Stogie Tips: Better Ash, Better Cigar Experience
Thursday, March 4th, 2010I’ve seen it time and again in cigar shops, cigar bars, or at other cigar-friendly locales: misinformed smokers who hastily tap, smash, or smear their cigars in an ashtray after almost every puff. They know not the damage they cause.
Cigar smoking is all about taste, relaxation, and enjoyment. So while I’m all for the “to each his own” mentality, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the danger of habitual over-ashing.
First, let’s remember that smoking a cigar is a lot like cooking dinner. You need the right amount of time and the right temperature to achieve the optimal flavor. In order to properly “cook” tobacco (i.e., in order to properly caramelize its sugars), I’m told the target is 494˚F at the foot.
No need to crack out that thermometer, though. Smoking cigars is more of an art than a science. The key point to consider is that taking time between puffs and allowing the ash to build up will help maintain the proper temperature. You want cool, flavorful smoke. Over-ashing will only serve to increase a cigar’s heat and harshness.
Now I’m aware that some occasions call for more frequent ashing than is otherwise optimal. For instance, if you’re wearing new pants and don’t want to run the risk of a lapful. Or if you’re smoking indoors and want to avoid spillage. Or if you’re trying a new stick and aren’t quite sure of its ash threshold.
No occasion, however, calls for the sort of over-ashing that I often observe. Likewise, it’s hard to imagine a scenario that merits stubbing out a finished premium cigar like a cigarette. Doing so results in a mass of foul odors and unpleasant smoke. An artisan craft like a handmade cigar deserves a respectful death—extinguishing in the ashtry peacefully on its own.
All this said, I’ve never considered myself one of those cigar enthusiasts who obsesses over achieving ashes of great length. Ashes that were featured by Nub in a recent ad campaign (pictured) are too intense for my liking. Cigars, after all, aren’t about competition. But any smoking method that produces the intended flavor profile and enhances enjoyment is worth practicing and promulgating.
photo credit: Nub Cigar
Thank you, Patrick A. I wasn’t sure, but it had seemed to me that leaving ash on was giving me a better experience. When in a B&M and someone smashes a cigar into the ashtray, I remove the cigar. If I am asked about it, I explain that when a cigar is …. it stinks.
Right you are about this. I once saw a guy grind his Padron 45 Maduro into an ashtray after every single puff. Not just a tap, but push it in and twist, the way people put out cigarettes.
It was painful to watch him destroy that wonderful cigar. And yet when the wrapper started to fall off he acted suprised!
I second this article. I always recommend to people to smoke their cigar SLOW. I see so many people puff puff puff, to quickly. They then wonder why their cigar is hot and bitter…
I would also like to throw out there that when finished with a cigar, there is no reason to do anything other than tip it down into the ashtray. It will quickly go out. I see people smash and smash like they would a cigarette, and it does nothing but create a mess and stay lit for much longer.
At the end of the day, Im totally about people smoking however they want, especially if they already know about other methods, and still choose to do it their way.
I agree with all of this — especially the part about smoking slowly — but I’m not so sure that a long ash has any effect on the cinder temperature, or that it really promotes a “cool” smoke to any discernable degree. I’d be interested in seeing the science behind that.
@cigarfan:
The way I’ve always heard it, leaving the ash on promotes a cool smoke because it allows less oxygen to reach the burning tobacco.
Funny, but I have never been anywhere, herf or otherwise, and seen someone put a cigar out like a cigarette. As far as smoking slowly, I read reviews where guys/gals take two hours to smoke a Queen B! Now if you are regripping golf clubs, and the cigar is second in your priority, I can see two hours.
I think my brother is becoming bored with stogies because he smokes too fast. He tells me everything he smokes is “o.k.”, which I know would be different if he took the time to enjoy it.