(Newswire.net — June 16, 2020) —
Cigar smoking is more than just an amusing individual activity. It’s a cultural and social rite, and, as such, it comes with certain rules of etiquette. If you’re new to cigar smoking, you might already know this and fear making an embarrassing faux pas the first time you engage in social smoking. Or, maybe, you’ve noticed fellow smokers cringe when you’re around and want to know where you’re making your mistakes. In any case, you are bound to benefit from learning the ins and outs of cigar etiquette. Here are six basic rules you should memorize to start your education.
Don’t Stub Out a Cigar
When people finish a cigarette, they often stub it out in the ashtray or on the ground. With cigars, this simply isn’t done. Why? For one thing, it just looks trashy. Cigars are a bit classier by nature, and something that was artfully crafted doesn’t deserve to be smashed into obliteration when you’re done with it. Also, stubbing out a cigar tends to produce a nasty smell that other smokers won’t appreciate.
Don’t Light Another Smoker’s Cigar
This is another area where cigars and cigarettes differ. When smoking cigs, it is common practice to help out a fellow smoker with a light. When smoking cigars, this is seen as stepping out of bounds. People are particular about how they light their cigars, and they usually want to be left alone to get the process started as they please. If you reach across and put a lighter to another person’s cigar, you’re as likely to get a curse as a “thank you.”
No Outside Cigars In A Shop
Cigar shops are among the most popular places to socially smoke. If you choose to smoke there, then you should buy the cigar from the shopkeepers. To bring in an outside cigar and smoke it in the shop is a bit like cutting your own hair at the barbers or bringing a home-cooked pizza to a restaurant. You’re taking advantage of the atmosphere and amenities provided, but without supporting the people who are providing it. This will not only make you an enemy of the shopkeeper, but it might hurt your reputation with other smokers who won’t think much of your behavior.
Don’t Smoke in a Humidor
When at a shop or a friends’ house never smoke inside a humidor. There is a special atmosphere the tobacconist is looking to maintain, and you could upset it by smoking where you really should abstain. Anyone with a humidor will also have an accessible place to smoke; be smart, and smoke there instead.
Be Mindful of Sanitation
Nobody wants to be swapping germs while smoking cigars with friends. There are a few ways to maintain proper sanitation standards. If you want to smell a cigar that isn’t yours, hold it an inch under your nose and inhale. Do not, under and circumstances, insert any part of the cigar into your nostril. Imagine the looks you would give a restaurant patron putting all the tables’ knives up their nose. Also, never put the end of the cigar in your mouth before using a communal or shared cutter. You have no right to get your saliva all over an instrument that isn’t for your use alone.
Don’t Talk With a Cigar in Your Mouth
Just like it’s bad manners to talk while chewing, it’s poor etiquette to talk with a cigar between your lips. In one fell swoop you’ll annoy the people who can barely understand you and make them question why you’re even smoking if you have so little interest in savoring the act. If the cigar is in your mouth, then it should be the focus of your attention. Save the speaking for between puffs, thus engaging in conversation like a savvy smoker.