How to Hold a Cigar
In some social settings, cigar smokers can get away with poor manners and hold a cigar; however, they want. Even smoking with friends requires basic manners and safety practices. Cigars can cause burns or set fires if they are managed poorly.
How you hold a cigar can negatively impact your smoking experience. Here are best practices for how to hold a cigar, whether you’re in a country club or at home.
There is some debate over how to hold a cigar. The most common way to hold a cigar is between the thumb and forefinger on your dominant hand. This allows you to maintain full control of the cigar, minimizing the chance of it slipping out and falling.
Use your other fingers to support the end of the cigar, especially while it is still long. Hold the cigar loosely, as pinching it tightly can damage it.
Holding the cigar between your pointer and middle finger, like a cigarette, is considered by some to be bad form. In formal environments, this mannerism is best avoided. Some people hold cigars by hooking their pointer finger over it and propping it on their middle finger, but this may also be considered rude.
Although many movie characters hold a cigar between their teeth, this is not recommended. Not only does it look rude and menacing, but your teeth can also damage the fragile wrapper of the cigar, causing bits to flake off into your mouth or even causing the wrapper to fall apart.
Tobacco and cigar wrapper bits do not taste good, so a damaged cigar can ruin the experience. When you need a hand free for drinking or shaking hands, either switch the cigar to your other hand or place the cigar in an ashtray instead of trying to support its full weight with your mouth. Even holding it in your mouth for a few seconds can either soak the wrapper with your saliva or damage it with your teeth.
There is also some debate over whether you should remove the band once you’ve lit the cigar. While some advocate for removing it, others consider showing the band to be a sign of respect for the manufacturer, especially if it’s an excellent Cuban brand.
The band is a good indicator of where to hold a cigar, so it may be useful for novices to leave it in place. Whichever you decide, don’t try to remove it before lighting the cigar, as it may tear the wrapping and make it much more challenging to hold. Wait until you’ve taken a puff, and the gum securing the band starts to melt.
If you’re a guest in someone’s home or being hosted at a small social event, it’s wise to take cues from the host. Your host may not worry much about manners and may even display some bad habits himself.
Most of the time, your host is trying to make a good impression on everyone. Even if you disagree with some of your host’s manners, it is bad form to criticize them, but you do not usually have to emulate them. For minor etiquette points, such as removing bands versus leaving them intact, it is most polite to do whatever your host does.
Although small cigars are very easy to hold, the largest cigars may be awkward to hold for long periods. Some of the most popular cigars on the market are up to 60 ring gauge, or nearly 1” in diameter. While they are lightweight, they can be tricky to prop comfortably on fingers.
It’s okay to set a cigar down on an ashtray if your fingers are getting stiff from being in the same position for too long. As long as you pick the cigar back up within a minute or so, you should be able to resume smoking it without relighting it.
Avoid holding a cigar too close to drinks or food, especially someone else’s. Accidentally getting ash in someone else’s food is a major faux pas, but the smoke alone can be enough to disrupt a meal.
Try not to walk around a lot while holding a cigar. Cigars produce both smoke and ash and dropping ash on the carpet is a problem for the host. Even when outside, only smoke when an ashtray is present unless specifically told otherwise by the host. Learn more about how to put out a cigar.
Pointing or gesturing with a cigar may also be seen as rude, especially around strangers. Be mindful of your gestures and handle a cigar the same way you would handle a pencil or sharp object. A cigar should be treated with respect, so handle it carefully.
You can’t hold a premium Cuban cigar without buying one first. But which one? The subtle oak-infused tones of a Montecristo or the powerful punch of a Bolivar?
Just don’t hold a fake cigar. That will lose you all etiquette points. Even if you hold and light a cigar perfectly, people can tell it is fake by the smells.
So get your hands on a premium cigar from Swiss Cuban Cigars. Find the perfect Cuban cigar for your next social gathering.