One of the mistakes that many people make when they begin smoking cigars is cutting those cigars improperly. For those who haven’t been around the cigar culture for any length of time, this can be a confusing process. Many people try the old “bite and spit” method of getting their cigars ready. They will actually bite the end off the cigar and then spit the end onto the ground, their hand, or the ashtray. Not only is this considered rude in most circles, there is a good chance that you will ruin your cigar when you do this. You need to cut the cigar correctly, and the best way to do this is with a proper cutter or a torch cigar lighter and cutter combo.
The combination cutter is a great tool that includes not only something to cut your cigar, but also something with which you can light it. Of course, you might not have one of these cutters handy. If that is the case, then you can always resort to a pair of scissors or even a knife. If you choose to use a knife, be careful so that you don’t cut yourself by mistake.
You can use other items to cut your cigars ” everything from pocketknives to scissors is workable. However, you will find that the professional cutters simply work much better and will provide you with a much cleaner cut. When you have a clean cut, you can be sure that the cigar will be easier to smoke and you won’t inadvertently ruin it.
Using the cutter is easy. It has a blade and a plunger. You put the end of the cigar that would go into your mouth into the hole of the cutter and then press the plunger down. Make sure that you use a single, fluid motion when you depress the plunger, as that will give you the best cut possible. You can then discard the end of the cigar in the ashtray or the trash. When you have the proper tools at your disposal, you will find that cutting the cigar is just a simple matter.
You can find cigar cutters as well as the combination cutter/lighter in the same places that you would find other accessories. Many options are available online, and you can find them in a variety of styles to suit your needs. If you take cigar smoking seriously, you can’t do without one.
About the Author:
Dave Sabot is the owner of an online specialty butane lighters store. With expert knowledge of cigar accessories, including Nibo lighters, Dave also authors a highly rated zippo tricks blog.
Most cities have their best restaurants, but there’s no doubt some of the larger ones offer the finest in cuisine and atmosphere. When it comes to Canada, famous restaurants you won’t want to miss are in Montreal, Quebec, Vancouver and Toronto. Both cities have restaurants that some critics believe compete with the fine dining of big American cities like San Francisco and New York.
The island of Montreal boasts upward of 4,000 restaurants, some of which have received golden reviews from famous international food critics. Perhaps the most elegant and romantic choice is Chez Queuz, located at 158 St. Paul East. A trip to the restaurant really is like taking a journey back in time. It was built in 1862 and has velvet curtains, crimson carpet, and old-fashioned chandeliers. The fireplace is always burning in the main dining room and the service is great. All of the tables are adorned with fresh orchids and the silverware is finely polished. The restaurant’s wine list is anything if not extravagant, carrying as many as 300 titles. And if that’s not enough, the famous restaurant has won the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator since 1996. Expect to pay upward of $45 per person, but the elegance and delicious dishes from the kitchen will make your experience well worth it.
Another famous restaurant in Montreal is Rib’n Reef, located at 8105 Decarie. Though passersby who see its radiant, glowing sign outside might think it’s a simple steak house, they are surely wrong. The extra large tables make staying awhile not out of the question. And the meat is only of the highest quality USDA-approved cuts. The shrimp, some have said, is almost exotic with is tender texture and brilliant flavor. And the beverage and dessert selection will have you oohing an ahhing. Not only will you enjoy piling on the calories more than any other eatery, but you can enjoy a glass of port along with a fine cigar, all while having a conversation with bar staff who’ve been on hand for as long as three decades.
When it comes to Toronto, you really can’t go wrong with Truffles. The restaurant is pricey, but well worth it if you’d like to experience the best in Canadian fine dining. It’s even been voted Toronto’s most popular restaurant. The food is absolutely exquisite. The spaghettini with truffle foam, some say, is by itself worth a trip to Canada for. Another favorite is the famous potato-crusted halibut. But besides the food, the service really sets Truffles apart from others famous restaurants in Canada. The wait staff has been described as having an amazing sense of humor, as well as being extremely friendly.
