Cigar Watch

OK – now you’re ready to fire it up. If you stop to think about it it makes sense – how a cigar burns has a big impact on whether you will enjoy smoking it or not. So go ahead and light up. Now be sure to kiss the tip of the cigar with the flame – and don’t try to suck the lighter or match through the stick just prove you can. Rotate the cigar in the flame and light the whole foot. You know you’ve overdone it if the fire department shows up to douse the flame at the far end of your stogie!

Once you’ve got it lit, torn the cigar around and look at the foot. Is the ash forming evenly across the cigar? Then blow gently on the foot. Do you see an even glow? Part of this is for the cigar – but part is for you to see if you are lighting it correctly.

Take a couple of draws – let the cigar rest and then turn it around again. This time gently waft some smoke from the tip of the cigar up to your nose and breathe it in. More on why later – but pay attention to what you smell.

As you smoke the cigar, pay attention to how it burns – both the rate and evenness. Now let’s go back to the Rating Sheet.

• Even Light is a Delight – a well made cigar will light evenly and easily. You should not see any holes in the center of it. The wrapper and binder should burn evenly. Perfection is worth one point.
• Burning Question – The rate and speed of the burn go a long way to determining how well a stogie will smoke. That’s why there are all of 12 points up for grabs. Watch the burn rate at the start, half way through and three-quarters down. Variations will highlight problems in the construction of the cigar.

So how is your cigar doing? It started out with 15 points in this area. How many are left? Make your notes on the Rating Sheet. Next stop the second most important area – construction – 30 points are at stake. Let’s go to the Construction section.