A cigar has been a popular way to smoke tobacco for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Most people don't realize that there is a distinct difference between cigarettes and cigars. A cigar is, unlike a cigarette, made of purely the tobacco leaves. There is a common misconception about how exactly to smoke cigars. Whereas the smoke of cigarettes gets inhaled, you do in fact not inhale smoke of a cigar. The reason for this is the curing process that is used for the tobacco after it has been harvested.
Cigars are actually made in a fairly simple way. They are simply made of shredded tobacco leaves that are then wrapped in bigger leaves that have not been cut. The leaves of the tobacco are first taken to a barn, where they are cured. This can actually be done in several ways, such as fire curing or flue curing. However, in most cases the tobacco for cigars is air cured. The leaves are then hung in a barn where there is sufficient ventilation until they are dry, which can be spotted by their dark brown color.
In some cases, the leaves are then shredded, whereas others are cut into strips. The tobacco that has been shredded is used as the filler, and the strips will then be used to wrap the cigars. Because a cigar is more heavily filled then a cigarette, and also does not contain a filter, it is much harder to inhale the smoke of the cigar. That is one of the reasons why it is not recommended to inhale cigar smoke. You may also want to read this helpful post on how to smoke a cigar.
So how exactly do you smoke a cigar? It all starts with cutting and then lighting the cigar. Most cigars are very tightly wrapped on one side, whereas the other side consists of exposed leaves of shredded tobacco. Before you start smoking a cigar, you first cut off the wrapped end of it, which is also where you start smoking a cigar. You can use a pipe cutter – which is a special tool to cut cigars – to cut the cigars, but if you do not have this on hand, you can also use a regular knife as long as it's sharp enough.
You do not light the cigar in the same way as you do a cigarette. You start lighting the cigar slowly and evenly, while taking short puffs so that there will be an even light. It usually doesn't feel this great to inhale the first few puffs of the cigar because of the heat from the lights. However, this will improve with an already lit cigar.
Now, what do you do exactly once you have lit the cigar? First of all, you do not hold a cigar like you do a cigarette. You hold the cigar between the index finger and your thumb. You then draw the smoke lightly into your mouth, while you hold it there. Give your tongue sufficient time to taste the flavor of the cigar smoke. Enjoying a cigar is much like enjoying a fine wine. You can roll the smoke inside of your mouth before you exhale it.
How the cigar tastes will depend on the tobacco that is used to make it. For example, you often find cigars that are blended from different varieties of tobacco. This will ensure that you're getting a unique mixture and this is also the reason why every cigar has a different taste. It is very possible that heavily flavored cigars are too much for a beginning smoker to handle. This is particularly true with cigars that are filled with fire cured tobacco. These cigars produce a much stronger aroma that only the most experienced smoker is able to enjoy.
Again, a cigar is not the same as a cigarette, which is why you should not inhale the smoke of cigars. The tobacco of the cigarettes has been treated differently than the tobacco of the cigar. This makes it easier to inhale the smoke of cigarettes, whereas inhaling the smoke of a cigar is very tough. Most tobacco used in cigars are fairly untreated. They also contain relatively little nicotine, but have a slightly alkali taste to them.
Even though you do not inhale the smoke of cigars, there are still risks involved in smoking them. Just like with cigarettes, you risk developing certain forms of cancer. More than with any other way of smoking tobacco, the risk of developing oral cancer is greatest with smoking cigars.
Nonetheless, there is no reason why you should not enjoy a fine cigar every once in a while. Cigars can offer sophisticated relaxation and go down particularly well with a brandy or even a fine wine. With so many brands of cigars out on the market today, there is no reason why you can't enjoy many of the flavors cigars have to offer. Choose your brand wisely and enjoy!
photo credit: Adam Lerner via photopin cc
Cigars are actually made in a fairly simple way. They are simply made of shredded tobacco leaves that are then wrapped in bigger leaves that have not been cut. The leaves of the tobacco are first taken to a barn, where they are cured. This can actually be done in several ways, such as fire curing or flue curing. However, in most cases the tobacco for cigars is air cured. The leaves are then hung in a barn where there is sufficient ventilation until they are dry, which can be spotted by their dark brown color.
In some cases, the leaves are then shredded, whereas others are cut into strips. The tobacco that has been shredded is used as the filler, and the strips will then be used to wrap the cigars. Because a cigar is more heavily filled then a cigarette, and also does not contain a filter, it is much harder to inhale the smoke of the cigar. That is one of the reasons why it is not recommended to inhale cigar smoke. You may also want to read this helpful post on how to smoke a cigar.
So how exactly do you smoke a cigar? It all starts with cutting and then lighting the cigar. Most cigars are very tightly wrapped on one side, whereas the other side consists of exposed leaves of shredded tobacco. Before you start smoking a cigar, you first cut off the wrapped end of it, which is also where you start smoking a cigar. You can use a pipe cutter – which is a special tool to cut cigars – to cut the cigars, but if you do not have this on hand, you can also use a regular knife as long as it's sharp enough.
You do not light the cigar in the same way as you do a cigarette. You start lighting the cigar slowly and evenly, while taking short puffs so that there will be an even light. It usually doesn't feel this great to inhale the first few puffs of the cigar because of the heat from the lights. However, this will improve with an already lit cigar.
Now, what do you do exactly once you have lit the cigar? First of all, you do not hold a cigar like you do a cigarette. You hold the cigar between the index finger and your thumb. You then draw the smoke lightly into your mouth, while you hold it there. Give your tongue sufficient time to taste the flavor of the cigar smoke. Enjoying a cigar is much like enjoying a fine wine. You can roll the smoke inside of your mouth before you exhale it.
How the cigar tastes will depend on the tobacco that is used to make it. For example, you often find cigars that are blended from different varieties of tobacco. This will ensure that you're getting a unique mixture and this is also the reason why every cigar has a different taste. It is very possible that heavily flavored cigars are too much for a beginning smoker to handle. This is particularly true with cigars that are filled with fire cured tobacco. These cigars produce a much stronger aroma that only the most experienced smoker is able to enjoy.
Again, a cigar is not the same as a cigarette, which is why you should not inhale the smoke of cigars. The tobacco of the cigarettes has been treated differently than the tobacco of the cigar. This makes it easier to inhale the smoke of cigarettes, whereas inhaling the smoke of a cigar is very tough. Most tobacco used in cigars are fairly untreated. They also contain relatively little nicotine, but have a slightly alkali taste to them.
Even though you do not inhale the smoke of cigars, there are still risks involved in smoking them. Just like with cigarettes, you risk developing certain forms of cancer. More than with any other way of smoking tobacco, the risk of developing oral cancer is greatest with smoking cigars.
Nonetheless, there is no reason why you should not enjoy a fine cigar every once in a while. Cigars can offer sophisticated relaxation and go down particularly well with a brandy or even a fine wine. With so many brands of cigars out on the market today, there is no reason why you can't enjoy many of the flavors cigars have to offer. Choose your brand wisely and enjoy!
photo credit: Adam Lerner via photopin cc