Proper Cigar Etiquette


Enjoying a Cuban cigar may be a great source of pleasure and relaxation in your life. They have a depth that delves into all five senses, and a flavor that is completely unexpected by those familiar only with cigarettes.

While smoking a cigarette is something you simply do, smoking a Cuban cigar is a skilled art done with certain panache. And just as there are table manners and dining etiquette, cigar smoking also demands its own etiquette.

Protocol for Cigar Smokers

In 1967, Zino Davidoff outlined a protocol for cigar smoking. It is a code of conduct for cigar smokers everywhere, and it is as valid today as when it was first written.

DON’T:
  • Use anything less than a proper cigar cutter (such as a penknife or a lance) to remove the end of the cigar.


  • Touch the flame directly to the foot of the cigar. Instead, rotate it around the edge of the flame until it starts to burn, and then puff lightly.


  • Ask someone else for a light. As Davidoff put it, “The lighting of a cigar should be a personal matter”.


  • Light your cigar too quickly or too slowly.


  • Practice exhibitionism when lighting your cigar or during any other aspect of smoking. This includes keeping the cigar band on while you smoke.


  • Put the cigar in your mouth to relight it. Hold it in your hand instead and turn it in the flame for several seconds until it relights.


  • Clench your cigar between your teeth, get the end of it wet, chew it, or slobber on it.


  • Stick a toothpick, matchstick or paperclip in the end of the cigar to help hold it in your mouth.


  • Dip the head of your cigar into a drink (and enjoy the resulting soggy combination, no less).


  • Treat your cigar as if it was a cigarette. This includes:
    • Smoking your cigar too quickly.

    • Using a cigar holder.

    • Smoking while you work.

    • Smoking when you're walk.

    • Holding a cigar between your index and middle finger. Instead, it should be gently held between your index finger and thumb.

    • Smoke more than half the cigar.

    • Put the cigar out by crushing or grinding it in an ashtray.

    • Chain-smoke cigars.

DO’S:

  • Warm the foot of the cigar slightly before starting to puff on it.


  • Remove the cigar band carefully after lighting the cigar. In some places, it’s considered rude to advertise the brand you’re smoking.


  • Take your time and enjoy your cigar; a puff every minute or so is a good pace.


  • Give your cigar a dignified death. After it's been smoked halfway, simply place it in the ashtray and it will go out on its own.


  • Wait at least fifteen minutes between cigars; anything less indicates obsessive behavior.
Handling a cigar requires a certain degree of attitude and poise, and the people who do it right are easily discernable from the rest. The important thing to remember is, as cigar aficionados, we should present ourselves as considerate and understanding individuals.

Those who do gain a certain amount of respect from fellow cigar enthusiasts.