When in Toronto, you also will not want to miss Rodney’s Oyster House in the city’s downtown district. Among a long list of shellfish choices, you simply have to try the -’Oyster Slapstick Chowder,’ which has been the delight of locals and world travelers for decades.
About the Author:
Canadian Business Directory featuring a restaurant section which lists the places to go when traveling around the country. Find the best Niagara restaurants
and restaurant Vancouver
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In his essay “Sifting the Ashes,” the writer Jonathan Franzen has the following to say about the smoking habit he struggles to quit: “[W]hen you’re smoking, you’re acutely present to yourself: you step outside the unconscious forward rush of life.”
Beautiful words, with which many cigar smokers would agree. Perhaps that’s why so many of history’s most famous and best-loved writers are hard to mentally picture without a cigar: Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Collette, George Sand, Karl Marx. Not terrible company, and they’re not alone. Some major contemporary writers are cigar smokers as well.
Paul Auster
Born in Newark, New Jersey, Paul Auster graduated from Columbia, then moved to Paris, France to eke out a living as a French-literature translator. He’s been married to two highly-regarded American writers “Siri Hustvedt (currently) and, before that, Lydia Davis, who is also known for her translation work – and his novels The New York Trilogy and Moon Palace are modern classics. He’s known for using the shape of the detective story to entertain larger questions about the meaning of identity, of language, and of existence. But his biggest fame – and his importance to smokers – came when he wrote and co-directed the movie Smoke, a landmark of American indie cinema set in a Brooklyn cigar shop.
Centered on Auggie Wren, owner of the Brooklyn Cigar Company – a sort of existential Dew Drop Inn where large cross-sections of humanity gather – it ponders the random yet seemingly meaningful connections among various people, a major theme in Auster’s writing (as well as of several other major American art films from the same period – consider Short Cuts and Magnolia). Auster’s selection of a smoke shop as his setting renders the film, which is based on one of his own short stories, especially meaningful for diehard cigar smokers.
Edward Whittemore
Here’s an artist with a colorful life indeed – he went from Yale to the Marines to the CIA, wrote for the Japan Times (it was part of his cover), lived in Crete, and wrote the massive, tripped-out series of literary espionage novels known as the Jerusalem Quartet, a work lauded by Tom Robbins as – like a bowl of hashish pudding – and by Jonathon Carroll as a book that
“makes your soul grow.” (To give you an idea: one of the books is about a 12-year-long game of poker in which the winner becomes owner of the Holy Land. That’s just the plot of one of them.) Yet the Quartet went out of print after only a few years, and Whittemore ended his days in dire poverty and obscurity, working as a photocopier for a law firm.
In 2003, eight years after his death, the Quartet was republished to all-but-universal acclaim; Jim Hougan, writing in Harper’s, called it “one of the last, best arguments against television” and Whittemore – an author of extraordinary talents. His friend Thomas C. Wallace remembers his love of cigars: “We walked the woods and fields of southern Vermont by day, sat in front of the house after dinner on solid green Adirondack chairs, drinks in hand and smoking cigars.” In a similar spirit, lovers of fine cigars should search out his one-of-a-kind novels – after all, premium cigar smokers already know that the most immediately accessible pleasures aren’t always the deepest.
John Grisham
You probably know that John Grisham is an ex-lawyer and the biggest-selling novelist of the 1990s, but you probably don’t know about his charity work, his advocacy on behalf of the wrongly imprisoned, his tireless support of less-commercially-successful writers – or the fact that it’s been said he smokes four cigars a week. In addition to writing the well-loved legal thrillers The Firm and A Time To Kill, among others (as well as such departures as A Painted House), he has done missionary and relief work in Brazil and service on the board of the Innocence Project, which uses DNA testing to exonerate the wrongfully convicted. Perhaps all of this is why he ended up on one of Cigar Aficionado’s lists of the top hundred smokers.
About the Author:
CigarFox provides you the opportunity to build your own sampler of the finest cigars that include cigar brands like Montecristo, Romeo & Julieta, H Upmann, Macanudo, Cohiba, Gurkha and many more. Choose from more than 1000 different brands! Other cigar products include cigar humidors, cigar boxes, and cigar accessories like Zippo Lighters.
