When to Smoke a Fine Cigar
Not all of us can be Winston Churchill. The great English statesman smoked over a dozen of the finest cigars available every day. For Sir Winston, the right time to smoke a great cigar was every hour! Unfortunately, the rest of us do not have deep enough pockets to be able to smoke great cigars all the time.
When you get the chance to smoke a great cigar, you need to cherish it. A great cigar can really be a memorable experience and you need to do your best to enrich that experience.
First off, you need to be around people who enjoy cigars as much as you do. Having the right company around you (family, friends, cigar buddies, etc.) will make all the difference. There won’t be anyone around to nag you about the foul odor emanating from your robusto. With the right people you can actually talk about the cigar and just enjoy yourselves for a while.
If you can’t scrounge up some cigar smokers you should smoke a great cigar by yourself. Now, I’m not talking about hiding from others who don’t smoke all the time. In fact, for the vast majority of cigars, if the people you are around don’t mind the smell then smoke in their presence. Cigar smoking is a social thing. But not when it comes to one of the best cigars you have ever smoked.
Even though those around you don’t mind you smoking a $30 Montecristo they don’t understand it either. These people, bless their hearts, just won’t be able to talk with you about your Montecristo. They aren’t trying to ruin your great experience but they cannot add anything to it either. Just find a time when you have a couple hours to yourself and smoke your stogie.
Another good tip about when to smoke a fine cigar is to try to do it when the weather is nice and it’s a special day. For example, this last Fourth of July I smoked an absolutely wonderful God of Fire robusto by Don Carlos (made by the Fuentes). It was an amazing experience smoking such a spicy bombshell of a cigar and watching the bombs bursting in air. On top of all that the weather was perfect. It was 10pm and the temperature was still warm.
The time of day also plays a big role for me. Personally speaking, I like to smoke cigars at night. The stresses of the day have passed and everything is calmer. And, since I live in Southern California, the temperature outside is usually fine (like many of you, I cannot smoke inside the house). Even though I like smoking at night many in Latin America will smoke during the afternoon. Others like to have a nice cigar to start their day off. Figure out which time is best for you and stick to that when smoking a great cigar.
My last bit of general advice is to smoke a truly great cigar only when you are happy. If the boss ripped you a new one earlier today or the wife is still nagging you about the yard it doesn’t make sense to smoke a great cigar. Being in the wrong frame of mind will take even the best cigar and make it ordinary.
There are the basics according to me. Just remember this one thing: A great cigar needs proper respect. Show it some respect and it will reward you.
