled back from Spring Break is by no means a rite of passage to cigar-savvy. The key to cultural enlightenment lies in truly understanding the cigar- how to differentiate Claros from Colorados and how to smoke one properly, from spark to finish. Tom Piazza, owner of Mahogany's on Walnut (see page 4) gave Street the 411 on cigars, from common novice mistakes to tricks of the trade.
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- Cigars can be mild or heavy. A heavy cigar has a full bodied taste, meaning its flavor is stronger. Typically, you feel the heaviness by a bite on the back of the tongue. Full bodied is not necessarily better - it is a matter of personal preference. However, they are trendy in the industry right now.
- The girth of a cigar is customarily expressed in terms of its ring guage in 1/64ths of an inch. Thus, if a cigar has a ring quage of 49, it is 49/64th of an inch thick.
- The wrapper of a cigar is the tobacco leaf. Its color depends on leaf type and the drying and curing process it undergoes in the fields. When leaves are fermented longer and at higher temperatures, they generally take on a rich color and oily qualities. Claros are very light brown, colorados reddish brown, maduros dark brown and oscuros nearly black.
- Don't cut your cigar too deep! Both novices and regular smokers make this mistake and carelessly crunch through it. When cigars are made they are pre-cut and have a cap placed on them. To snip off the cap, make a cut that is thin as a dime. If you are reckless with your cutting, the cigar may unravel.
- Never light your cigar on a candle, ever. The wax gets on a cigar and makes it smell bad. The ideal lighting mechanisms for cigars are long wooden matches. If you are using a lighter, go for a butane, which should not affect the cigar's taste
- When lighting, toast the end gently, careful not to place the cigar directly in the flame. Wait a few seconds for the sulfur to burn off before you light. Twirl and puff to get an even burn.
- When you take a draw, just breathe. It's an Ashton, not a Newport Light, so don't pull the air into your lungs. Just inhale lightly and if you're feeling confident, maybe throw a little cheek puffing in there. Think about smoking a cigar like taking that first sip of a nice red wine- push the smoke around your mouth, let it roll around on your tongue to fully absorb the flavor.
- Enjoy your cigar. Relax and smoke slowly. A long, quality cigar might last around an hour. There is no need to rush - let your cigar linger in a (cigar) ashtray while you shmooze. Most will remain lit for a few minutes, and you can always re-light.
- If smoking while sipping on an after dinner liqueur, add some sweet to your stogie by dipping the end in your drink.
-Don't snuff a cigar to put it out. Let it die gracefully by leaving it alone.This will take a few minutes.
- When stored in a humidor, a cigar should be able to last indefinitely. Cigars outside a humidor can last 1-2 weeks if kept in a sealed plastic bag. In general, cigars are like wine: they get better with age. However, like wine you can go too far with some. A rule of thumb: the more mild the cigar, the shorter the lifespan.