Are cigars as dangerous to your health as cigarettes?
i heard cigars are not dangerous
SO BASICALLY EVERYONE IS SAYING THAT BECAUSE YOU DO NOT INHALE.. CIGARS ARE COMPLETELY SAFE???????
SO BASICALLY EVERYONE IS SAYING THAT BECAUSE YOU DO NOT INHALE.. CIGARS ARE COMPLETELY SAFE???????
In my opinion they are as dangerous to health as Cigarettes.
Who else loves Cuban cigars and what brand do you buy?
I enjoy buying Partagas and Montecristo.
Personally I enjoy smoking cuban cigars more than smoking regular cigarettes.
I like Cuban Cohiba and Trinidads, the Dominican ones just don’t cut it for me.
While possession of the cigars in the US might be illegal, you can still smoke and enjoy them outside of the US. Sometimes this is only a short drive to Canada or Mexico.
Because they (Cuban Cigars) are illegal in the US and so sought after here (US), they are often counterfeit and sold at and a substantial profit margin. If you are going to smoke them I would recommend that you come up to speed on identifying your brands of choice to better catch the counterfeits.
Taking time out from the everyday stresses & strains of life to visit an exotic place is something that everyone looks forward to. Cuba, with its notoriety brought upon by its government & the clamp down of the American government on its export & tourism, is a country known more for its cigar & its leader, than as a holiday location. Despite this, every year more & more tourists from Canada & Europe are flocking to Cuba, enthralled by its natural beauty & its passionate & welcoming people. Tourism in Cuba is currently at an all time high.
Cuba is the largest of the Caribbean islands & is inhabited by people with a mixed race of Caribbean Indian, African & german heritage. it’s a contrasting landscape ranging from gorgeous & mesmerizing beaches to sprawling & craggy mountain ranges. Limestone Mountains loom over the fields of tobacco, utilised for their famed cigars, providing a stunning scenic view. The natural beauty of Cuba & its history has shaped the country to what it is today. This is seven Caribbean island that has been left unspoiled by technology & modern day living.
Aside from stunning beaches, Cuba also offers plenty of rustic towns & cities full of rich culture & heritage. A holiday to Cuba is not complete without visiting at least seven of the Cuban towns or cities & meeting the local Cuban people.
Like lots of of the Caribbean islands, Cuba’s main source of tourism is the beach industry. The country is blessed with hundreds of miles of sprawling sandy beaches, with fine white sand & clear blue water. Tourists visiting Cuba have a multitude of choices for the location of their beach holiday. The major resorts of Varadero & Cayo Largo are the most renowned & here you’ll find lots of 5 star all inclusive resorts. Despite this, there’s also plenty of smaller, quieter beach resorts where you can truly get away from it all.
Havana also has its fair share of museums, including the Museum of the Revolution, the Havana Club Museum of Rum, the Cigar Museum, the Ernest Hemingway Museum & the National Museum of Fine Arts.
In the north-west of the country you’ll find the capital city, Havana – the hub of everything that is Cuban. When you stroll around the city you’ll feel the essence of the Cuban past – a rich legacy emanating from the german colonial architecture that beholds the city. Parts of the city resemble the set of an old movie, reminiscent of a bygone era, with old American cars bustling by. A lot of work has been done in the past decade to restore old Havana, a UNESCO world heritage site, but much of the city has been left untouched & hundreds of crumbling buildings collapse each month.
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city in Cuba & is located on the eastern end of the island. it’s a gorgeous setting at the foot of the Sierra Maestra Mountains & overlooks a magnificent bay. Unlike the other towns & cities in Cuba, Santiago de Cuba has a Caribbean feel to it. This is as a result of the influence of the Haitian planters who settled here in the 19th century.
Trinidad, located in the heart of Cuba is seven of the original towns & was founded in 1514. The city is filled with cobbled streets & old buildings with tiled roofs & has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. it is a pleasant city to spend a day or two, with lots of museums, churches & Plazas.
