When choosing a cigar what meet s the eye a lways count s , that first look around in search of the perfect color and smooth texture of the wrapper. Following that visual approach, expert smokers usually take several cigars in their hands and feel them smoothly. At the end of the ritual, they handpick one of them, one that’s solid but not hard.

Sniffing the habano is always some sort of preamble. Its unburned aroma connects smokers with the smell of nature, the field, and it serves as a threshold to the taste that cigar might have once it’s been lit.

Before finally lighting the cigar, it’s necessary to have a small yet indispensable utensil close at hand: the cutter. The cutter is used to clip off the tip with a curious and evenly round cut, providing the perfect diameter without damaging the wrapper or degrading its fanciness. Once the tip has been cut off, the Habano is ready to provide a while of exquisite pleasure.

However, even though some good manners must be observed up to now, the crucial lighting moment is equally important. Something to bear in mind is that lighting a cigar with a gas lighter, a wax match or a candle will inevitably contaminate the aroma of the habano and will lessen the enjoyment of it. Thus, it’s a whole lot better to have wooden matches that can be bought quite easily in stores, especially big matches made of cedar. As a matter of fact, all Habano Houses around the world always sell these wooden matches.

A good smoker takes the cigar in his hands and puts it in an almost horizontal position as he draws the lighting flame closer. Turning it around to make it burn as evenly as possible is also recommendable. Right after that, the smoker puts the cigar between his lips, keeping it near the flame as he spins it around in his mouth. Lastly, the smoker blows softly on the lit end of the cigar just to make sure it’s burning evenly. The smoke is breathed in and tasted at regular intervals, but should never be inhaled. The habano will burn smoothly, letting whitish rings of smoke waft in the air and leaving a peculiar aroma all around.

The ash will grow longer on the burning end, but there’s no need to blow it away because it will eventually fall all by itself as soon as you let the cigar take a break in the ashtray. depending on its ring gauge and length, the smoking time can be shorter or longer. Nonetheless, what any smoker should know is what the chances of a good cigar really are to guarantee a pleasant puff for at least three quarters of its full size.