How to ash a cigar
It’s said that Sir Winston Churchill used to smoke his cigars until the ash fell off onto his lap, and this idea is the inspiration (or excuse) for many cigar aficionados. As much as we respect Sir Churchill, and let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to see how far the ash can go before naturally falling off, we do love a beautiful ashtray and there are certain techniques involved in correctly ashing your cigar. ashtray. This is how to do it correctly.
Premium hand-rolled cigars are crafted from long-filler tobacco leaves, which produce a longer and harder ash than a cigarette. If you’ve smoked cigarettes before, you might have to get used to waiting longer to ash.
Cigar smoking requires patience; cigars require time. Cigars don't fit a 5-minute cigarette break. It can sometimes take 5 minutes to cut, light, and enjoy the first puff of a hand-rolled cigar and the same goes for ashing.
The right moment to ash can be when your cigar has about an inch-long ash, or you start to see a crack develop. Then is when you might consider going for an ashtray.
Lay the cigar against one of the inner side walls of your ashtray and gently tap the head of the cigar. If the time is right, this movement should be enough for the ash to fall.
Another way to ash your cigar, and the way we prefer, is to gently press the edge of the cigar against the inner side wall of your ashtray, turning or rotating the cigar simultaneously. Be careful to press only a little. This will allow the ash to break off evenly.
How to put out a cigar
We’ve heard all kinds of theories from our cigar-lover friends. Using water, liquor, cutting the end, and a few others, but the simplest way is the better way.
Basically, fire needs oxygen to be lit. When you smoke a cigar you are inpouring oxygen inside it and that's exactly why, when you under smoke or take too long between puffs, your cigar goes out naturally.
Actually, that’s the right way to put out a cigar: Starve it of oxygen, and let it go out on its own.
Keep in mind that even if you don't see a red cherry tip or smoke coming out, the cigar is usually still lit for a while. Always keep it in a safe space where it can’t roll or be in contact with flammable surfaces.
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