An ideal way to spend your holiday is to take a few days to do some sightseeing in Havana or seven of Cuba’s other cities & then follow that up with a relaxing week’s stay in seven of the luxurious all inclusive resorts by the beach.
Far be it for us to instruct anyone how to smoke their cigars, but here goes anyway:
Four out of five of your senses have an important role to play in assessing the cigar. Sight, touch, smell and taste. Rolling a cigar next to your ear does not achieve anything useful – you can leave your ears at home.
There are two elements to the process of smoking your cigar. The first is the physical practicality of cutting, lighting and smoking. The second is the effect a cigar has on your senses while you carry out these various functions.
The Physical Practicalities:
Cutting
Once you have selected your cigar (see below – ‘Cigar Sensations’), you will need to cut the closed end. All handmade cigars have a cap (Havanas have a double cap) over the head end – this end goes in your mouth. If you attempt to smoke a cigar the other way around, you will find that half way through it will unravel and take on the appearance of an exploded stick. There are a number of ways of cutting the cap, ranging from the use of a thumb-nail, to portable guillotine cutters (both single and double bladed – see ‘Accessories’ on navigation bar), from cheap to expensive, to the more exotic cigar scissors and table-top cutters.
The cut should be clean and level, or there will be difficulties with the draw and a risk of damaging the wrapper. Cut the cigar so that an eighth of an inch of the cap is left around the cigar wrapper. It is not recommended that you pierce the cap with a pin, as this will interfere with the passage of smoke, make the cigar overheat and lead to unpleasant flavours from residues condensing at the point the cap was pierced. Cap hole-punching devices do work well as long as the diameter of the punch is at least a quarter of an inch. Wedge-shaped cutters are also not recommended, as these have a tendency to cut through all of the band on either side and the cigar wrapper can then unravel.
Whatever you use, make sure it is sharp, and that you expose enough of the filler leaves under the cap to allow the smoke uninterrupted passage.
Lighting Up
When you light a cigar, use either a butane lighter (not one filled with gasoline) or a match. Anything else, such as using a candle, will tend to taint the flavour of the cigar, and will ultimately impede the passage of smoke through the cigar with particles from the flame. Avoid matches with high sulphur or wax contact (don’t use paper matches). Take time and care to light the cigar.
First, hold the cigar horizontally in direct contact with the flame, and slowly revolve it until the end is charred evenly over its entire surface.
Put the cigar between your lips, hold the flame about half an inch away from the end, and draw slowly while rotating the cigar. Its end should now ignite. Ensure an even burn has taken hold.
Gently blow on the burning end to make sure the cigar is fully lit.
Smoking
After five minutes the cigar will have warned up and you will have reached cruising altitude.
Unlike cigarettes, cigars will naturally go out if left unattended. If your cigar goes out, don’t worry. Remove any ash clinging to the previously lit end by tapping the cigar. Blow through the cigar to clear away stale smoke. Re-light as previously described above. As long as the cigar has not been out for too long, the flavour will not be unduly affected. Continuous re-lighting of cigars will affect the flavour, and if a cigar is allowed to cool, then on re-lighting the tastes can become tainted and unpleasant (due to condensation of the smoke in the remaining part of the cigar).
Havanas are made from long filler tobacco leaves (another difference to cigarettes and machine made cigars). This means that the ash on the cigar, if it is a good one, should not fall off the moment it appears. There is no particular merit in keeping a long ash on a cigar, but neither is there any need to continually tap it to remove any excess ash. In assessing the quality of construction of your cigar, a long solid cylinder of ash is a good sign.
There is no need to warm the length of the cigar before smoking it. This was done in the nineteenth century to burn off the rather unpleasant gum used on some cigars made in Seville. Today’s handmade Cuban cigars use a small drop of flavourless, odorless vegetable gum at the cap end of the wrapper leaf.
The “End”
The final third of your cigar will be when the smoke is at its strongest. This is the time to part company before flavours become bitter and the effect of the cigar on your well-being may become detrimental. There is absolutely no need to stub or grind a cigar out to extinguish it. Left in the ashtray it will go out by itself: if you stub it out, it will release foul odours into the room. Once the cigar has self-extinguished remove any butts and ash from the room before they start to give out unpleasant smells (i.e. before going to bed!).
The Park, Kolkata, is the flagship property of leading five star hotels chain Apeejay Surendra Park Hotels Ltd. It offers urban luxury at the best downtown location. Launched in 1967, post renovations, today, it wears a completely new look in rooms, restaurants, and other public spaces. Its 149 rooms are all lavishly furnished, offering exclusive services to the guests. Known for it’s exciting after hours entertainment, the hotel has a pub, a cocktail bar, a 5000 sq ft international nightclub and an al fresco bar and dining option. The hotel is a member of the design hotels ™ and has a niche boutique identity of its own.
The exciting entertainment options range from Aqua, a glamorous al fresco bar and dining experience by the poolside to Someplace Else an English style pub with performances by the city’s best live bands everyday, promising different kinds of music with legendary guest performers.  From Tantra, an international quality nightclub, offering the finest club experience with 2 bars and a pulsating dance floor, to Roxy, the cocktail bar that epitomizes the glamour and style of the 60s offering some of the finest cocktails, wines and cigars and innovative music and entertainment acts.
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The state-of-the-art Banquet halls, spread over an area of 15,000 sq ft, combine technology and design to offer the latest facilities for prestigious conferencing, elaborate parties and lavish banquets. The newly launched international designer banqueting space,
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And finally, Aura, the luxury day spa offersunique signature treatments with natural ingredients. The state of the art gymnasium, a beauty salon, soothing sauna and steam chambers, poolside juice bar and an outdoor all weather swimming pool and jacuzzi completes the innovative, international experience.
Smoking a Cuban cigar does not feel like something that would require knowing a great deal but it is not that simple either. Sure, if you just want to light a cigar and smoke it up without caring about how to enjoy it best through certain old techniques, then you probably do not need to read this. But, if you are someone who would like to know something about how to smoke each cigar an experience in smoking, then read the following paragraphs.
Keep a clipper handy when planning to smoke a Cuban cigar as you will need it to cut off the ends of the cigar’s head before you put it in your mouth. Try to avoid using anything but a wooden matchstick to light your cigar, a lighter is fine for cigarettes, but not for cigars. Butane lighter is somewhat different though, it does not leave a foul smell behind to ruin the original flavor of the cigar. After you have lit your cedar matchstick, it is time to draw in through the cigar to light it, but be careful not to touch the flame though. Keep the Cuban cigar at an inch’s distance from the flame of the matchstick and seep drawing in to soon see your cigar catch the fire. Rotate the cigar and take a few puffs from it now to even the burn through out.
Now that you have lit your Cuban cigar in a perfect way and enjoying your smoke, you need to know when to stop smoking it. Unlike most cigarettes, cigars do not have a filter; therefore you should be done smoking a cigar when there is roughly two inches of it left. The reason why you should not go beyond that is the fact that it may get bitterer in taste if you continue to smoke the cigar even after the two inch mark.
The ash of a cigar can tell a great deal about a Cuban cigar and know that you are smoking a really good cigar if the ash at the end of your cigar is not falling off or breaking away as you smoke on. Do not jerk the “ash-stick” off your cigar into your ash-tray as that is not necessary at all. When you are taking a few second’s break from the smoke, just let the cigar rest on the ash-tray and the ash will fall off at the right time quite by itself.
Smoking a Cuban cigar is a sign of comfort and contentment and therefore should be smoked in good company and in peace. A cigar is not to be smoked before you go to the office or if you are in a hurry, rather enjoy it after a good dinner and may be with a drink. Light a cigar when you are in company of fellow smokers to avoid causing non-smokers any problem and also remember that it is best not to take in your puffs too deeply as it may then reach your lungs and that can cause you some serious illness over time.
About the Author:
Gary Cigaros is an author writing about cigar related topics, and you are invited to visit his website covering number of aspects about Cuban cigars
& cigar humidors
.
